On the Ground is headed back to Kalkaska County! Will you join us in improving wildlife habitat on public land?

Kristina Kennedy • September 7, 2023

Volunteers plant a soft-mast producing tree in Kalkaska County in October of 2022.

Join MUCC’s On the Ground (OTG) program in partnership with Land Ethics, LLC as we plant mast-producing trees in the Traverse City Forest Management Unit in Kalkaska County. Volunteers are needed on  Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 10am-3pm . Lunch and all necessary equipment will be provided!

We will be planting and fencing mast-producing trees that produce fruits, seeds, or nuts that act as an important source of sustenance for a wide variety of Michigan wildlife. Some common masting trees that are often maintained for wildlife habitat in Michigan include oak, crabapple, hazelnut, and serviceberry. Mast is a particularly important component of healthy wildlife habitat in fall and winter when other food sources become scarce and wildlife need to prepare for a long, cold winter. Not only will these trees provide nutrients to wildlife like deer and turkeys, but they will also serve as year-round cover and nesting habitat for a variety of wildlife like songbirds and small mammals.

A variety of soft and hard mast-producing trees will be planted in October. These trees will provide wildlife with sustenance for many years to come.

If time allows, we will also be constructing brush piles using downed limbs, logs and brush. Brush piles are an excellent addition to forest and grassland habitats because these structures are multifaceted in their benefits to wildlife. They provide small mammals with a safe place to hide from aerial predators like hawks and falcons. They also act as a good habitat for ground nesting species like rabbits and even some reptiles like the common garter snake! If constructed with limbs and branches still containing green vegetation, they can also act as a food source for browsing species like white-tailed deer.

Come out and enjoy the beautiful fall weather and scenery of the Northwoods while improving wildlife habitat with fellow conservationists! Please find more details about this event and volunteer registration here:  https://mucc.org/inspire_events/mast-producing-tree-planting-and-fencing/

Contact Habitat Program and Partnerships Coordinator Kristina Kennedy at kkennedy@mucc.org  with questions regarding this project or the OTG program.

Recent Posts

May 2025 NRC Recap

By Justin Tomei • May 8, 2025
The Natural Resources Commission (NRC) met for their May meeting today at Lansing Community College West Campus. The commission voted to return antlered opportunities to the Independence and Liberty hunts at the May Natural Resources Commission meeting. The amendment to restore this opportunity passed after Commissioner Walters withdrew his amendment from April to only partially restore antlered opportunity during these hunts. MUCC testified for the complete restoration of antlered opportunity during these two hunts, per a member passed policy from our 2025 Annual Convention. The commission also voted on, and ultimately accepted, a proposal to allow archery antlerless take in the high snowfall zone in the Upper Peninsula. Additionally, the commission also chose to leave on the table and postpone indefinitely the order to reopen the illegally partially closed coyote season. This prevents the order from dying after today's meeting and makes it eligible for action at a later date. This amendment will remain postponed until the June meeting at the earliest.  MUCC has created the Coyote Coalition to assist in unifying the voice of conservationists in support of Proposal G. To join the Coyote Coalition, visit https://www.mucc.org/coyotecoalition . The commission did adopt proposed fall turkey regulations unanimously. The June commission meeting is Thursday, June 12 in Bay City. To ensure our natural resources remain protected and managed thoughtfully and our outdoor heritage defended, join Michigan United Conservation Clubs today: http://bit.ly/JoinMUCC .

On The Ground: Volunteers at the Annual Jack Pine Planting Day

By Olivia Triltsch • May 8, 2025
In total, volunteers improved about 6 acres of habitat and planted around 6,000 trees in this stand to continue regeneration.

On the Ground Junior: Spring Event Recap

By Katelyn Helsel • May 7, 2025
Our student volunteers have been hard at work improving wildlife habitat on public lands! MUCC’s On the Ground Junior (OTG Jr.) program, a subset of the On the Ground program, is a fully funded field trip program that brings grade-school classrooms into the outdoors to improve fish and wildlife habitat in their local communities. Through activities like native plantings, brush pile building, and invasive species removal, students gain hands-on experience with conservation and positively impact the world around them. Students also participate in educational activities like predator-prey tag to teach them about population dynamics and other natural resources concepts. So far this spring season, MUCC welcomed 69 students, teachers, and chaperones who participated in multiple OTG Jr projects with more on the way! In total, they improved over 12 acres of wildlife habitat. Read on for a recap of each OTG Jr project and see what all our awesome student volunteers have been up to. 
More Posts