Prevent Oak Wilt by Pruning Oak Trees in the Winter

Oak wilt is a fungal disease that is carried to oak trees by small beetles that feed on the sap produced from fresh wounds to the tree (i.e. pruning, storm damage). The spores of the fungus then move through the vascular system of the infected tree, which is responsible for transporting water throughout the tree.…

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OTG Wraps Up 2020 Field Season

This past Saturday, the MUCC 2020 field season wrapped up with an On the Ground native tree planting near Kalkaska. It was a crisp fall day, and I am thankful that it was dry because it was a very good day to be outside planting trees. This particular project was funded in part by a…

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MiCorps Stream Monitoring in Kalkaska!

On October 8, I woke up at 5:00 AM; the second my alarm went off, I was up like a child on Christmas morning. On this day, which to others might have been nothing but an ordinary Thursday, I was going on a stream monitoring adventure.     As I got in my car and began…

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October NRC Rules on Walleye, Rare Herptiles

Regulations surrounding tackle during walleye-spawning season, the collection of reptiles and amphibians and fish possession limits were passed at this month’s Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting. The NRC met virtually on Thursday to consider a brief agenda. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) hosted the meeting, and a recording can be viewed on this…

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Successful Cleanup On The Red Cedar River!

MUCC’s On the Water (OTW) hosted a successful cleanup of the Red Cedar River this past Saturday at McCormick Park in Williamston. OTW partnered with the Ingham Conservation District, Friends of the Red Cedar and River Town Adventures to bring a total of 27 volunteers out to remove trash from the river. The volunteers split…

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New Resource Available for Managing Woody Invasive Species

A new website launched by the Midwest Invasive Plant Network called the Woody Invasives of the Great Lakes Collaborative (WIGLC) aims to assist landowners and interested members of the public in identifying and managing woody invasive species on their property and beyond. Many woody invasive species can have a similar appearance to beneficial native woody…

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A Great Day on the Dunes!

MUCC’s On The Water(OTW) Program was out this past Saturday for its third straight weekend in the field. The mission of the day was to remove the invasive species Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) from sensitive areas on the Kitchel-Lindquist-Hartger(KLH) Dunes Preserve. We began at 9:00, as our determined team of four set out for a…

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Great American Outdoors Act Passes Congress!

The Great American Outdoors Act (S. 3422/H.R.7092 & H.R.1957) passed out of the House of Representatives by a margin of 310-107 on Wednesday. We are now one important step closer to full, permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and addressing the deferred maintenance backlog on federal public lands.  The LWCF has only…

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Adaptive Cormorant Management up for Comment

May 2024 NRC Recap

Double-crested cormorant (cormorant) management is once again at the center of agency rule-making with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and MUCC is weighing in.  Cormorants are a native species, but wreak havoc on fisheries populations across the Great Lakes region. To facilitate adaptive, localized management the USFWS submitted a proposed rule to the…

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