Courtesy of Elise Rosky Elise Rosky on a wintry adventure

I just accepted my dream job working for the National Center for Atmospheric Research. It’s a two-year position, with the best salary I’ve ever earned. It starts in January 2025. I get along great with my co-workers-to-be, and the job description is exactly what I’ve always wanted to do. The only downside is: It’s not in the U.P.

What I love most about living in the U.P. is that as soon as I step out of my house, or out of my workplace, I’m surrounded by nature. As a snow aficionado who has made a career out of studying and measuring snowflakes, there could be no better place in the country for me. The seven winters I’ve lived here have been a formative beginning to my adult life; though short in comparison to generational Yoopers who have these forests in their blood. I love calling this area my home.

There’s one thing I’ve often heard: While everyone in the U.P. knows how special the area is, they deeply wish that young people did not have to leave to find work. I’m filled with a hope that this is going to change. This community is attracting young people who want to breathe and live outdoors. Young people who will be starting families, attending our schools, starting businesses, paying taxes, and joining our local volunteer organizations.

One way I firmly believe we can continue to attract young people is to preserve our incredible national forest lands by designating a portion of them in Houghton and Ontonagon counties as federal Wilderness.

Why do I think that? Because I was one of those young people drawn here by the access to beautiful and pristine wilderness. Before moving to Hancock to study at Michigan Tech, I also considered attending graduate schools in Wyoming, Nevada, and Oregon. It was my visit here in April 2017 that made the decision clear. Even though it was during the start of mud season, the lingering heaps of snow and the endless forest below as I flew into Houghton County’s airport filled me with a sense of peace and admiration. I knew that this was a unique place and the place for me. I’ve built an incredible life here, receiving my PhD at Michigan Tech and co-founding the organization Keweenaw Youth for Climate Action.

The good news is that it’s not just me; I know so many people who have found ways to live here and contribute because of the beauty of this place. Some friends have come here to farm, others have lent their culinary talents to bakeries and restaurants across the Keweenaw Peninsula. I have friends who came here to work remotely, which pumps money into the local economy, while some also have second jobs at local businesses like the Orpheum Theater. My friends who went through college have found ways to put their degrees to work in the local economy: one friend put his English Literature and Writing degree to use as an editor for the local paper; another uses her visual arts degree to manage media at Chicken Tramper, an outdoor hiking gear business in Hancock founded and run by entrepreneuring Michigan Tech graduates. Others teach at Chassell Elementary School, they work for federal agencies like the Forest Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, and a few work tech jobs at Thermo Analytics and Calumet Electronics… the list goes on. The ones who bring the greatest amount of joy to local grandparents are those who grew up here, realized how amazing their home is, and decided to come back and stay.

I’m looking forward to my new job, but it’s the hope that I can return to the U.P. that softens the ache of moving. I’m most torn up about leaving this beautiful natural ecosystem. Each day that goes by, the treetops, the forest floor, and the blue waters all seem even more beautiful, and the pang in my heart grows sharper. I know my friends will still be here when I come back, but how much of the Wilderness will still be here too?

That is one key reason I have been working with the Keep The U.P. Wild coalition to call on Congress to designate four areas of the Ottawa National Forest in the Western Upper Peninsula as federal Wilderness areas. The areas include the Ehlco area, the Trap Hills, Norwich Plains and an addition to the Sturgeon River Gorge. This designation would ensure that these beautifully rugged and natural areas will still be here when I come back – and for generations to come. The U.P. is a place like no other. Its most pristine places deserve our nation’s highest level of protection.

It’s true that designating Wilderness areas is good for jobs and the local economy (which is wonderful), but I believe even more so that this proposed Wilderness designation represents a sense of security. Young people who grew up loving the outdoors perceive a constant threat to these forests when we see natural areas around the world being steadily developed and devoured. Gaining federal protection of these pristine and iconic areas would be something that we can celebrate – giving these sections of the Ottawa National Forest the value and recognition they deserve.

Just in the U.P. more than 70 environmental, outdoor recreation, hunting, fishing, business, academic, political, tribal, veterans’ outdoor advocacy and religious organizations. Support these Wilderness designations (plus another 330+ throughout the state of Michigan).

September is the 60th anniversary of the federal Wilderness Act, and Midwest states including Indiana and Illinois are seizing the opportunity to expand Wilderness areas. Let’s do our part to add Wilderness protection to a portion of the national forest in the Western U.P.

Keep the U.P. Wild is a diverse group of supporters across the U.P. and all of Michigan who all know one thing – our land makes the U.P. the gem that it is. It’s what makes the U.P. home. It’s time to protect it for our kids, grandkids and their grandkids to enjoy just like we do. Join our Wilderness campaign, let’s get it done. And I’ll be back soon enough to join you for a hike through the tall trees of these wild lands.