Copper Country Trout Unlimited letter to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board ’Ķ July 17, 2001     Dear Trust Fund Board Member:   Re:  Tip of the Keweenaw Sale #01-196               I am writing on behalf of the Copper County Chapter of Trout Unlimited.  Our membership of 110 men and women are dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring the Copper Country’Äôs coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.  Our area of interest includes the Keweenaw Peninsula including Keweenaw County.               We have worked with the Michigan DNR since 1998 to establish a trophy brook trout fishery in Lost Lake in Keweenaw County.  This is one of the lakes included in the potential Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund purchase in the county.  Also included in this proposal is the lower three miles of the Montreal River.  There are three waterfalls in this reach of river with the last one falling directly into Lake Superior.  This native brook trout stream still supports a remnant population of coaster, or lake dwelling, brook trout as well as a significant run of steelhead each spring.  It is a spectacular river worthy of addition to state ownership.   The approximately six miles of Lake Superior shoreline in the proposal contain some of the finest remaining features of natural beauty found anywhere in the state, from the sandy beaches of Keystone Bay to seastacks and rugged, rocky shores to the west.  This is a remote and wild stretch of land unchanged since first explored in the 1840’Äôs by Douglass Houghton.   The opportunity to obtain this land through MNRTF purchase represents a once in a lifetime chance to preserve the best Michigan has to offer for future generations.  It is still a true wilderness that offers remote hunting, fishing, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, primitive camping, agate hunting and a host of other recreational opportunities.  If this land is not obtained now, International Paper intends to sell it off in a piecemeal fashion.  This fragmentation of ownership will eliminate access to property that has been open to the public for over 100 years.   I have reviewed the project application and want to bring something to your attention of which you may not be aware.  The plat map used as a visual depicting the lands proposed for purchase is out of date.  All of the land shown as owned by Longyear Realty Corporation in T58-59N, R27W, sections 15, 20, 21 and 22 is in fact owned by the state.  The total acreage amounts to 1782.5 acres and connects the two parcels indicated in the project proposal.  Adding the 6313 acres in the project would make a contiguous piece of state land encompassing almost 8100 acres.  In future years this parcel will be viewed as one of the crown jewels of state ownership rivaling the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.    The Copper Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited urges you to approve the purchase of these lands.  The state will never again have an opportunity such as this to protect and preserve such a significant parcel for future generations.               Thank you for this opportunity to comment and for taking the time to review this letter.                                                               Sincerely,                                                                   William L. Deephouse, President                                                             Copper Country Chapter of                                                              Trout Unlimited   cc:        Senator Don Koivisto             Representative Rich Brown