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Save Interstate Falls |
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Click
here to e-mail a pledge to preserve access to this waterfall! |
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Interstate
Falls is an 18-foot waterfall on the Montreal River, along the Wisconsin /
Michigan border, at the edge of the City of Ironwood, Michigan, and Hurley,
Wisconsin. A 0.3 mile trail through
hardwood-hemlock forest leads to the falls, and is a popular attraction to
residents and visitors of the Gogebic Range.
With the 38.7 acres of land currently for sale, future access to the
river and waterfall is in jeopardy. |
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Interstate
Falls is also known as Montreal Falls and Peterson Falls. In June 2007 the US Geological Survey
officially recognized two waterfalls on the Montreal River near Ironwood and
Hurley. Peterson Falls is a set of
three cascades, and is approximately one-half mile upstream of Interstate
Falls. Montreal Falls is an alternate
name for Interstate Falls. See below
for maps and directions to both waterfalls.
In May
2007, 38.7 acres along the Montreal River, including Interstate Falls and the
access trail, was put up for sale.
The Michigan side of the Montreal River is private with no public
access. The Wisconsin side of the
falls is also private, but public access has been allowed along the foot trail
to the falls and river. Unless access
on the Wisconsin side is secured, this may be the last opportunity for the
community and visitors to enjoy the waterfall. For news
on the efforts to save Interstate Falls, please visit interstatefalls.livejournal.com. Maps & Directions Interstate
Falls is located at N46.47552°
W90.20085°. To visit
the falls, look for the small “Peterson Falls” sign on the north side of US
Route 2, on the Wisconsin side, about a quarter mile west of the state
line. Follow the unpaved road (Center
Drive) a quarter mile to the trailhead marked with a “Falls” sign and two
parking spaces. Follow the trail to
the north to visit Interstate Falls.
Trail is 0.3 mile long. To find
Peterson Falls, from the same waterfall trailhead, go east just a little
farther on the road, then follow the next trail on the north side. That trail soon turns and heads east 0.3
mile to Peterson Falls. See maps. |
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Here
is a excerpt from the 2003 Iron County Land Atlas & Plat Book, showing
the property location with a red star.
Here is a
map of the property from the Iron County Register of Deeds. I added the location of both waterfalls and
the trailhead. The real
estate agency selling the property, RE/MAX Action North Realty, had an asking
price of $250,000. Iron County and the
Town of Kimball have both declined to apply for Wisconsin stewardship funds
to purchase the property. We therefore
hope to find one to five private conservation buyers to invest in the
property and add a conservation easement preserving public access. There are
two ways to help! 1. Make a pledge to Northwoods Land Trust! |
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Northwoods Land Trust is a
non-profit conservation organization that works with private land owners to
help preserve natural shorelands, natural areas, promote sustainable forest
management, and enhance recreation opportunities for the public. They cover north central Wisconsin,
including Iron County. If the
community can raise the money, they are interested in purchasing a conservation
easement to protect the river corridor and trail to Interstate Falls. Our goal
is to collect $50,000 in pledges for Northwoods Land Trust to use
for purchase of a conservation easement.
The easement would cover the 0.5-mile river corridor and existing
trail, keeping them open to the public.
Depending on cooperation with a future landowner, the easement would
exclude approximately five acres, set back from the river, which would remain
available for development. We are also
pursuing grant opportunities that could match pledges to Northwoods Land
Trust. |
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Click
here to e-mail in a pledge. All we
need is your name, amount of pledge, contact information, and if we may list
your name on this website. We would
only ask you to write a check if we find a conservation buyer and agree with
them on a price for the easement. No
risk! If we can’t save access to the
waterfall, we never call in the pledges.
If you
would like to donate now, you can use the Network for Good link to make a
tax-deductible online contribution to Northwood Alliance. Where it asks for an optional designation,
please enter “Interstate Falls.” Northwood Alliance, Inc. is a
501(c)3 nonprofit conservation organization that is working with Northwoods
Land Trust to preserve access to Interstate Falls.
More
information is available here: 2. Purchase the 38.7-acre property! We need to
find one to five private conservation buyers to purchase the property, and
then sell a conservation easement to Northwoods Land Trust. The property could be sold and subdivided
for development at any time, so we urgently need conservation-minded
investors to buy the property and work with us while we collect donations and
apply for grants. When all
the pieces come together, saving public access to Interstate Falls would
benefit the community, the ecosystem, and the investors. The buyers would recoup their investment by
receiving a fair price for the conservation easement, while still retaining a
beautiful 38.7-acre property with a half-mile of riverfront, and an inland
lot available for a home. If you
have any other ideas, or would be willing to offer some time to help in any
way, please contact us. More information Here is a gallery
of photos of the waterfall and property. Here is a flyer
about saving access to Interstate Falls. Here is some information
on the geology of Interstate Falls, and the Penokee/Gogebic Range. Here
is an August 2007 news release about the recent naming of Interstate Falls
and Peterson Falls by the U.S. Geological Survey. Here
is a Wisconsin tourism video that features Interstate Falls (here referred to
as Peterson Falls). Here is a
screen shot of the RE/MAX website listing the property. The property was taken off the market for
the winter in November 2008, but is expected to be listed again in the
spring. Here is a list of all
the waterfalls in Wisconsin. There are
approximately ninety-five waterfalls in Wisconsin. Approximately sixteen are privately-owned
with no public access established.
Ian
Shackleford 724 E
Sutherland St. Ironwood,
MI 49938 906-932-3779 Northwoods
Land Trust: http://www.northwoodslandtrust.org/ Northwood
Alliance: http://www.northwoodalliance.org/ Western
U. P. Convention and Visitor Bureau: http://www.westernup.info/ http://www.gowaterfalling.com/waterfalls/peterson.shtml http://hunts-upguide.com/ironwood_interstate_falls.html Last
update 1 December 2008. |
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