I'm familiar with an area a bit further west, and while overall the economy is still very depressed and the population remains sparse, prime properties (lakefro

I'm familiar with an area a bit further west, and while overall the economy is still very depressed and the population remains sparse, prime properties (lakefront, near certain amenities) are being snapped up -- often by moneyed interests from downstate or out of state. What these fellows propose and appear to be executing, sounds much more conservative (in the a-political sense) than some alternatives I can imagine. And it appears that the State had no interest in acquiring the property, nor whichever county that is (probably cash-strapped and not eager to take on the management and liability). Artists retreats are also a bit of an established tradition. There's one further west, at Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park. And they seem to dot the upper peninsula (UP) and northern Wisconsin. It is a rare resource. I hope they treat it well.