On the Ground: Volunteers Help Increase Hunting Opportunity in the Gladwin State Game Area

Kristina Kennedy • March 10, 2022

Volunteers help clear brush and downed trees from designated shooting lanes at the March 5th OTG project in Gladwin SGA.

Last Saturday, March 5, 2022, a group of 6 volunteers joined MUCC’s On the Ground program (OTG) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) in a morning of shooting lane clearing for a new accessible hunting blind located in the Gladwin State Game Area. The ground blind with accessible features was donated by Michigan Operation Freedom Outdoors (MiOFO) and is maintained by the MDNR. MiOFO’s mission is to provide improved outdoor recreation opportunities for wounded veterans and individuals with health challenges. Their ultimate goal is to coordinate a support network that facilitates recovery through connecting with nature. To learn more about hunting locations with accessible features and special hunting opportunities on state land, click here.

A volunteer clearing tree branches from shooting lanes, giving the accessible hunting blind good views of passing game trails.

The accessible blind is located less than ¼ mile from the State Game Area parking lot off South Rogers Avenue. The blind has viewpoints of multiple game trails and can easily be accessed by track chairs that can be rented for free from the MDNR. These off-road, electronic chairs can handle trails, snow, sand and up to 8 inches of water. To learn more about how to rent track chairs for free through the MDNR, click here.

We were also joined by a camera crew from Outdoor Channel’s Wardens , a TV show that features the daily adventures of MDNR’s conservation officers, statewide wildlife research and habitat work, hunting, fishing, and much more of what Michigan’s natural resources have to offer. Volunteers had the opportunity to participate in interviews regarding their experience with MUCC’s OTG program and the importance of the work they were doing to help expand hunting opportunity on public land. The episode that features the On the Ground program should air next year. For information on how to watch Wardens , click here.

To learn more about MUCC’s award-winning On the Ground program and to register to volunteer at an event near you, please visit  mucc.org/on-the-ground. Our next event will involve building brush piles to improve small game habitat in the Gourdneck State Game Area in Kalamazoo County on Saturday, March 26, 2022 from 9am-2pm. This event will be hosted in partnership with the Kalamazoo Conservation District and the MDNR. To learn more about  this event, please visit the registration webpage here.

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