This week’s public lands blog is about the public forests of Michigan. I feel particularly lucky to live here in Michigan, where I have so many opportunities to get out and recreate on public forest land. According to a study done by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2014 “Michigan is home to…

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  I can remember vividly my first visit to a State park, as I imagine many MUCC members and readers can. I remember the excitement pulling up to the campsite, my delight in playing and swimming in the lake with my brother and sister and my futile efforts to start a campfire by rubbing two sticks…

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This week’s public land series blog is about Michigan land that has been designated by the Department of Natural Resources(DNR) as being “managed primarily for wildlife habitat, wildlife watching and hunting.” According to the DNR “There are more than 100 units in the game and wildlife system covering more than 340,000 acres. Some units have…

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While the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many people are realizing the benefit of getting outside to recreate as a healthy respite from the quarantine. As several of us already know, activities such as casting a line into our favorite lake, going out for a spring turkey hunt or going for a walk in the woods are…

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Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and I wanted to take the opportunity whilst folks are reflecting on their impact on the environment, to talk a little about public lands. Growing up many of my opportunities to explore, recreate and connect with the natural world have occurred on public land here in Michigan.…

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Last week at the Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area (SGA), Michigan United Conservation Clubs(MUCC) launched the On the Ground(OTG) virtual SGA Clean-up initiative. This initiative is meant to encourage folks to still be stewards of their public land as MUCC’s usual spring schedule of OTG events have been canceled as a result of COVID-19.    This…

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The month of March has finally come to an end, and now we Michiganders are faced with what looks to be a long April ahead as the global coronavirus pandemic continues. With this in mind, many folks are looking for ways to connect with nature responsibly.  Several conservation organizations are producing excellent resources for folks…

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With schools out for the foreseeable future, many Michigan families are working remotely while all of their kids are home from school. While this pandemic must be taken seriously, this does provide a good opportunity for families to spend some quality time together and do some fun outdoor activities.  Earlier this month, I attended an…

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Since the beginning of February, I have been serving as the Huron Pines AmeriCorps Member at Michigan United Conservation Clubs(MUCC). Last week was Michigan’s AmeriCorps week and since the beginning of my service term, I have encountered quite a few questions and I thought it was an appropriate time to answer the most common of…

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“It’s for the kids!” This was the overarching theme of the Project FISH workshop that I attended last week with MUCC On the Water(OTW) coordinator Emma Nehan.  The workshop was part of Michigan State University’s (MSU) Agriculture and Natural Resources Week, and was attended by roughly 30 teachers, outdoor educators and passionate conservationists from all…

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