Kamehameha Schools land
in Michigan attracts bids

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By Mike Tyree
Associated Press

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. >> Backers of a plan to purchase 390,000 acres of pristine Upper Peninsula land from Kamehameha Schools hope to fortify their chances next week with a multimillion-dollar state grant.

Michigan's Natural Resources Trust Fund board will meet Tuesday to consider Gov. John Engler's request for $20 million to use as seed money to purchase the sprawling Kamehameha Schools tract. The five board members are Engler appointees.

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for Kamehameha Schools said the state agency is among "multiple" bidders for the prized Upper Peninsula property valued at some $150 million.

Susan Todani of Kamehameha Schools would not identify the bidders or say how the state's offer stacks up against those of its competitors. She also would not discuss a sale deadline.

"We are actively involved in the sales process," Todani said. "We have a tight schedule."

Engler and the Nature Conservancy's Michigan chapter last month sketched out plans to combine state, federal and private funds to buy the Kamehameha property. Officials hope to use tax incentives plus contributions from state, federal and philanthropic sources to entice a timber industry partner.

The logging company would pay the bulk of the purchase price, own the timber rights and 90 percent of the property, and would guarantee permanent public access through a conservation easement, according to the plan.

Thousands of outdoor enthusiasts hunt, fish and snowmobile the heavily forested, lake-dotted land.