Michigan Green

I'll give the folks at The Nature Conservancy credit for starting the year with a bang. Days after reaching a deal to preserve a huge chunk of New York State, TNC is part of a coalition saving another swath of intact forestland, this time in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Here's details of the deal with a map plus the TNC press release.
The deal calls for a working forest easement on 248,000 acres and an outright purchase on 23,000 acres in the Big Two Hearted River watershed. Hemingway would have been proud.
This is a case of "if at first you don't succeed...". The land went up for sale two years ago, and the same state and private coalition tried to buy it, but failed. The easements essentially achieve the same purposes. The land stays on the tax rolls, and timber jobs are preserved. The owner, The Forestland Group, agrees to harvest according to standards set by the sustainable forest certification program.
The deal was spearheaded by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. (Who by the way, might be the real reason to change the constitution to allow the foreign-born to become President.) The entire deal will cost $58 million. $40 million has already been raised.
At the other end of the land trust spectrum, check out this article on the Chikaming Open Lands trust. It's an all volunteer trust that's making a local impact.
UPDATE: Thanks to Jonathan Adler at The Commons for the shout out.