Policy
Michigan House and Senate Appropriation Subcommittees Propose DNR Budget
Budgets for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have been proposed by the Michigan House (HB 5512) and Senate (SB 759) Appropriations Subcommittees for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Funding for the Sportsmen Against Hunger (SAH) program is a high priority for Michigan United Conservation Clubs, but was not in the Governor’s proposed budget. This…
Read MoreCamp Grayling Permit Application Awaits Review by Department of Natural Resources
The Michigan Army National Guard has just submitted a land use permit application regarding Camp Grayling military training to the Department of Natural Resources for review. In April of 2023, the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) proposed a 20-year lease of over 160,000 acres of state forest land. After multiple community input sessions…
Read MoreApril 2024 NRC Recap
Commissioners adopted elk regulations and waterfowl season dates and regulations at the April Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting. There were no substantial changes to elk or waterfowl hunting regulations in Michigan, and both season structures stayed in line with the 2023 structure. The commissioners had one order up for information. Wildlife Conservation Order #4…
Read MoreMUCC supported wake boat legislation introduced
MUCC-supported legislation regulating the use of wake boats was introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives. House Bill 5532, sponsored by Rep. Julie Rogers (D-Kalamazoo), sets a basic framework of where large wake-producing boats can operate without damaging lake ecology or lake bottom structure. The legislation would require operating distances of at least 500 feet…
Read MoreApril NRC Preview
Deer Management Initiative (DMI) updates are scheduled at the upcoming April Natural Resources Commission (NRC) Meeting. The meeting, on Thursday, April 11, will be held in the Gannon Building at the Lansing Community College downtown campus, located at 600 N. Grand Ave Lansing, MI, and is set to start at 9:00 a.m. The Fisheries Committee’s…
Read MoreConservation organization files suit against resources commission
On March 28, the nation’s largest statewide conservation organization filed suit against the Natural Resources Commission (NRC), challenging the three-month closure of the coyote hunting season. At the March NRC, the commission, in a 4-2 vote, voted to close the coyote hunting season from April 16 through July 14 through the adoption of Wildlife Conservation…
Read MoreMUCC Supported Commercial Fishing Legislation Introduced in Michigan House
On March 6, Rep. Amos O’Neal (D-Saginaw) introduced a stakeholder-backed modernization of Michigan’s commercial fishing statute. House Bill 5553, written over the past several months in partnership with MUCC, would modernize archaic regulations in the state’s commercial fishing statute, and keep gamefish out of commercial nets. Michigan’s commercial fishing statute is decades old and an…
Read MoreMarch NRC: Commission Votes to End Year-round Coyote Hunting
Commissioners voted to close Michigan’s coyote season from April 15 to July 15 at March’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting. Commissioners voted on Wildlife Conservation Order #1 of 2024, and based their decision on perceived social pressures, shirking their responsibility and legal charge to follow sound scientific management. MUCC Chief Executive Officer Amy Trotter said…
Read MoreConservation organization votes to support year-round coyote hunting, establish moose season at annual convention
Michigan hunters, anglers and trappers converged on Sault Ste. Marie last weekend to pass their policy agenda for years ahead. More than a dozen grassroots policy positions were passed as part of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) Annual Convention, including affirmation of support for year-round coyote hunting and establishing a moose hunting season. Convention…
Read MoreMarch NRC Preview
Commissioners will likely vote on whether to close a portion of the current year-round coyote hunting season at this month’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting. The March meeting is Thursday at Lansing Community College Downtown Campus, located in the Gannon Building at 600 N. Grand Ave Lansing, MI. Wildlife Conservation Order #1 of 2024, which…
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