Policy
Great Lakes Consent Decree: A shared resource, allocation
This is the second in the series of updates that we will be posting to let those interested in the sport and commercial fisheries of the Great Lakes know what is happening in the negotiation of a new agreement between the State, the Federal government and the five Michigan tribes holding a Treaty right to…
Read MoreJoan L. Wolfe (May 2, 1929 – January 23, 2021)
Joan L. Wolfe, trailblazing environmentalist and the first woman chair of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Commission, died peacefully in her sleep of end stage dementia at age 91. Joan’s activism began in the mid-1960s, as a foot soldier in the effort to ban DDT and similar pesticides. In 1968 she founded the West…
Read MoreGreat Lakes Consent Decree: Implications, background, history
This is the first in a series of updates to let those interested in the sport and commercial fisheries of the Great Lakes know what is happening in the negotiation of a new agreement between the State of Michigan, the federal government and the five Michigan tribes holding a treaty right to fish within the…
Read MoreDeer Management Discussed, New Commissioners Seated at January NRC Meeting
The Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) met Thursday to discuss new rules for the 2021 deer hunting season, including changes to archery regulations and the creation of new antlerless deer tags. If passed in February, the proposed deer regulations would impact deer hunters statewide and could include a removal of the Upper Peninsula’s (U.P.) “hunter’s…
Read MoreNRC Reviews Deer Management, New Commissioners Seated at Upcoming Meeting
The Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC) will meet Thursday to make decisions on new rules for the 2021 deer hunting season, including new antlerless deer tags and changes to a slate of regulations impacting the Upper Peninsula (U.P.). The proposed deer regulations would impact deer hunters statewide and could include the legalization of crossbows during…
Read MoreUSFWS Finalizes Cormorant Control Permits
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently finalized a rule that would facilitate the lethal take of nearly 120,000 double-crested cormorants annually nationwide. This rule comes as the latest action in a yearslong process to manage cormorants more comprehensively. While cormorants are a native species, these birds wreak havoc on fisheries populations across the…
Read MoreFeds, Illinois come to agreement on PED phase of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam Project
An agreement announced today between Illinois and the federal government marks significant progress in Michigan’s effort to keep invasive Asian carp from overtaking our Great Lakes. The preconstruction engineering and design (PED) phase of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam Project was agreed upon today by the State of Illinois and U.S. Army Corps of…
Read MoreVoluntary youth fishing license signed into law, helps build conservation ethic
Voluntary youth fishing licenses will once again be available after House Bills 5002 and 5003 were signed into law. Introduced by Representatives Howell (R-Lapeer) and Brixie (D-Meridian Township), the tie-barred bill package reinstates a voluntary youth fishing license that costs $2. Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) supported and testified in front of legislative committees regarding…
Read MoreMichigan pheasant stamp signed into law
Michigan pheasant hunters 18 and older will now need a $25 stamp to pursue pheasants on public land in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Introduced by Rep. Gary Howell (R-North Branch), HB 4313 came about during the first year of the Michigan Pheasant Hunting Initiative (MPHI) — an R3 (recruitment, retention and reactivation) pheasant release program…
Read MoreCOVID Relief Bill Addresses Asian Carp, WRDA
Congress passed a bipartisan bill late Monday night that would authorize the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA) and the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project. The WRDA authorization comes as part of a larger COVID-19 relief package aimed at stimulating the economy, providing economic aid to small businesses and shoring up unemployment benefits.…
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