On The Ground
Spring Event Season Has Sprung
With mid-April comes snow rain showers and Earth Day events. Last week on the 13th, Camp Director Max Bass headed down to Chelsea to participate in their spring expo. Max was down in camps back yard trying to recruit campers and staff for the 2019 season. Historically this event has been a great spot to…
Read MoreOTG Jr. Gets Muddy at the Sharonville State Game Area
On one of the first warm days of the spring season, the OTG Jr. program was hard at work in the Sharonville State Game Area (SGA). The first OTG Jr. project of the season found a group of 10 high school students working to clear brush and fallen woody debris from a drain to improve…
Read MoreGood Turnout for Chainsaw Safety Training
For the fifth time, MUCC completed yet another successful Chainsaw Safety Training this past weekend (March 30th & 31st). The event was at full attendance with twenty-five individuals and five instructors. The Heavy Equipment Response Coalition, a non-profit organization, voluntarily helped run the course. Scott Peterson, a private business owner who specializes in teaching and…
Read MoreDucks, Dogs, Rabbits, Families and Pheasants
One of the ways we are going to be able to reach new hunters is through partnership. Last weekend MUCC had the opportunity to take part in an event that was a great example of how working together can make a big difference. On March 23, I helped to serve as a hunter safety instructor…
Read MoreMUCC & Huron Pines AmeriCorps at the Ultimate Sports Show – Grand Rapids, MI
This past weekend, Shaun McKeon, Morgan Warda, and I were at the Ultimate Sport Show in Grand Rapids from Thursday, March 14th to Sunday, March 17th. This sports show and many others like it, that MUCC staff attend, are produced by ShowSpan. This show marks my first time ever being behind a vendor booth or…
Read MoreMUCC’s OTG Jr. Awarded Land Use Pillar Award
Getting kids outside is tough. Getting them actively and meaningfully engaged in the natural world around them is even tougher. Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) On the Ground Jr. (OTG Jr.) program does just that and was humbled to recently be awarded the MidMichigan Environmental Action Council (MidMEAC) Land Use Pillar Award in 2019. MUCC’s…
Read MoreUltimate Sportshow Grand Rapids
With hints of spring in the air, but Mother Nature still taking her sweet time to warm up, cabin fever can really have a hold on you. However, there is something to do on the west side of the state this weekend that will get you off the couch. The Ultimate Sports Show Grand Rapids…
Read MoreOTG: Waterfowl Management at the Maple River State Game Area
Any type of waterfowl in the St. Johns area trying to find a safe place to land, eat and nest, should benefit from the habitat work done by the OTG crew on the Maple River State Game Area (SGA), Saturday morning (February 23rd). This game area is located just north of St. Johns and is…
Read MoreOutdoorama is Next Weekend
It is that time of year again. Time for the annual staff pilgrimage to Novi for Outdoorama. Outdoorama had been going on in the Detroit area for the last several decades. This year as it has been for the last several it is also hosted at the same venue as the Lakefront and Cottage living…
Read MoreEducating Students on OTG and the Kirtland’s Warbler
The Kirtland’s Warbler has been threatened by the decline of its much-preferred habitat, the jack pine forest. The US Forest Service and many other conservation organizations are working hard to help the bird and its habitat. Creating educational materials to present to the public is an impactful way for everyone to get involved. A couple…
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