Policy

A new bill, Senate Bill 635, introduced by Senator Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba) was recently taken up for testimony in the Michigan Senate Natural Resources Committee. This bill would discount the license prices for former residents of Michigan who return to our state to hunt. This idea has been brought forward to MUCC’s Annual Convention in various…

New legislation has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives by Rep.  Jim Tedder (R-Clarkston) that would provide tax protection for qualified conservation clubs.  House Bill 5109 would exempt real property owned by a qualified conservation club from collection of local property taxes, so long as the facilities of the club are open to…

The Quality of Life group of Governor Snyder’s administration released its final report on Great Lakes aquaculture today, which affirms the stance of the vast majority of Michigan voters and House Bill 5255: no commercial net-pen aquaculture in the Great Lakes. “We’re pleased to see that the administration recognizes the threats that commercial net-pen aquaculture…

The Department of Natural Resources is recommending several coyote hunting regulation changes to the Natural Resources Commission this month, including year-round hunting opportunities and implementation of a Michigan United Conservation Clubs and Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association resolution to allow the use of #3 and #4 buckshot at night for coyotes. (Photo Michigan DNR…

This article appears in the March/April 2016 issue of Michigan Out-of-Doors. Click here to become a member and subscribe! Forty years ago, a landmark compromise between conservationists and the oil and gas industry forged what might be “Michigan’s Best Idea,” the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. Today, Michigan citizens in all parts of the state benefit…

The Great Lakes provide the foundation of our identity as a region. Supported by all eight Great Lakes states and signed into law in 2008, the Compact was created to protect the Great Lakes from large-scale diversions of water. The city of Waukesha, Wis., — located in the Mississippi River Basin — has proposed a plan…

A poll conducted in January by EPIC-MRA found that 68% of Michiganders opposed putting commercial net-pen aquaculture in the Great Lakes. Where two such fish farms are proposed, though, opposition is even higher: 77% of northern Michigan residents oppose them. It’s time to let northern Michigan legislators know where their constituents stand. The survey polled…

As if we don’t have enough going on, there is yet another group putting pressure on our state administration to give up our public trust responsibilities and approve the first ever diversion of Great Lakes water outside of the basin since the ratification of the Great Lakes Compact. We invite you to learn more about…

With ice and snow finally arriving across the state, outdoor winter recreation is now on the horizon.  As you get ready to hit the trail, the slopes, or the lakes, it is crucial to remember that there are dangers to many winter activities.  One of the most popular winter activities in Michigan is ice fishing,…