The Nature Conservancy buys more than 12,000 acres in northeastern Minnesota for conservation

DULUTH – A global nonprofit has purchased more than 12,000 acres north of Two Harbors including forests, lakes and peatland, in an effort to forever conserve a large portion of Minnesota’s North Woods.

The Nature Conservancy announced the sale Tuesday, calling it the nonprofit’s largest forest acquisition to date in Minnesota and its largest land acquisition in the state in a quarter century. The acreage will triple the size of the Sand Lake/Seven Beavers Preserve, a lowland conifer ecosystem.

The land will be open to the public for hunting, fishing and recreation, though there are no restrooms or paths.

Lake County Board of Commissioners Chair Rich Sve said local leaders see it as a positive.

“It’s a large tract of land,” Sve said. “Anytime I see a purchase of 12,000 acres in Lake County, we’re gonna sit up in bed and say, ‘What’s happening here?’”

The land, which has been for sale for a while, was previously owned by Lake County Land & Timber, an LLC based out of Charlotte, N.C.

Robert C. Hayes, 80, is among the family members who owned the property as part of a trust. He’s getting older, he said, and getting to northern Minnesota has gotten harder.

The deal was finalized in the past week, according to a spokeswoman for the organization. Neither Hayes nor the Nature Conservancy would reveal the price.

“It was a reasonable price for both of us, and we’ll leave it at that,” Hayes said.

The nonprofit will pay taxes on the property, it said in a news release.

Sve said the acreage will need good forest management. The Nature Conservancy, he said, has a proven itself in that area.

“They have the means, the skills and the manpower for that,” Sve said.

“By conserving the forests and waters here, we’re ensuring connected wildlife habitat, healthier forests, clean water and continued public access now, and for generations to come,” said Ann Mulholland, director of the Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, in the release.

The land has more than 8 miles of shoreline, including part of the headwaters of the Rainy and St. Louis rivers. It is primarily in Stony River Township, a remote inland area of Lake County, according to the county assessor’s office.

The site has high-quality peatlands, and wildlife includes moose, lynx, gray wolves, black bears, migratory birds and more.

“As climate change drives species to seek new habitat, connected lands like this are more important than ever,” said Rich Biske, director of land and water protection for the local Nature Conservancy chapter. “We’re proud to ensure this unique property remains intact and undeveloped for people and nature.”

This acquisition adds area for 40,000 acres of connected habitat that includes Finland State Forest and Superior National Forest.

At the time of the Greenwood Fire, the land was listed for sale for $8.5 million. The fire started with a lightning strike and was helped along by drought conditions and a spruce budworm outbreak. Afterward, the family wondered if they had done enough to prevent a fire.

In April, the Nature Conservancy solicited donations for the “once-in-a-generation” chance to get the land.