the DeJonge brothers - John, Ike, and Ray - formed a partnership to acquire large sections of it. “The place has meant so much to our dad and to us,” said Ray. “His last time up there for a hunting season was when he was 96 years old.” Over the decades, the family watched the land recover from the logging days and they knew each acre of it. “My brother Ike can tell you exactly where the old foundations from the saw mill days can be found.”

In recent years, the brothers began discussing what was going to happen to the land in the future. “You hear so many disaster stories about family land and we wanted to think of how we could avoid such troubles,” Ray said. From time to time, they would talk with DNR staff to see what options might be available. A few years ago, it was suggested that they also talk with the Little Traverse Conservancy. In the summer of 2005, a meeting with Conservancy land protection specialist Ty Ratliff led to the Conservancy formally nominating the parcel for purchase by the state. A state program known as the Deer Range Improvement Program (D.R.I.P.) provides funds specifically earmarked for the protection of significant deer yard or deer wintering habitat.

“This property fits perfectly into the criteria for the D.R.I.P. program,” Ratliff said. “It is surrounded on three sides by state forest lands. It is also part of the state-identified Beavertail Creek Deer Yard Complex.” More than 1½ miles of Beavertail Creek run across the property, providing habitat for brook trout and other aquatic life.

Just this past July, the final paperwork was signed completing the sale of the land to the State of Michigan. As part of the deal, the brothers will retain five years of exclusive use of the cabin that remains on the land. “It worked out well for us,” Ray said. “Now that it is done, it feels good. We can keep on using it whenever we want, with the knowledge that it will stay wild and natural long into the future.”

Pat Hallfrisch, Michigan Department of Natural Resources forest manager, noted the significance of the Conservancy’s role. “The Conservancy’s involvement in this project was critical to its success,” Hallfrisch said. “The ability of the Conservancy to move things along quickly, help defray expenses, and take time to listen and meet with both the family and the DNR staff is what eventually brought it to fruition. To the staff at Little Traverse Conservancy, I tip my hat,” he said.

photo courtesy Ray Dejonge