LANSING — The Department of Natural Resources is looking for deals to create more green space in populated areas as part of an updated public lands strategy.

The goal is to equitably provide public access to green space, wildlife habitat and public hunting closer to where people live, department officials say.

Efforts in the past two years include acquisitions in Van Buren, Monroe and Ionia counties.

Those involved buying private land adjacent to public land to consolidate green spaces.

Scott Whitcomb, the director of the DNR’s Office of Public Lands, said a major pending deal involving Black River Ranch in Sanilac County is expected to close by the end of 2025.

That property acquisition will bring in about 8,844 acres, including over 14 miles of the Black River, the East Branch of the Black River, Stewart Creek and three lakes including 150-acre Silver Lake. It will become part of the Pigeon River Country Forest Management Unit.

DNR said the purchase will cost about $17 million.

The money will come from the Forest Legacy Program, a Black River Ranch Grant Award, Natural Resources Trust Fund and a $1 million donation from Little Traverse Conservancy, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Nature Conservancy, according to the Natural Resources Commission.

Elsewhere in the state, Whitcomb said, “We’ve been planning to acquire about 19,000 acres in Keweenaw County. We got some projects in the Upper Peninsula we’re looking at, as well some areas in southern Michigan — as funds and grants become available.”

At the same time, the DNR sells parcels that it’s decided are better suited for private use or not environmentally or strategically important.

“It gets said a lot that we just buy up land, but what doesn’t get said is we also dispose of a lot of land,” said Patrick Mohney, the DNR senior lands program manager.