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LANSING – Nearly 100 parcels available; sale proceeds will be used to acquire land that better fits the department’s outdoor recreation, conservation goals.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is busy preparing 97 properties for sale via online auctions later this summer. River frontage, lake frontage and forested acreage surrounded by private ownership — these characteristics describe some of the parcels that will be available Aug. 4-28.

Land auctions for properties in Alpena, Cheboygan, Iosco, and Presque Isle counties are slated for Aug.21

Kerry Heckman, DNR forest lands and special projects administrator, said though it might seem counter-intuitive for the DNR to make any land available for sale, it’s important to note that the public benefit of some properties is severely limited. That’s due to factors such as lack of legal public access, size limitations that prevent appropriate public use, and development on adjacent privately owned land that negatively affects public use such as hunting.

“More importantly, the proceeds from our surplus-land sales are deposited into the Land Exchange Facilitation Fund,” Heckman said. “Those dollars are specifically used to acquire other properties that are more usable by residents and visitors, protect important natural resources and provide accessible, quality recreation opportunities throughout the state.” (Learn more about recent land acquisitions and exchanges.)

For all of those reasons, the DNR determines some properties to be more suitable for private ownership.

These surplus land sales are a regular part of the DNR’s public land strategy (one supported and further defined by the Michigan Legislature with the passage of Public Act 240 in 2018). And since such parcels were determined to be better suited for private ownership, they could prove to be the perfect fit for the right owners.