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MNA Supports Campaign to Secure Nearly 16,000 Acres at Keweenaw Tip

A snapping turtle suns itself at MNA’s Keweenaw Shores #2 Nature Sanctuary. Photo by Nancy Leonard. Earlier this year, the Keweenaw Outdoor Recreation Coalition (KORC) led a campaign of individuals, businesses, and outdoor recreation, conservation, and community organizations, including MNA, to nominate Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) purchase of more than 15,800 acres at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Upper Michigan using funds from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. MDNR ownership would secure permanent, public access to these recreational and conservation lands that are now in private ownership and at risk for development.

The MDNR is exploring options but does not plan to apply for a Trust Fund grant this year. MNA supports the KORC initiative; these lands link and support many of our Nature Sanctuaries in this spectacular, relatively undeveloped landscape and are an important part of the Keweenaw’s tourism economy.

Michigan Legislators Bolster Campaign to Protect Land and Water

A national movement is underway to protect 30% of U.S. lands and 30% of our ocean areas by 2030. The 30 X 30 campaign is designed to help address the alarming loss of nature across the globe given the growing awareness that plant and animal species are rapidly declining.

Within a week of taking the oath of office, President Biden signed an Executive Order to put the country on track to meet that goal. In a show of bipartisan support for conservation, State Senator Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) and others recently introduced Senate Resolution 72. SR 72 mirrors previously introduced House Resolution 25, sponsored by Representative Sarah Lightner (R-Springport). Both resolutions call on the Governor to set a 30 X 30 conservation goal for Michigan’s lands and waters.

Currently 7.7 million acres, or 21% of Michigan’s land base is publicly held (local, state and forest) but not all those acres are necessarily conservation lands. Lands permanently protected by the state’s private land conservancies total 672,967 acres, or just under 2% of the state’s land base, but that figure also includes some agricultural lands.

Species Spotlight: Fairy Shrimp (Eubranchipus sp.)

A vernal pool fills with water around the springtime, bringing new life. Here, a small crustacean hatches; a lesser known relative of the lobster.

This crustacean’s common name, fairy shrimp, is the perfect nod to its graceful demeanor in the water and its small, delicate body. These aquatic dancers glide through the water on their backs by slowly rippling their eleven pairs of legs to create propulsion. They vary in size but are typically around three quarters of an inch long.

The fairy shrimp would not be able to survive without the protective habitat created by the emergence of vernal pools each year. Though the ephemeral nature of vernal pools makes them a safe place for fairy shrimp to live without fish predators, surviving in such impermanent conditions is no small task. Fortunately, fairy shrimp are well adapted to do just that.

Once their eggs hatch, fairy shrimp have relatively short life cycles, only about a few weeks, allowing them to age and usually reproduce within the short window provided by the pool. In the case that the vernal pool dries up too quickly for the fairy shrimp to reproduce, these clever crustaceans have a backup strategy. Each spring, only a segment of the fairy shrimp eggs that had been laid the previous year will hatch, leaving the rest to remain dormant for potentially several years. That means that the fairy shrimp population can continue to survive, even if the pool doesn’t fill with water one year.

The presence of fairy shrimp is a sign of a healthy ecosystem, as it is considered an indicator species to confirm the presence of a vernal pool; and is exciting to behold if you are lucky enough to witness it.

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