The Keweenaw Community Forest Company has worked to protect more than 10,000 acres, going back further than the nonprofit’s establishment in 2003.
President of KCFC Gina Nicholas says the group was started around the time Glenn Mroz was the chair of the Michigan Tech Forestry School. At the time, large portions of Keweenaw County were still owned by The Land Company that descended from the former Calumet and Hecla Mining Company.
“And so we decided that we needed to go the nonprofit route and to focus on conservation and natural science education, natural science original research, and a lot of projects that involve forest wetlands and the coast of Lake Superior on the Keweenaw Peninsula,” Nicholas said.
Conservation relies on different avenues of support. Individual donors, grant awards, land gifts and more can provide a solid foundation for conservation groups to conduct research and maintain access to lands. Though a recently established endowment fund will provide a much more stable foundation for the organization to accomplish its goals.
“But I think the thing about having endowment is that it’s great for supporting your base operations. It’s easier to get money to buy land or to do a specific research project or education project than it is to raise money to just keep the doors open. And we’ve gotten, you know, larger over the years. We own about 10,000 acres in Keweenaw County,” Nicholas said.
Nicholas adds supporting conservation endowment funds in the community can prevent land fragmentation.
“We keep the land base intact for all the natural species and then all of us to use in a shared way as opposed to in a way where each person has their own lot or their own 40 or whatever. We have a shared intact mosaic of natural habitats,” Nicholas said.
Those interested in learning more about the Keweenaw Community Forest Company endowment fund can find information online. Nicholas also reminds the community Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition will host the annual spring cleanup on Saturday, supporting stewardship of many KCFC trails and others.
“I think our newest division of KCFC is KORC. The Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition. I think a lot of people know about KORC. But they don’t realize we’re the organization that makes KORC possible,” Nicholas said.
Find more information about the Keweenaw Community Forest Company Endowment Fund here. Support the new fund here. Learn more about the Keweenaw Community Forest Company here.
