Policy
February NRC Preview
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is proposing a number of regulation changes to bear hunting in Michigan at the February Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with a wildlife committee meeting at Lansing Community College. The DNR is proposing a number of regulation changes this cycle,…
Read MoreGovernor Whitmer Highlights Administration Priorities, Gun Control, during State of the State Address
Last night, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave her fifth state of the state address; her first since Democrats took the majority in both the State House of Representatives and the Senate and she won reelection. In her speech, Gov. Whitmer laid out her legislative plan for 2023, including universal pre-k, tax breaks and other social agenda…
Read MoreMichigan wolf population stable, Federal players in talks about delisting
Last week, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) released results from their 2022 Michigan gray wolf survey. The survey concluded that the wolf population in the Upper Peninsula remains stable with a minimum population estimate of 631, plus or minus 49 wolves. DNR Large Carnivore Cody Norton shared that the wolf population’s continued stability may…
Read MoreJanuary NRC Recap
Commissioners had no items up for action at the first Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting of 2023. Acting Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Director Shannon Lott had a trio of action items from the December meeting in front of her. First is the Prairie River Stream Temperature Redesignation Management Area, which would change the designation…
Read MoreMUCC Welcomes New Policy Intern
Hello! I’m Tess Bradley, MUCC’s new Policy Fellow. I was born and raised in Ludington, Michigan, and I’ve always loved nature and the outdoors. How could I not, with Lake Michigan in my backyard, countless trails to explore in the Ludington State Park, and rolling sand dunes all along the shoreline? I grew up with…
Read MoreProposed Camp Grayling expansion could shrink significantly
A preliminary review by the Michigan DNR shows that the lands available for lease by the National Guard for its Camp Grayling expansion proposal could be reduced significantly. The size and scope of the actual reduction would depend on the outcome of a formal DNR review of the proposed lease expansion area. That formal review…
Read MoreBipartisan Wildlife Bill Left Out of Omnibus Funding Package
Lansing, MI (December 22, 2022) — A bipartisan wildlife bill that supporters dub “the biggest wildlife bill in 50 years” has been left out of the omnibus spending package, leaving very few options for passing the bill this Congress. The bill passed the House in June and has 47 cosponsors in the Senate, including 16…
Read MoreProposed consent decree places millions of feet of gill net in new waters
A proposed Great Lakes Consent Decree that would place millions more feet of gill net effort in the Great Lakes annually and allow Tribal commercial take of whitefish, lake trout, salmon, walleye and perch sits before a judge. The State of Michigan (including the Department of Natural Resources), United States of America and four of…
Read MoreDecember NRC Recap
A new Michigan wolf management plan was signed by DNR Director Dan Eichinger at December’s NRC meeting. The plan, presented to the commission at the November NRC meeting, provides a non-operational management plan for gray wolves in Michigan. The plan states that detailed operational tools and methods of management will be specified through traditional regulatory…
Read MoreLocal governments, conservation groups oppose massive Camp Grayling expansion
More than 16 local governments, major environment/outdoors groups ask state to reject plan Opposition continues to grow to a Michigan National Guard proposal to take an additional 260 squares miles state land for its Camp Grayling training facility, limiting access to the state land by civilians and potentially hurting wildlife in ways that will hurt…
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