On the Ground: more than 4,000 volunteers engaged through statewide habitat improvement efforts

Volunteers plant a mast-producing tree in the Shingleton Forest Management Unit in August of 2023.

The final day of September marked the end of MUCC’s 2023 fiscal year. Last year’s volunteer turnout brought a lot of excitement for the On the Ground team as 771 volunteers joined us out in the field, marking the most volunteers in a single year since the program’s inception in 2013! 

On the Ground Junior also had a successful year with 272 students improving 19 acres of wildlife habitat through 6 hands-on projects that took place primarily on state-managed land. Students planted hundreds of trees and wildflowers, constructed brush piles, and removed invasive vegetation on public lands throughout the state. 

Furthermore, On the Ground volunteers participated in 26 projects this past year, ranging from oak savanna restoration to river cleanups. In total, volunteers directly improved 237 acres of wildlife habitat during fiscal year 2023. 

We’d like to thank our partners and especially our wonderful volunteers for helping us reach this volunteer milestone and taking time out of their day to improve Michigan’s public lands.

With my AmeriCorps service coming to an end soon it was an absolute pleasure to assist with the program interacting with all the passionate volunteers in making a difference to our public lands.

For more information about the On the Ground program, please visit mucc.org/on-the-ground/.