CROOKED LAKE — Nearly 13 acres and 1,700 feet of Crooked Lake frontage will be permanently left in its natural state after a collaboration involving North Central Michigan College, Little Traverse Conservancy, the State of Michigan and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
According to a Jan. 19 news release, the effort began after Pat Kaine donated two parcels of land on the shore of Crooked Lake to North Central Michigan College shortly after her husband, Larry, died.
Kaine said the donation fulfilled the couple’s shared wish to support the college.
North Central Michigan College President David Roland Finley said what started with the Kaine family’s gift led to partnerships guided by Little Traverse Conservancy that support the college’s mission while safeguarding natural resources.
Finley contacted the conservancy to pursue a conservation outcome, and Little Traverse Conservancy Executive Director Kieran Fleming said the land was a high priority for protection as the group worked to determine a funding approach.
The conservancy first contacted staff at the State of Michigan Oden Fish Hatchery because the property is located across the road from the facility. Randy Claramunt, fisheries chief for the Department of Natural Resources, said acquiring the properties provides additional protection of Oden Creek, which flows from the Oden State Fish Hatchery, creates recreational opportunities for hunters and anglers and protects the parcels from potential future development.
Because state funding could take more than a year, the conservancy offered to purchase the land and hold it until the state could finalize its funding, according to the release.
In the meantime, Fleming said he received a call from Doug Craven, director of the Natural Resources Department for the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, after Craven noticed the real estate sign.
Crooked Lake lies near the headwaters of Emmet County’s Inland Waterway, described in the release as a 42-mile chain of navigable lakes and rivers that flow into Lake Huron at Cheboygan.
The waterway, historically used for transportation, trade and sustenance, remains culturally and environmentally significant to the Tribe, the release said.
In November, the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians purchased the eastern parcel from the conservancy. Tribal Chairperson Winnay Wemigwase said the Tribe and the conservancy share the mission of protecting lands and waters for present and future generations.
Fleming also recognized Chuck and Christine Kneese for a contribution intended to help offset the conservancy’s costs while the property was held for the state to purchase it.
“This was one of those creative multi-win projects that has met numerous community goals at once,” Fleming said.
The conservancy said it is member-supported and receives no government funding for its operations. It said many projects in 2025 were supported with match funding from the Dragonfly Fund. More information is available at www.landtrust.org or by calling 231-347-0991.