Policy

 Photo: AP Advancements in technology have made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) or drones much less costly and more available to the public. Drones have the potential to do amazing things in terms of photography and aerial shots. However, they also can be used for purposes that are harmful to hunters and anglers alike. Last year…

Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) is considering a resolution to increase penalties for elk poaching at its Annual Convention in June. Increased penalties for trophy bucks were passed into state law last year after a similar MUCC resolution from 2011. DNR Press Release:  A bull elk graces the cover of the September 1970 Michigan OutofDoors…

 Photo: ABC 10 News – U.P. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today filed an appeal of a December 2014 federal district court ruling that returned wolves in Michigan and Wisconsin to the federal endangered species list and wolves in Minnesota to federal threatened species status. The appeal – filed by the Michigan Attorney General…

From the Livingston Daily Michigan legislators have shot down efforts to use drones in hunting. The state Senate last week passed legislation that would not only ban hunters from using drones to track game but ban other groups from using drones to track hunters. The bills passed unanimously with state Sen. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township,…

Every year, MUCC’s members from around the state come together at our Regional Meetings in February to kick off our policy setting process which culminates in our Annual Convention in June. This year, our Convention takes place June 19-21, 2015 in Gaylord at Treetops Resort. And boy will we have a packed agenda! To date…

 Photo: MLive by Nick Bade-Dodge, MUCC Policy Intern The New Year brings in a new set of bills and the reintroduction of bills that did not make it through the legislature in 2014. Fortunately for the conservation community, some very important bills that did not make it through last year are moving steadily through the…

 Photo: Michigan Tech U/AP by Drew YoungeDyke, MUCC PR Manager Press Release Wolf Population in Michigan has exceeded recovery goals for over a decade Lansing – Legislation was introduced yesterday to remove federal Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Wyoming where they have long surpassed recovery goals. After Great Lakes…

 Governor Rick Snyder Photo: Michigan.gov by Matt Evans, MUCC Legislative Manager Wednesday saw Governor Snyder unveil his 2016 budget for the State of Michigan in front of a Joint House & Senate Appropriations Committee. The $54 Billion budget calls for priority investments in K-12 schools, higher education, skilled trades training, public safety, and road funding.…

 Drew YoungeDyke, Field Manager This past weekend, MUCC held its regional meetings for the Upper Peninsula and the northern Lower Peninsula, or pretty much everything “knuckles north.” This is where clubs and individual members present their ideas for MUCC’s policy on hunting, fishing, trapping and conservation issues. By the end of the weekend, there were…

Huron-Manistee National Forest manages more than 3,000 miles of roads. While many forest roads provide land management- and user-related benefits, some may also pose risks to forest resources. Increased use of an aging roads infrastructure increases safety and maintenance costs, impacts wildlife, and contributes to degradation of water quality. Over the past several years, even as maintenance…