AuTRAIN, MI-- Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh has approved the purchase of some Upper Peninsula land for $2.5 million.
The state acquired roughly 2,200 acres around the AuTrain Basin in Alger County.
The purchase was funded through the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and has been in development for more than five years.
Creagh approved the purchase at a meeting last week of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in Saginaw.
The acquisition puts 1,626 acres of Upper Peninsula Power Company land and 556 acres of U.P. Hydro property under state control.
The land is to be used for wildlife habitat protection and public recreation. It includes the AuTrain Basin Waterfowl Refuge and the Forest Lake State Forest Campground.