MUCC Policy Report for May 2, 2008

This edition:

• U.S. House Passes Ballast Water Legislation
• MDNR Denies Hunting Closure in Milford Township
• NRC: Early Antlerless Season: Option A or B Up for Action; Hunters Choice for U.P.
• Farmers and Hunters Discuss Solutions to TB in Northeast Michigan
• The Great Michigan Woodstove Change-out Campaign starts May 8th!
• Meeting and Event Announcements

U.S. House Passes Ballast Water Legislation

The final bill that was passed would:

• Establish strong ballast water treatment standards;
• Require ballast water treatment technology on board commercial vessels in 2009 using an interim standard;
• Establish an aggressive time line for new, stronger U.S. treatment standard starting in 2012; and
• Set a national goal that ballast water discharged into U.S. waters contains no living organisms by 2015.

We will keep you updated as this bill goes before the U.S. Senate. For more information on this piece of legislation or this issue, please contact Resource Policy Assistant, April Bennett (abennett@mucc.org or 517-346-6472).

MDNR Denies Hunting Closure in Milford Township.

NRC: Early Antlerless Season: Option A or B Up for Action; Hunters Choice for U.P.

• Option A: Based on the previous proposal, this option would create a 5-day firearm season in the second weekend in October for privately-owned lands only in Shiawassee County and the TB area in Northeast Michigan.
• Option B: This option would create a 5-day firearm season in the third week of September for privately-owned lands in the TB area and all of Zone 3 (Southern Lower Peninsula).

The next NRC meeting will be held on May 8th at the Lansing Center. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Spray (aspray@mucc.org).

Farmers and Hunters Discuss Solutions to TB in Northeast Michigan

Specific topics for discussion included:

• Agricultural and sportsmen communities working together
• Reducing baiting (enforcement) and controlling deer numbers at the local level
• Increasing use of on-farm wildlife risk mitigation measures
• Increasing surveillance effectiveness
• Livestock indemnity insurance

DNR Business Calendar—Opportunities for Public Input

• May 2, 10 a.m., SNOWMOBILE ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING, BJ's Restaurant and Catering, 990 North Center Avenue, Gaylord. Contact: Andrea Turner, 517-373-2891, turnera7@michigan.gov.
• May 3, 1 p.m., WESTERN UPPER PENINSULA CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING, Don H. Bottum University Center, Charcoal Room. Northern Michigan University, 1401 Presque Isle Ave., Marquette. Contact: Ann Wilson, 906-228-6561.
• May 7, 6:30 p.m., ORV ADVISORY BOARD MEETING, Holiday Inn Lansing-West, 7501 West Saginaw, Lansing. Contact: Andrea Turner, 517-373-2891, turnera7@michigan.gov.
• May 8, 3 p.m., NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MEETING, Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Avenue, Lansing. The meeting begins with the Committee of the Whole at 3 p.m. and continues with Public Appearances beginning at 4:30 p.m. Public appearances may be scheduled by calling Teresa Gloden, Assistant to the NRC, 517-373-2352, glodent@michigan.gov. Following Public Appearances, the NRC will conduct its Regular Meeting. Written comments may be submitted to: Teresa Gloden, Natural Resources Commission, P.O. Box 30028, Lansing, MI 48909.
• May 10, 10 a.m., EASTERN UPPER PENINSULA CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING, McMillan Township Hall, 405 Newberry Ave., Newberry. Contact: Ann Wilson, 906-228-6561.
• May 28, 1 p.m., CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR MICHIGAN STATE PARKS MEETING, P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, 6585 Lake Harbor Road, Muskegon. Contact: Ron Olson, 517-335-4827, olsonr@michigan.gov.

Jump In and Join Us For Conservation Days 2008!

Catch a Glimpse of Lake Sturgeon on a Guided Tour!
Cheboygan, MI

Date: May 9, 2008
Time: 12noon - 3:00p.m.
Cost: $15 for members, $45 for non-members
(Price includes Guided Tour and lunch)

Each spring, the famed lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) head up select rivers to spawn along the rocky riverbanks, almost oblivious to nearby human activity, making these rare fish susceptible to illegal harvest. The lake sturgeon is a threatened species in Michigan and a rare species throughout the United States. Now, anyone interested in catching a glimpse of lake sturgeon have an opportunity during a guided walking tour on May 9th, 2008. Researchers will be on hand to talk about lake sturgeon, poaching enforcement, netting and tagging, recent Black Lake Watershed research, and restoration work to improve sturgeon habitat.

Please R.S.V.P. by contacting April (517/346-6472 or abennett@mucc.org) to guarantee your spot! There are spots left!

Wake up with Warblers
Mio, Michigan

Date: June 6th, 2008
Time: 6:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Cost: $15 for members, $45 for non-members
(Price includes Kirtland Warbler tour, light breakfast and lunch)

Come join us on June 6th for a day to remember! The nesting areas for the Kirtland Warbler are closed to public entry, so the best opportunity to see a Kirtland's warbler is on this guided tour. Upland sandpipers, clay-colored sparrows, Brewer's blackbirds, black-billed cuckoos, eastern bluebirds, Lincoln's and vesper sparrows can also be seen in the jack pine ecosystem in this guided tour.

Please R.S.V.P. by May 30th, 2008 by contacting April (517/346-6472 or abennett@mucc.org) to guarantee your spot! Spaces are limited!

Updating our list for 2008: If you would like to receive the policy report directly to your email address (or if you wish to be removed from this email list), please contact Amy Spray at aspray@mucc.org.

MUCC is committed to providing our members with up-to-date and accurate information on conservation policy issues from Lansing, Washington D.C., and around Michigan. If you enjoy MUCC’s biweekly policy action report, please consider becoming a member and support our efforts to conserve Michigan's natural resources by remembering MUCC in your contributions and planned giving.