This is a portion of the Yellow Dog River in Marquette County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It’s located directly upstream from the 688-acre Yellow Dog River Community Forest, created in 2016 by the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve. As we move upstream from the Community Forest and its magnificent waterfalls, the river becomes increasingly remote and wild. Not only are there more trout in the river, but wildlife, including martens, wolves, and moose also thrive here.

The high hills on the south side of the river possess a diversified forest of mixed hardwoods and conifers, ideal terrain for white-tailed deer.

The riverside landscape includes granite rock outcroppings, oxbow ponds, and cedar swamps. Each habitat has its distinct array of animals and plants.

In the winter of 2025, the logging company JM Longyear, which had owned thousands of acres in the Upper Peninsula for over 100 years, sold this 560-acre, 2-mile river corridor to Manulife, an international investment company. Although Longyear harvested timber on a rotational basis, they also kept the land in the state’s commercial forestry program. Commercial forestry is a cornerstone of UP culture. Locals and visitors alike consider property owned by logging companies the equivalent of public land.

Skiers traverse the high slopes in winter, while deer hunters return year after year to seek their quarry in the hills and valleys. Generations of fly-fishermen and women have plied the riverbanks and currents here in pursuit of brook trout.

Manulife’s intentions were to privatize this stretch of land straddling the Yellow Dog. They determined real estate development to be its “higher potential use” and planned to subdivide and post it for sale. This would have meant fragmentation of the landscape and loss of public access to the river and its diverse terrain.

Due to the timely intervention of a generous donor, the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve was able to purchase the acreage and prevent subdivision. However, a considerable portion of this gift was a loan, so your financial support will be vital to bringing the project to fruition. Your donation ensures that this unique parcel is preserved in perpetuity for wildlife and the public. When combined with the existing Community Forest, the new property creates a 5-mile corridor of protected river frontage containing 1,245 acres of forest, a remarkable conservation achievement.

Make a contribution today!