Billie Helmer Road, Deerton, MI 49822

This 240-acre recreational parcel is located in Onota Township, along the southern shore of Lake Superior. The area has a history of lumber production and charcoal manufacturing. The property consists of two parcels. The southern parcel includes 12 acres of woody wetlands and 68 acres of mixed forest. The northern parcel features 80 acres of mixed forest, shrubs, and grassland, along with 80 acres of woody wetlands. The area is known for outdoor recreational activities and sites such as the Lakenenland Sculpture Park, Eben Ice Caves Trailhead, Kitch-iti-kipi (Michigan's largest natural spring), and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The eastern edge of the property borders the Jim Wells Forest, a 440-acre tract managed by Michigan State University. M-94, a few miles south of the property, provides access to the 1,728-acre Laughing Whitefish Lake Preserve, situated between the Laughing Whitefish Falls Scenic Area and the Hiawatha National Forest. Laughing Whitefish Falls features a 100-foot cascade through an escarpment and gorge with old-growth white pine and hemlock. These areas are suitable for hiking, snowshoeing, outdoor education, birding, and wildlife viewing. This property is enrolled in the Michigan Qualified Forest Program (QFP), which provides a property tax exemption for private landowners who manage their forests for commercial harvest, wildlife habitat, and other resource improvements. Parcels must be at least 20 acres and meet specific forest stocking requirements, and landowners must develop and follow a forest management plan. Landowners can receive a significant reduction in their property taxes by being exempt from the local school operating millage.