The military board of the state of Michigan is hereby authorized and empowered to accept from the owner or owners thereof, for and in behalf of the state of Michigan, all those certain pieces or parcels of lands situated in Crawford county in this state, described in section 2 of this act, by deed of gift, in fee simple, free from lien of taxes or other encumbrances, upon the conditions and for the purposes prescribed in section 3 hereof.

     The lands mentioned in section 1 hereof are described as follows, to-wit: The east 1/2 of the northeast 1/4 of section 2; east 1/2 of northwest 1/4 of section 2; northwest 1/4 of northwest 1/4 of section 2; west 1/2 of southwest 1/4 of section 2; southeast 1/4 of the southwest 1/4 of section 2; north 1/2 of the southeast 1/4 of section 2; entire section 3; east 1/2 of section 4; southwest 1/4 of section 4; south 1/2 of the northwest 1/4 of section 4; northwest 1/4 of northwest 1/4 of section 4; entire section 5; east 1/2 of southeast 1/4 of section 6; southwest 1/4 of southeast 1/4 of section 6; south 1/2 of northeast 1/4 of section 6; northwest 1/4 of northeast 1/4 of section 6; northeast 1/4 of northwest 1/4 of section 6; east 1/2 of section 7; southwest 1/4 of section 7; southeast 1/4 of northwest 1/4 of section 7; northwest 1/4 of the northwest 1/4 of section 7; northwest 1/4 of section 8; west 1/2 of southwest 1/4 of section 8; southeast 1/4 of southwest 1/4 of section 8; lot 1 of section 8; lot 3 of section 8; northeast 1/4 of section 10; northeast 1/4 of southeast 1/4 of section 10; southeast 1/4 of section 11; north 1/2 of southwest 1/4 of section 11; northwest 1/4 of section 11; west 1/2 of northeast 1/4 of section 11; east 1/2 of section 14; southwest 1/4 of section 14; north 1/2 of northwest 1/4 of section 14; lot 1 section 16; lot 2 section 16; lot 3 section 16; lot 4 section 16; southwest 1/4 of southeast 1/4 of section 16; south 1/2 of southwest 1/4 of section 16; south 1/2 of southeast 1/4 of section 17; lot 1 section 17; lot 2 section 17; south 1/2 of southwest 1/4 of section 17; northeast 1/4 of southwest 1/4 of section 17; west 1/2 of northeast 1/4 of section 18; northeast 1/4 of northeast 1/4 of section 18; east 1/2 of northwest 1/4 of section 18; northwest 1/4 of northwest 1/4 of section 18; entire section 19; entire section 20; west 1/2 of section 21; lot 1 section 21; lot 2 section 21; lot 3 section 21; lot 4 section 21; lot 4 section 22; south 1/2 of southeast 1/4 section 22; northeast 1/4 of southeast 1/4 of section 22; entire section 23; west 1/2 of section 24; southeast 1/4 of section 24; entire section 25; west 1/2 of section 26; southeast 1/4 of section 26; east 1/2 of northeast 1/4 of section 26; northwest 1/4 of northeast 1/4 of section 26; entire section 27; west 1/2 of section 28; southeast 1/4 of section 28; south 1/2 of northeast 1/4 of section 28; west 1/2 of section 29; southeast 1/4 of section 29; north 1/2 of northeast 1/4 of section 29; east 1/2 of northeast 1/4 of section 30; southwest 1/4 of northeast 1/4 of section 30; northwest 1/4 of southwest 1/4 of section 30; east 1/2 of section 31; east 1/2 of west 1/2 of section 31; northwest 1/4 of northwest 1/4 of section 31; north 1/2 of southwest 1/4 of northwest 1/4 of section 31; entire section 32; west 1/2 of section 33; north 1/2 of southeast 1/4 of section 33; southwest 1/4 of southeast 1/4 of section 33; northeast 1/4 of section 34; east 1/2 of northwest 1/4 of section 34; northwest 1/4 of northwest 1/4 of section 34; north 1/2 of southeast 1/4 of section 34; north 1/2 of northwest 1/4 of section 35; north 1/2 of northeast 1/2 of section 35; southeast 1/4 of northeast 1/4 of section 35, all in town 26 north, range 4 west, in the county of Crawford, state of Michigan, together with such land in said county suitable for the purposes of this act as may be acquired by the donor or donors of said property.

     The said tract of land shall be used for the following purposes:

     First, As a permanent encampment and maneuvering ground for the militia of this state;

     Second, As a game preserve for the breeding and protection of game;

     Third, As a forest reserve;

     Fourth, For the establishment of fresh air camps, or for other recreational or health giving purposes by any state institution, county, city, village or township.

     In case the said tract of land shall be abandoned as a permanent encampment and maneuvering ground for the state militia, the land shall revert to the donor or donors in fee simple, but in case of such reversion, the state shall have the right to take and remove therefrom, any building or other state property that may have been constructed or placed thereon by it, or to sell the same as may be deemed advisable by the board or body having control thereof. The state shall not be deemed to have abandoned said lands or any part thereof by reason of holding any encampment of the said militia at any other place within or without the state when the assembling of such militia elsewhere has been ordered by the President of the United States, the war department or other federal authority having jurisdiction of such forces, or when the safety or the health or lives in the state militia might be prejudiced or endangered by reason of the prevalence of disease or fire in or near said county of Crawford. No abandonment shall be deemed to be complete, unless the proper military authority of the state in time of peace shall have refused or failed for 5 successive years to hold a camp of instruction on said tract of land. As a further condition in the acceptance of the gift of said tract of land, the donor or donors thereof shall be permitted to cut and remove from said land all merchantable timber for and during the period of 5 years next after the execution and delivery of the deed conveying said lands to the state of Michigan. All other timber on said lands shall be the property of and be protected by the state. Nothing herein shall be construed as prohibiting the cutting, removal and use of so much of said timber as may be necessary for military purposes, and in the protection of game or in the bettering of forestry on said lands.

     The state military board may enter into a long term lease with a Michigan corporation for approximately 1200 acres of land at Camp Grayling, under which said corporation will agree to provide reasonable housing and other facilities to train military personnel in skiing and winter warfare. The state military board may agree in any such lease to pay a reasonable rental during the period of use of such facilities by military personnel, within appropriations available to the state military board. When said facilities are not being used by the military personnel, then said facilities shall be available to the general public at reasonable rates. All documents shall be examined by the attorney general both as to form and content.

    (1) The state military board created by section 360 of Act No. 150 of the Public Acts of 1967, being section 32.760 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, may enter into a long term lease with the Grayling recreation authority, consisting of the city of Grayling, the township of Grayling, and the Crawford-Au Sable school district, and established and operating pursuant to Act No. 156 of the Public Acts of 1917, being sections 123.51 to 123.54 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, for 400 acres of land located in section 14, T26N, R4W, Grayling township in the county of Crawford, state of Michigan. All documents relative to the lease shall be examined by the attorney general both as to form and content.

    (2) The Grayling recreation authority may sublease the property only after approval by the state military board and the attorney general. The Grayling recreation authority shall at all times make the tract of land available for use as a permanent encampment and a maneuvering ground for the militia of this state. The limitations contained in this subsection shall be stated in the lease agreement.

    (3) Before a lease may be entered into under this section, all leases entered into under section 3a to a Michigan corporation upon approximately 1,200 acres of land shall be terminated.

     The military board is hereby authorized to enter into an agreement or agreements with the township board of the township of Grayling in said county of Crawford, for the construction or repair of the public highways leading into and through the reservation, or to take over from said township any highway approaching or running through the reservation after its construction and repair by the said township, for such consideration as may be agreed upon between the military board and the township board. The military board may alter, straighten, or lay out highways within said reservation and improve such highways, using therefor any moneys to the credit of the military fund not otherwise required for military purposes.

     In carrying out the intent of section 4 relative to the military board providing suitable lodges or dwellings thereon for the use of such persons or officials as may be necessary in the enforcement of the general land, game, military or forestry laws of the state on the lands, and in carrying out the provisions of section 3 relative to the uses for which the tract of land shall be used, the military board may enter into a lease, not to exceed 25 years, with any private group or organization which will agree to provide suitable lodges or dwellings thereon for the use of such persons or officials and their families as may be necessary. When not in use by such persons or officials, such suitable lodges or dwellings and the equipment, fixtures, devices and contrivances now located on such lands or placed on such lands are to be for the benefit and use of the general public.

     The department of natural resources has jurisdiction of the wildlife, fish, fire, and forestry interests on the lands and waters. The hunting, killing, or molestation of wildlife is prohibited. Military personnel encamped at Camp Grayling may take fish from Lake Margrethe without a license, subject to other laws pertaining to the taking of fish from Lake Margrethe. A person violating this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

     The attorney general or such of his assistants as he may designate therefor, shall examine the title to all of said lands, and the deed thereto from the donor to the state, and such deed shall not be accepted without the certificate of the attorney general or his duly authorized assistant, that such title has been examined and that the conveyance is sufficient to vest in the state a good and sufficient title thereto free from liens or incumbrances.

     Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the tract of land acquired by this act for the purpose of a permanent encampment and maneuvering ground for the militia of this state and all other land in Crawford, Kalkaska and Otsego counties now or hereafter owned by the state and controlled by the state military board shall not be subject to taxation, but the state, in lieu of taxes, shall pay an annual amount equal to $1.00 an acre for each acre or major fraction of an acre. The payment in lieu of taxes of this amount shall be paid annually in December to the treasurers of the respective townships, villages, and cities in the counties of Crawford, Kalkaska, and Otsego according to the number of acres of that land in the respective counties and the respective treasurers shall allocate, distribute, and account for the payments in the same manner and in the same proportions as the tax millage for that year has been allocated by the county tax allocation board. Payment of the amounts shall be made from appropriations made by the legislature for the operation of the military establishment and the officer having control and management of those lands under section 4 of this act shall cause to be prepared annually in the month of November and delivered to the respective treasurers of the townships, villages, and cities in those counties entitled to payments under this section a complete list of all lands in the several townships, villages, and cities and the acreage therein upon which payment is to be made pursuant to this section. A copy of the lists shall be furnished to the county treasurer.