MIDLAND-DOW HIGH CONSERVATION CLUB VOLUNTEERS IN THE GRATIOT-SAGINAW SGA

By lschultz | February 22, 2017 |

Last weekend, a group of 18 volunteers including members from the Midland-Dow High Conservation Club, Boy Scouts from Troop 337, local hunters and trappers continued habitat maintenance in a wildlife opening in the Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area. Volunteers removed encroaching brush from the wildlife opening and stacked it into large brush piles for rabbitat. The habitat work in this area began with a project the same time last year, at which volunteers focused on building brush piles with the larger trees that had been cut from the opening and along the perimeter. There is still a good amount of brush to remove from the north end of the opening, but a lot of progress had been made towards the goal of the areas DNR Wildlife Technician, Chad Krumnauer, to plant the opening as a food plot for the areas whitetail deer, turkey, and other small game.

The Midland-Dow High Conservation Club has been a key part in the success of MUCC’s wildlife habitat projects in the Gratiot-Saginaw SGA. This is the fourth year that members of the club have volunteered to complete a wildlife habitat project in the area. The Club’s Advisor, Dave Kobel, is also the Assistant Wrestling Coach for the high school and still was able to make time to coordinate a club project; Thank you! From the local community, a few Boy Scouts from Troop 337 along with their Dad chose to spend a nice, Spring-like Sunday in February building brush piles for rabbits. Also local to the area was volunteer Doug Reeves who has been active in the Gratiot-Saginaw SGA running his dogs for rabbits and scouting out wildlife in the area. It’s great to see local hunters volunteering to improve that wildlife habitat for the area they utilize to hunt various game species!

Also among the volunteers was Huron Pines AmeriCorps Member Lyndsay Morrison- serving with the Gladwin DNR. As a Huron Pines AmeriCorps Alum myself, it was a nice surprise to be joined by a current member for this volunteer opportunity. After serving with the Gladwin DNR for just over a month so far, Lyndsay has participated in the aerial elk survey and is looking forward to checking bear dens in the next few weeks. Thank you, Lyndsay, for volunteering for wildlife in the Gratiot-Saginaw SGA! Although there is more habitat work to be done in this location, these volunteers have made a great amount of progress that would otherwise be left unimproved. That’s all for February, but there’s a lot of wildlife habitat improvement opportunities coming up in March- see the links below and RSVP to volunteer!