Published: August 08, 2008 08:00 pm      

Leelanau tract may be saved as flyway area

NORTHPORT -- A tract of 51 acres at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula may soon be off-limits for future development and preserved as a migratory bird flyway.

The Leelanau Conservancy is working with the state to buy property along the Lake Michigan shoreline, near Leelanau State Park about eight miles north of Northport. It's a critical stop for migratory birds traveling between Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas, experts said.

"Once this is complete, the entire northern shore of the tip of the peninsula will be protected forever," said Tom Nelson, land protection specialist with the conservancy.

A pending $2 million land deal will leave property deeds with the conservancy, and the state will hold a conservation and public access easement. In 2006, the conservancy optioned the land -- called the Kathryn Smith and Elizabeth Zuercher Tract -- and the easement will be paid for with a grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.

Rebecca Humphries, director of the state Department of Natural Resources, will decide whether to buy the easement at the Aug. 14 meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in Lansing.

If approved, the state will manage the land as key bird habitat and only create walking trails with interpretive panels, said Paul Yauk, DNR land program manager for parks and recreation.

"What is a high priority for the department is capturing peninsulas," Yauk said. "It's not the shoreline so much as the trees there. That's the resting area, even for butterflies."

Migrating songbirds, raptors, waterfowl and butterflies tend to follow the shoreline north until they reach the end of the Leelanau Peninsula, where they rest before striking out across the water, experts said.

"The peninsula kind of acts as a migratory trap," said Tom Ford, vice president of the Grand Traverse Audubon Club. "Birds need intact habitat to fuel up and feed and then continue on their flight, especially if they are getting ready to cross Lake Michigan."

The club takes bird-watching trips to nearby areas, including the state park and other preserves. New territory opened to the public through the project will provide additional preserves for birds and better opportunities for their binocular-toting human admirers, Ford said.

The stretch of land includes wetlands, northern hardwood and conifer forests, open meadows and 1,400 feet of shoreline at the most northwest boundary of Grand Traverse Bay.