Posts Tagged ‘cooperatives’
In the Field: …and Online with Michigan Grassland Habitat
I have spent quite a bit of time on Facebook searching for conservation-related pages that could help people connect with the Wildlife Cooperatives Program. In that time, I also came to realize that there are multiple, very active pages about deer, deer habitat and deer hunting. When I noticed a lack of online chatter about…
Read MoreIn the Field: 5 Ways to Become a Better Deer Manager (from your tree stand)
I’m a day late to wish my fellow Michiganders a happy opening day of bow season, but I hope everyone followed tradition and enjoyed their time in the woods. Watching the sunrise the first morning ignites a flame in our core. It’s the reason we come back day after day, and sometimes we bring others…
Read MoreIn the Field: Cooperative Communication Part 1
A wildlife cooperative is formed with the understanding that one’s ability to build and maintain relationships is key. Today we are going back to the basics and deciphering what it means to be a conscious communicator. In today’s world, communication is affected by both human communication (actual person to person exchange) and electronically mediated (phones,…
Read MoreIn the Field: Deer Rendezvous 2018
The Michigan Wildlife Cooperatives Program held it’s annual Deer Rendezvous event August 3-4. The Deer Rendezvous is put on as a free event to cooperative and QDMA branch leaders as an opportunity to reflect on the past year, discuss successes and challenges, grow as a community and set goals for the next season. The Crockery…
Read MoreIn the Field: The Cooperative Difference
Wildlife Cooperatives are not a brand new concept in Michigan. They do, however, hold their value. To help people understand where we have been and where we are going, let’s first start with the definition of cooperative. co·op·er·a·tive adjective 1. involving mutual assistance in working toward a common goal. “every member has clearly defined tasks…
Read MoreIn the Field: National Pollinator Week
June 18-24 has been named National Pollinator Week! As we know, pollinators are vital to the success of our ecosystem but have faced challenges due to changing use of the landscape. Fields are getting larger, fence rows are disappearing and floral diversity is being eliminated with diminishing grasslands. We face the same glaring concerns for…
Read MoreIn the Field: County Line Cooperative
On Saturday I had the pleasure to attend the Third Annual Cooperative meeting with the County Line Cooperative. I am impressed by this group (along with many other of the great cooperatives we have in Michigan)! They hosted the Deer Rendezvous the past two years and even allowed other cooperative and QDMA branch leaders to…
Read MoreIn the Field: Conducting a Browse Survey
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC When you are looking to “manage” deer, it is very helpful to collect information that clues you into understanding deer numbers in your area and their impact on their habitat. Trail cameras can help estimate numbers of deer, and browse impact studies can help determine the impact they…
Read MoreIn the Field: Keeping it Relational (Meeting Ideas)
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC We are all part of various social groups. Church groups, sports groups, hunting groups, family groups, party groups… you name it. The common factors of why we are part of these groups is time together and common interest. If you never spend time with the people of the…
Read MoreIn the Field: Winter Pheasant Cover
by Anna Mitterling, Wildlife Cooperative Coordinator, MUCC Did you have great pheasant habitat in the spring and summer? Then the snow came and your grass is as flat as a pancake – doing very little for pheasants throughout the winter? What you are missing are cool-season grasses like switch-grass and some nice sturdy shrubs to…
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