On the Ground: More Upcoming Events- 2018
This weekend, OTG volunteers are kicking off a busy Spring season at the Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area to build brush piles for rabbitat. The event will also include clay shooting and a rabbit hunt in the afternoon to enjoy the public lands volunteers are giving back to by improving wildlife habitat. Next weekend, OTG volunteers will be completing maintenance in a wildlife opening in the Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area. See more upcoming events for 2018 and the details to RSVP to volunteer for wildlife habitat below!
February 17, 2018 Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area
On Saturday, February 17th, volunteers will be meeting in the Tuttle Marsh Wildlife Area to build brush piles for rabbitat. This project is coordinated with Gib King of Land Ethics LLC and will also provide a unique opportunity to enjoy improved habitat by hosting an afternoon clay shoot and rabbit hunt in the area- see more details and RSVP to volunteer here!
February 24, 2018 Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area
On Saturday, February 24th, we will be completing habitat work in a wildlife opening in the Gratiot-Saginaw SGA. For the past 3 years, volunteers and students from the Midland-Dow High Conservation Club have been working hard to restore a wildlife opening by cutting encroaching timber and shrubs and building brush piles for rabbitat- see more details and RSVP to volunteer here!
March 10, 2018 Crane Pond SGA Annual Youth Rabbit Hunt
For the 4th year in a row, OTG will be assisting with the Crane Pond SGA Youth Rabbit Hunt. This event allows for youth to enjoy habitat improvements on state land by utilizing brush piles previously built by volunteers during On the Ground wildlife habitat improvement events in the area- see more details about the event here!
March 17, 2018 Dansville State Game Area
On Saturday, March 17th from 9am-2pm, volunteers will be meeting at the Dansville State Game Area Shooting Range to complete and wildlife habitat improvement project in the area. Volunteers will be improving hunter access trails and building brush piles for rabbitat- see more details and RSVP to volunteer here!
April 7, 2018 Keeler State Game Area
On Saturday, April 7th from 9am-2pm, volunteers will continue wildlife habitat improvements in the area by building brush piles for rabbitat. This project has been completed in the region each year since the start of the program in 2013- see more details and RSVP here!
April 21, 2018 Crane Pond State Game Area
On Saturday, April 21st from 10am-2pm, volunteers will be planting 300 tree seedlings in 3-gallon pots at the Crane Pond SGA DNR Field Office. These trees will be monitored and cared for until they are large enough to plant in wildlife openings in the area to provide browse and thermal cover for the area’s wildlife- see more details and RSVP to volunteer here!
May 19, 2018 Grayling State Forest
On Saturday, May 19th from 9am-2pm, volunteers will be pruning apple trees in a large orchard in the Grayling State Forest. This will help the trees to be their most productive in providing soft mast (apples) to the areas wildlife including black bear, whitetail deer, turkey, and small game. Details to RSVP coming soon.
August 18, 2018 Shiawassee Flats State Game Area
On Saturday, August 18th from 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm, volunteers are welcome to participate in an OTG event as part of the Joint Partner Habitat Day put together by MUCC’s Wildlife cooperative Coordinator- Anna Mitterling and the partner organizations including QDMA, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, NWTF, the DNR, and the local Conservation District. Habitat work will involve cutting willow trees to open up the riparian areas and fencing trees that have been previously planted. Details to RSVP coming soon.
September 8, 2018 Grayling State Forest
On Saturday, September 8th from 9am-2pm, volunteers will be planting trees along forest edges and in openings in the Grayling State Forest. This event is partnered with the DNR and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Details to RSVP coming soon.
MUCC’s On The Ground Program is supported by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division
Isn’t may a lot late for pruning apple trees?
This orchard became State Forest Land over 10 years ago and has not been maintained since then, the objective of this habitat work is to try and increase mast (apple) production from the trees for the area’s wildlife. This timeline was chosen because it is easy for volunteers to properly identify the trees as well as which branches are dead or unhealthy and need to be pruned. So it falls out of a typical apple orchard maintenance timeline, in this case.