Wildlife Cooperatives
In the Field: CWD and TB Awareness
by Anna Miterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC Rainbows remind me of hope. I was driving up to Alpena to talk about managing deer in the TB area on Saturday when my friend Morgan and I saw this rainbow. It has been a rough week, a lot of focus on disease. While there is a lot to be disappointed about…
Read MoreIn the Field: We are the Ones
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC Last night I had the opportunity to talk about conservation with the freshmen class of biology students at Spring Arbor University. I wanted to share with them one of the biggest lessons I am still learning now. Regardless of the topic, there are always various points of view,…
Read MoreNRC Commissioners visit Wildlife Cooperative in TB Zone
by AnnaMitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC Wednesday, before the NRC meeting last week, Anchor Creek Wildlife Cooperative hosted some of the NRC Commissioners and Michigan Department of Natural Resources Staff at one of their properties to provide insights on how the cooperative model is helping to address Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) related concerns in the TB…
Read MoreIn the Field: Osprey Banding
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator Last week I was extremely fortunate to be invited to help the DNR band osprey near the Kellogg Biological Station on Crooked Lake. It was an incredible experience and it is amazing how far these special birds have come over the past couple decades. Their numbers sharply declined after…
Read MoreIn the Field: Conducting a Crowing County for Pheasants
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC Believe it or not, pheasants are starting to make a comeback in different parts of Southern Michigan. The trail camera picture shows a flock of pheasants flying by, and believe it or not, those are pheasants on a parcel of well managed habitat in Gratiot County. The phrase,…
Read MoreIn the Field: How to Conduct a Deer Browse Survey
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC When you are looking to “manage” deer, it is very helpful to collect information that clues you into understanding deer numbers in your area and their impact on their habitat. Trail cameras can help estimate numbers of deer, and browse impact studies can help determine the impact they…
Read MoreIn the Field: Cooperative Satisfaction
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC Back in 2010-2011 I was working on my Master’s Research at Michigan State University. My research on deer cooperatives uncovered some interesting information. 1) Deer hunters within cooperatives were more satisfied with their overall hunting experience that those hunters surveyed by the DNR. 2) Deer hunters within cooperatives…
Read MoreIn the Field: Feral Swine – A Michigan Issue?
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC When I was in college, I worked for the DNR Wildlife Division as a Student Assistant. This position formulated a lot of my early views on hunting, management, and the purpose of a State Agency. I had the opportunity to learn a lot about the views of various…
Read MoreIn the Field: The Story of the One-eyed Bear
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC The Michigan hunting family is a special beast. Like all families, we have our slew of issues and disagreement, but I can tell you that the hunters I work with here in Michigan are top notch humans. My college roommate’s father reached out to me a few months…
Read MoreIn the Field: Are We our Own Worst Enemy?
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC Last week I posted a DNR press release announcing the publication of the first year of managing for CWD here in southcentral Michigan. I was surprised by a few responses to that report. But what stemmed out of that dialogue reminded me of a larger issue than just hunters who…
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