On the Ground: Volunteer Input Requested

lschultz • July 30, 2020

With more than 3,000 volunteers and more than 150 wildlife habitat improvement projects completed, the On the Ground (OTG) program has impacted wildlife habitat on public land throughout Michigan over the past eight years. As we look back and review the past eight field seasons, we are compiling data and reports to build a comprehensive picture of the OTG program’s impact and success.

One component we would like to include in the report is testimonials from previous OTG volunteers that explain why they choose to volunteer with the OTG program and why they think the program is valuable or important. Comments and testimonials can be as short or as long as you would like, and should be sent via email to the email address provided below.

Some questions to consider when writing your testimonial include:

  1. Why did you volunteer with the OTG program?
  2. What value did you see in the habitat improvement event(s) you attended?
  3. What did you enjoy about the event(s) you attended?
  4. What do Michigan’s natural resources mean to you?
  5. Why do you think volunteer programs like OTG are important when it comes to the health of Michigan’s public lands and wildlife?

We appreciate each of the conservationists that have joined us in the field improving habitat for Michigan wildlife. With your testimonials, we hope to capture the unique and positive experience the OTG program provides for volunteers and the impact it has on wildlife habitat.

If you’ve participated in OTG and would like to comment on the program and what it means to you, please send your comments to MUCC Habitat Volunteer Coordinator Makhayla LaButte at mlabutte@mucc.org . Additionally, if you would like to learn more about the OTG program, please visit mucc.org/on-the-ground or facebook.com/muccotg .

Recent Posts

The Legacy of Michigan Logging

By Olivia Triltsch • April 24, 2025
Historically, Michigan experienced a lumber era in which the state was a leading producer for 50 years starting in 1860.

MUCC celebrates a successful Clinton River Cleanup

By Katelyn Helsel • April 23, 2025
Rochester Hills, MI — On the Ground, MUCC’s volunteer stewardship program, celebrated its 250th habitat improvement project in Oakland County this past weekend. In partnership with Metro-West Steelheaders and the Clinton River Watershed Council , 62 volunteers removed more than 460 pounds of trash from the Clinton River watershed and surrounding areas, restoring more than 80 acres of fish and wildlife habitat. Volunteers focused on picking up trash and other debris in the river near Yates Park and along various walking trails near the Yates Cider Mill. Many different items were collected, including a couple of tires, fishing line, old cans, a sign, and even a car bumper. “We definitely wanted to clean up as much trash as possible because that's going to help the watershed as a whole, and it’s going to clean up the river for both humans aesthetically, and also the animals that live in it, and create safer drinking water” said Olivia Triltsch, MUCC’s Habitat Program and Partnerships Coordinator.

Mayflies, Stoneflies, and Caddisflies, Oh My!

By Olivia Triltsch • April 17, 2025
In addition to their impact on water quality, these three orders of insects are an important part of the diet of game fish, making anglers, especially fly fishermen, interested in the conservation of these small animals.
More Posts