Chocolay Bayou nature preserve
The Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy and more than 150 local organizations, businesses, and foundations worked together to raise $165,000 in less than four months to purchase the property! There are now three trails, a bird observation hut, signage designed by NMU students and local experts, and benches supported by the local trail organizations.
There is a gravel parking area located off of Main Street in Harvey within the preserve. Please utilize parking area and street parking for car access and the Iron Ore Heritage Trail for biking and walking access. Thank you!
If you are interested in learning more, helping out in any way, or in donating to the perpetual care of the preserve, please contact us!
deep historical significance
This 13-acre area carries deep historical significance to the area. The Chocolay River mouth marks the treaty boundary between the 1842 “Copper Treaty” of La Pointe and 1836 Washington Treaty. These treaties were between the Ojibwe tribes and the U.S. government where millions of acres of land were 'ceded' to the government though the tribes reserved hunting, fishing, and gathering rights that remain today. * This preserve also is the site of what was once the first steam-powered sawmill and furnace in the area.
*to learn more about the treaties, explore the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission's webpage here
The Chocolay Bayou Nature Preserve protects 13 acres of wetland that acts as a stopover for migrating birds. It lies directly between two bustling, expanding communities.
This riverside paradise houses mink, muskrat, black bear, deer, rare herons, eagles, foxes and a startlingly diverse range of plant life.
The Bayou is accessible by water via Lake Superior as well as the popular Chocolay River, and by two of the most popular trails in the Upper Peninsula—the Iron Ore Heritage Trail, and the North Country National Scenic Trail.