The largest, privately-owned island in Lake Superior is on the verge of being sold to a high-profile conservation group in order to preserve and protect its natural assets from potential development.
On Thursday, the Nature Conservancy of Canada announced plans to acquire Batchawana Island — a piece of property located south of Batchawana Bay Provincial Park boasting 27 kilometres of shoreline and more than 2,000 hectares of forests and wetlands — from Michigan-based developer Joseph Acheson for a cool $7.2 million. The deal officially closes May 9.
Kaitlin Richardson, a program manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, told SooToday the conservation group had been in talks with the landowner about putting a serious offer out since early last year, and has been raising funds through a number of its larger financial backers since then in hopes of landing a deal to purchase the island. A purchase agreement was subsequently struck between the two parties this past January.
“It’s been a longstanding priority for conservation, especially given the development potential in that area and demand for cottage lots fronting Lake Superior,” Richardson said.
Batchawana Island is home to many types of wildlife, including black bear, moose, grey wolf and more than 30 bird species. A number of different types of fish, including endangered lake sturgeon, make their spawning grounds in the shallows offshore.
Old-growth forests and wetlands that cover the island also possess stores of carbon equivalent to the energy used by over 500,000 homes each year.
Richardson said Batchawana Island is also beneficial to the waters surrounding it.
“It’s the largest privately owned island left in Lake Superior that’s not protected, so protecting large and undeveloped freshwater islands like this have a positive benefit to water quality in Batchawana Bay, which the island protects based on its shape and its geography,”
In 2017, Acheson proposed building a five-star, members-only sports resort on the island, raising the ire of area residents at the time. Richardson said the majority of other proposals for the property were rooted in logging activities or the development of waterfront cottages.
A portion of the island is currently zoned for recreational development. But as of next month, all of the island’s natural assets will be protected and preserved going forward.
“Those are all going to be protected from development activities and logging, which was the threat to the island in its current ownership or if it had been sold on the open market to an investor or a developer,” Richardson said.
There could be some stewardship opportunities for the island in the future, as the conservancy has been known to conduct species at risk surveys, monitor for invasive species, manage access to the property and pick up garbage.
“We’re not quite sure until we write our property management plan what those opportunities will look like, but there will be some for sure,” Richardson said.
Although the impending acquisition of the property is a done deal, the purchase of Batchawana Island isn’t quite done yet: the Nature Conservancy of Canada has so far raised 80 per cent of the $7.2-million price tag with the help of a number of undisclosed donors, meaning there’s approximately $1.2 million left to pay off.
Donations by cheque, stock transfer or credit card are currently being accepted by the group.
“We’d love to invite any interested residents or businesses to help us get over that finish line,” said Richardson. “The last 20 per cent is always the hardest part to fundraise for.”
More information on donating to the conservation group’s purchase of Batchawana Island can be found on the Nature Conservancy of Canada website.
