Project Name: Thunder Bay R&PP Lease

NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-Eastern States-M000-2026-0004-EA

Project Home

Project Information

NEPA Number

DOI-BLM-Eastern States-M000-2026-0004-EA
Project Name

Thunder Bay R&PP Lease
Project Type

EA
NEPA Status

Paused - Paused
Lead Office

Northeastern States District Office
Last Updated

07/30/2026 - 12:00 AM

Project Description

Serial Number MIES 059557. This Environmental Assessment (EA) will be prepared to analyze and disclose the site-specific environmental impacts of leasing with a possibility of conveying the northern portion of Thunder Bay Island under the authority of the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 869 et seq.). The R&PP Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to convey public lands for recreation and public purposes to state and local governments and non-profit groups.
The Charter Township of Alpena, Michigan, submitted an application for the lease and acquisition of land on Thunder Bay Island under the provisions of the R&PP Act. They have submitted a Plan of Development which will be analyzed and described in the EA’s proposed action.

What's New

This project is currently paused as of March 9, 2026, while the BLM is awaiting a response from the Charter Township of Alpena and Thunder Bay Island Preservation Society on a request from BLM for several additions to the proposed Plan of Development (POD). These include adding FWS stipulations for Dwarf Iris protection and providing additional details on all improvements proposed in the POD.

Project Location

City	State/Territory	Zip Code	County(ies)
Alpena	Michigan	49707	Alpena County

Application Information

Applicant

Charter Township of Alpena, Michigan
Case File Number

MIES 059557
Program

Lands and Realty
Sub-Program

R&PP Leases

Project Dates

Start Date

1/9/2026

Project Office Information

Lead Office

Northeastern States District Office
Offices

Northeastern States DO

Contacts

Contact 1 Name

Georgi Johnston
Contact 1 Email

[email protected]
Contact 1 Phone

(414) 297-4441

Contact 2 Name

Kurt J Wadzinski - [email protected] - BLM
Contact 2 Email

[email protected]
Contact 2 Phone

(414) 297-4408