MUCC Blog

The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) met for their May meeting today at Lansing Community College West Campus. The commission voted to return antlered opportunities to the Independence and Liberty hunts at the May Natural Resources Commission meeting. The amendment to restore this opportunity passed after Commissioner Walters withdrew his amendment from April to only partially restore antlered opportunity during these hunts. MUCC testified for the complete restoration of antlered opportunity during these two hunts, per a member passed policy from our 2025 Annual Convention. The commission also voted on, and ultimately accepted, a proposal to allow archery antlerless take in the high snowfall zone in the Upper Peninsula. Additionally, the commission also chose to leave on the table and postpone indefinitely the order to reopen the illegally partially closed coyote season. This prevents the order from dying after today's meeting and makes it eligible for action at a later date. This amendment will remain postponed until the June meeting at the earliest.  MUCC has created the Coyote Coalition to assist in unifying the voice of conservationists in support of Proposal G. To join the Coyote Coalition, visit https://www.mucc.org/coyotecoalition . The commission did adopt proposed fall turkey regulations unanimously. The June commission meeting is Thursday, June 12 in Bay City. To ensure our natural resources remain protected and managed thoughtfully and our outdoor heritage defended, join Michigan United Conservation Clubs today: http://bit.ly/JoinMUCC .

In total, volunteers improved about 6 acres of habitat and planted around 6,000 trees in this stand to continue regeneration.

Our student volunteers have been hard at work improving wildlife habitat on public lands! MUCC’s On the Ground Junior (OTG Jr.) program, a subset of the On the Ground program, is a fully funded field trip program that brings grade-school classrooms into the outdoors to improve fish and wildlife habitat in their local communities. Through activities like native plantings, brush pile building, and invasive species removal, students gain hands-on experience with conservation and positively impact the world around them. Students also participate in educational activities like predator-prey tag to teach them about population dynamics and other natural resources concepts. So far this spring season, MUCC welcomed 69 students, teachers, and chaperones who participated in multiple OTG Jr projects with more on the way! In total, they improved over 12 acres of wildlife habitat. Read on for a recap of each OTG Jr project and see what all our awesome student volunteers have been up to. 

May 2025 NRC Preview

Yesterday, Senators John Cherry (D-Flint) and Jon Bumstead (R-North Muskegon) released a standalone license fee package, overhauling the fees associated for hunters, trappers, and anglers, and creating new revenue for the Department of Natural Resources. Senate Bills 276 and 277 referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee, represent the newest proposal to fund the DNR after the failure of HB 6229 in late 2024. The legislation would fund the DNR with additional license fees, and a backfill mechanism to reimburse the department for several license discounts, and lost commission to license vendors. This legislation is a project from the senators and differs dramatically from the executive proposed budget earlier this year. Some new costs as proposed in the legislation: Base License: $15 Hunt/Fish Combo: $100 Complete License: $150 All Species Fish: $30 Deer License: $25 (Combo is $50) Antlerless Deer License: $5 (mandated 80% discount from the $25) Retains senior discounts Child Deer License: $10 (new license) Mentored Hunting License: $10 Turkey: $18 Bear: $30 Elk: $125 Waterfowl: $18 Fur Harvester: $18 Bobcat: $30 (new paid kill tag) In addition to a base license, a combination hunt/fish license, and an all-species fishing license, a $5 surcharge will be included, the funding from the surcharge is restricted to Hunters Feeding Michigan, the Michigan Wildlife Council, and a newly created hunting and fishing education recruitment fund. All licenses will be tied to the Consumer Price Index providing a permanent mechanism for license fees to keep up with inflation. Sen. Cherry said this bill is not a DNR or Executive proposal, but rather a passion project from a pair of hunters. "My friend senator Bumstead and myself started this package as a passion project of two Michigan hunters. The goal of this package is to ensure the DNR has the resources it needs to protect, manage, and improve our great natural resources. We strove to create a mechanism to invest in protecting our hunting and fishing heritage and better align our deer licensing structure to reflect the modern realities of Michigan's deer herd, all while minimizing the burden on Michigan's hunters, trappers, and anglers,” said Sen. Cherry. “I look forward to continuing this work with my Senate and House colleagues to deliver good policy for the people of the State of Michigan." Sen. Bumstead reiterated his passion for this legislation, and the need to ensure the DNR has the funds necessary to properly manage all the state's natural resources. “As an avid outdoorsman with a passion for hunting and conservation work, it was imperative to me that I was involved in this legislative package. Senator Cherry and I got together to work on this package to help ensure that our hunting and fishing cultures can continue to thrive in our state. What we have introduced here, is a product of bills that reflects the input of our sportsman communities and the needs of the DNR to continue protecting and managing habitats and species in Michigan, while minimizing the financial impact of these changes on our hunters,” said Sen. Bumstead. “I am proud of the work that Senator Cherry and I have done thus far and am eager to continue working with my Senate and House counterparts to provide necessary and meaningful policy changes to protect our state’s hunting and fishing heritage.” Michigan United Conservation Clubs supports long-term, sustainable funding solutions for the Department of Natural Resources that ensure the continued protection and enhancement of our natural resources, fish and wildlife populations, and access to outdoor recreation. The organization will continue to monitor this, and another proposal for increased DNR funding.

Volunteers are needed on Saturday, May 10th, from 9 AM to 12 PM to plant trees and on Saturday, May 17th, from 9 AM to 2 PM to clean up a watershed in a local State Game Area.

As spring gets fully underway and the warmer weather hits, many birds are in the process of migrating back to Michigan. The Cornell University Lab of Ornithology reports that during peak migration periods, as many as one billion birds could be in the skies in a single night. Michigan is home to many migratory birds, from small red-wing blackbirds to larger sandhill cranes. One migratory species you might see, more so if you live in northern Michigan, is the rare Kirtland’s warbler. This bird has a long and detailed conservation story and has come back from the brink of extinction with the help of strong conservation efforts.

Historically, Michigan experienced a lumber era in which the state was a leading producer for 50 years starting in 1860.

Rochester Hills, MI — On the Ground, MUCC’s volunteer stewardship program, celebrated its 250th habitat improvement project in Oakland County this past weekend. In partnership with Metro-West Steelheaders and the Clinton River Watershed Council , 62 volunteers removed more than 460 pounds of trash from the Clinton River watershed and surrounding areas, restoring more than 80 acres of fish and wildlife habitat. Volunteers focused on picking up trash and other debris in the river near Yates Park and along various walking trails near the Yates Cider Mill. Many different items were collected, including a couple of tires, fishing line, old cans, a sign, and even a car bumper. “We definitely wanted to clean up as much trash as possible because that's going to help the watershed as a whole, and it’s going to clean up the river for both humans aesthetically, and also the animals that live in it, and create safer drinking water” said Olivia Triltsch, MUCC’s Habitat Program and Partnerships Coordinator.