State Rep. Karl Bohnak this month voted to send nearly $1 million to Munising for two natural resource preservation projects. The state funding comes from the Natural Resource Trust Fund (NRTF), which is earned through state land leases for oil and gas mineral exploration. The NRTF proposals for 2025, if signed into law and approved by the Senate, would provide $41.8 million for 17 land acquisition and 68 recreational development projects.

“Folks in the U.P. have been balancing the use and preservation of our natural resources since the first mining and logging camps popped up in the mid-1800s,” said Bohnak, R-Deerton. “We’ve found ways to harness our natural gifts while protecting the uniqueness and beauty that defines our landscape. This funding from the Natural Resource Trust Fund allows the U.P. to continue those storied traditions by reinvesting oil and gas profits into conservation projects that will outlast us all.”

$619,000 of the NRTF funding would support the Munising Bay Overlook Acquisition project. The funding would allow the City of Munising to obtain 375 acres of forested property adjacent to land already owned by the city. The forested land would be sustainably managed as a publicly accessible community forest. The total project cost is $1,239,000, with the remainder paid by the City of Munising.

$300,000 of the NRTF funding would support the McQuisten Recreational Area Renovation project. The funding would allow Munising Township to develop an accessible loop trail to connect the park’s features and construct a vault toilet unit with a family changing station. The project also includes replacing 100 feet of the existing boardwalk through Cox Pond, adding benches and accessible picnic tables, and adding a native plant rain garden. The total project cost is $430,000, with the remainder paid by Munising Township.

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