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A Monarch Kerfuffle, Implications of an ESA Listing
Last week, an article headlined “Monarch butterflies now classified as endangered” set conservation social media on fire. Problem is it was (mostly) clickbait. The monarch butterfly has not been listed as an endangered species under the endangered species act (ESA), and as such they do not receive the legal ESA protections that go with it.…
Read MoreJuly Natural Resources Commission Recap, Transparency Issues a Focus for MUCC
Lack of transparency was a focal point for MUCC at July’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting. Michigan United Conservation Clubs Executive Director Amy Trotter expressed the organization’s frustration and concern with commission and department processes in recent months. Trotter’s testimony pointed towards the recent deer regulation process and sunset of regulations in the CWD experiment…
Read MoreRETURN: A generationally foolish idea
Every now and again you read something that seems so asinine you genuinely cannot believe it. Today, that is H.R. 8167 sponsored by Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-9). The bill would remove the excise tax from firearms, ammunition, bows, arrows and fishing equipment. Currently, the legislation has received 58 Republican co-sponsors. None of the Michigan…
Read MoreVolunteer with OTG at the Bay Mills Clean-Up!
Join MUCC’s On the Ground (OTG) program, Bay Mills Indian Community, and LSSU’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education (CFRE) as we improve wildlife habitat by cleaning-up trash in the Bay Mills area of the Upper Peninsula. Volunteers are needed on Saturday, August 6, 2022, from 9am-11:30am. Unfortunately, illegal dumpsites are relatively common throughout the…
Read MoreConservationists pass nine resolutions, recognize those among them for extraordinary work at 85th MUCC Annual Convention
Conservationists passed nine resolutions, improved habitat and public access and recognized those among them for their extraordinary work June 24 and 25 at the 85th MUCC Annual Convention. Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) called its meeting to order with the Conservation Pledge, written in 1937 after the adjournment of the first MUCC meeting by legendary…
Read MoreAnother opportunity for public comment on the proposed Camp Grayling expansion next week
One local township has arranged another opportunity for Northern Michigan residents to provide public comment on the proposed Camp Grayling expansion. Bear Lake Township will be holding a public meeting with Tom Barnes of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Col. Scott Meyers of Camp Grayling on July 7, 2022, at 7 pm…
Read MoreMUCC recognizes Becky Humphries, Sue Pride, Jim Hammill at 2022 Conservation Awards Banquet
The organization’s most prestigious recognition, the Conservation Hall of Fame, grew on Saturday evening with the induction of Becky Humprhies into the hall’s ranks. “Humphries is one of only three women, including Genevieve Gillette, a champion of state parks and Joan Wolfe, recognized for her work to ban DDT, allow citizens to legally intervene on…
Read MoreBecky Humphries Inducted into MUCC Conservation Hall of Fame
Few legacies can impact the amount of people, organizations, species and habitats that Becky Humphries has. Starting as an employee of the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the 1970s, she quickly transitioned to state wildlife work the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and grew through the ranks culminating in her being appointed Director of…
Read MoreMUCC Recognizes Jim Hammill for 50 Years of Service to Conservation
Jim Hammill’s career cannot be summed up in one article. Through a 1994 New York Times story, we gain some insight into a man whose compassion, leadership and ingenuity are fingerprints spread across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. “His task is to try to preserve the Upper Peninsula as a wolf habitat, which means maintaining adequate prey,…
Read MoreMUCC Unsung Hero Award Presented, Renamed after Sue Pride
Spanning more than 40 years with Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC), Sue Pride’s career has seen nine different executive directors. Starting as a mail clerk before transitioning to merchandise sales, which included topographical maps, county map books and lake maps, Pride took on the thankless jobs that often go unsung. As technology changed how the…
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