Ecosystem management in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan: A case history

In 1992, a group composed of state and federal government agencies, a non-government organization, and industrial land holders formed to coordinate management efforts in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan (EUP). The EUP landscape, characterized by a variety of glacial landforms, encompasses 1.6 million ha. Members of the group represent organizations that manage two-thirds of the land in the EUP. The groupʹs mission is to facilitate complementary management of public and private lands for all appropriate uses, using an ecological approach to sustain and enhance representative ecosystems, globally significant communities and landscapes, and threatened and endangered species. Several factors make this a challenging mission. First, the EUP contains a wide variety of ecological units, each with a unique suite of species and management considerations. Second, the management goals of the stakeholders are diverse, ranging from preservation of natural and cultural resources to economically profitable timber production. Finally, the group has to deal with many of the issues that have recently received national attention: threatened and endangered species management, forest fragmentation, old growth, deer browsing, fire management, forest conversion, effects of management decisions on local and regional economies, and maintenance of ecosystem function. This paper chronicles the efforts and group dynamics of the eastern Upper Peninsula Ecosystem Management Group. The complexity of managing a large and diverse area is illustrated by describing the areaʹs ecology and biological significance, ownership patterns, and management goals of stakeholders. Partners work together informally, making decisions by consensus, stressing communication, understanding, and cooperation, rather than formal procedures and protocols. Working this way, the group communicates openly and honestly and has established working relationships built on trust. We also highlight accomplishments to date including the development of an ecological classification system that serves as a foundation for our efforts. We conclude with a discussion of the direction and projected activities of the group and obstacles the group faces.