Posts Tagged ‘DNR’
Bipartisan bill introduced to provide hunter’s safety in schools
Bipartisan legislation was introduced in both chambers of the legislature this week that would create an elective program for Michigan school districts to host hunter and firearms safety programs within their schools. Senate Bill 664, sponsored by Sen. Jon Bumstead (R-North Muskegon), and House Bill 5334, sponsored by Rep. Curt Vanderwall (R-Ludington)are both supported by …
Read MoreMUCC-led commercial guiding legislation heads to the governor’s desk
The Michigan Senate concurred on stakeholder-led commercial guiding legislation today, after passage in the house late last night. The legislation now heads to Gov. Whitmer’s desk. Commercial guiding in Michigan is woefully unregulated – nothing currently exists in statute to prevent serial poachers from posing as legitimate guides. The bipartisan package, sponsored by Senators John…
Read MoreNovember 2023 NRC Recap
Commissioners adopted an amended version of the Nyberg Amendment, changing the bag limit for steelhead on 11 streams across Michigan. In addition to lowering the bag limit on certain streams, the adopted amendment to Fisheries Order 200.23A clarified boundaries to streams in the amendment and removed immediate effect. The amended order, as passed, will now…
Read MoreOn the Ground: more than 4,000 volunteers engaged through statewide habitat improvement efforts
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…
Read More2023 Pheasant Release Season Begins October 20
The 2023 pheasant release season begins October 20 across Michigan’s state game areas (SGA). After a limited 2022 release season due to poor timing of legislative appropriations the 2023 season is looking much more robust. There are four new release sites and triple the number of birds put on the ground compared to 2022. MUCC…
Read MoreOctober NRC Recap
An update on the legal status of wolves in Michigan, as well the steps going forward were debuted at the October Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting in Escanaba Thursday. NRC Chair Tom Baird requested the update several months ago. The presentation went into detail on both the current legal status of wolves, including where it…
Read MoreOn the Ground Junior: Students from the Mecosta-Osceola Career Center braved the rain to help improve wildlife habitat in their community
On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, high school students and instructors from the Mecosta-Osceola Career Center participated in MUCC’s On the Ground Jr. program in partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to improve wildlife habitat at Haymarsh Lake State Game Area. During the morning portion of the project, students were divided into teams and…
Read MoreOctober NRC Preview
A wolf management decision tree requested by commissioners will be unveiled at the October Natural Resources Meeting in Escanaba. The Oct. 12 meeting is scheduled to begin with Coffee with Commissioners from 8 to 9 a.m. The agenda for the meeting can be found here. While in the UP, commissioners will have pike, warm water…
Read MoreSeptember NRC Recap
September’s Natural Resource Commission meeting was the first for new director Scott Bowen. Bowen introduced himself to those in attendance, highlighting his experience at other state agencies, stating that the DNR will by far be the most interesting. Commissioner Dave Nyberg spoke on a fisheries amendment related to steelhead he is working on and intends…
Read MoreOn the Ground: Volunteers helped deFENd unique habitat at Gourdneck State Game Area
On Saturday, September 9, 2023, 26 On the Ground 21 volunteers gathered at Gourdneck State Game Area in Kalamazoo County to remove woody invasives from a unique prairie fen habitat. In total, 2 acres of public land were improved by the removal of woody invasives like glossy buckthorn, autumn olive, and honeysuckle. Volunteers split up…
Read More