Two privately owned properties totaling 721 acres near Crystal Falls are under consideration for public acquisition by Michigan forestry and wildlife officials. The land includes river and lake frontage, wildlife habitat and areas used by anglers, but is currently closed to the public. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has requested more than $1 million in grants to purchase the properties.
A Potential Link in the Public Land Network
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has requested a $710,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for 377 acres southeast of Crystal Falls, near the Iron County Airport and Horserace Rapids Nature Trail, and $330,000 for 344 acres northwest of the city, according to MLive. Together, the requests cover 721 acres and total $1.04 million.
Kerry Heckman, the DNR's forest land administrator, told the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board in Traverse City that both properties adjoin existing state forestland. The agency says acquiring them would connect public holdings and strengthen public ownership around waterways used for recreation, including the Paint River and Mallard Lake.
Habitat and Access Across the Properties
The southeast property contains most of Mallard Lake and the headwaters of Seven Spring Creek. MLive reported that oak trees are unusually abundant there for the region; their acorns can attract black bears seeking food.
Both properties include deer wintering areas, as well as wetlands and lowland cover where white-tailed deer shelter during severe Upper Peninsula winters, officials said. The mix of food and cover makes these areas useful to deer in different seasons.
River Frontage and a Sensitive Species
The northwest property borders the Paint River and Chicagon Slough. It includes 1.5 miles of river between Erickson's Landing and the Bates-Amasa Road crossing, two access points used by anglers. The property also contains upland savanna forest and is near public lands within the Ottawa National Forest.
Researchers have documented state-threatened wood turtles on the Paint River property, according to the DNR's grant application. Neither parcel is currently open to the public because both remain privately owned. The state is seeking funding to acquire them.
Wildlife Management Context
The DNR defines a deer wintering complex as a landscape of food and cover used by deer during winter. The agency also identifies habitat loss, road mortality, nest predation and illegal collection as threats to wood turtles, which it lists among Michigan’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Those statewide concerns do not establish conditions on the proposed parcel. The definitions and threats are described by the Michigan DNR and in its wood turtle information.
Other Requests Before the Trust Fund
The Crystal Falls proposals are not the only land deals before the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board this cycle. The DNR separately requested $2.1 million to buy 485 acres at Laughing Fish Point in Alger County, a Lake Superior shoreline property officials have described as under competing interest from private buyers, according to MLive's earlier reporting. The agency also asked for $6 million to help fund a proposed Great Lakes Basin Conservation Easement, a project that has already drawn $37.5 million in federal Forest Legacy Program funds.
The Trust Fund is supported by royalties and lease revenues from state-owned mineral, oil and natural gas holdings, with investment income and earnings providing funding going forward. It awards grants each year for land acquisition and outdoor recreation projects statewide. For context, Spectrum News 1 reported that Michigan announced $45 million in Trust Fund grants for 75 park and recreation projects in fiscal year 2027; local and matching funds brought the total investment to roughly $108.9 million, according to Spectrum News 1.
Public Access and the Funding Path
DNR acquisition procedures require land bought with Trust Fund assistance to be open to the general public and maintained for public outdoor recreation in perpetuity. The DNR says the board’s December recommendations are followed by a department funding request and then legislative consideration, so a board recommendation alone does not finalize an award. These requirements and steps are outlined in the department’s acquisition procedures and its Natural Resources Trust Fund Board information.
The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board is expected to consider the Crystal Falls requests, along with other pending applications, in December. If the funding is approved, the DNR says it would manage the Iron County parcels for recreation, hunting, fishing, wildlife habitat and timber production, providing public access to land that is now privately held.
