An acquisition of 66 acres of land adjoining the Erie State Game Area in Monroe County will expand the game area and provide additional wetland wildlife habitat and increased public recreation opportunities in heavily populated southeast Michigan. Department of Natural Resources Director Rebecca Humphries approved the transaction at the monthly meeting of the Natural Resources Commission last Thursday in Houghton.

The DNR will use $24,000 grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund as its portion of the $110,000 purchase price for the property. The property will be purchased in conjunction with the North American Wetland Conservation Act Project (NAWCA), which is contributing $64,500 to the purchase, along with a $5,000 gift from the Southwestern Lake Erie chapter of Waterfowl USA and a $16,500 gift from Ducks Unlimited.

“This project represents a collaboration among Waterfowl USA, Ducks Unlimited and the DNR to provide more hunting and recreational opportunities for residents and visitors of southeast Michigan,” said Humphries. “It is our goal, along with NAWCA, to acquire 300 acres of land in the Lake St. Clair/Western Lake Erie watershed, and this acquisition helps us reach that goal.”

Humphries said the area has some of the best duck hunting habitat in the state, and the acquisition will help protect valuable marshlands and wetlands.