Public Input Welcome at March 2021 DNR Meetings

Adapted from the February 25, 2021, Michigan Department of Natural Resouces press release. See the full DNR press release HERE. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has an abundance of public meetings prepared for March 2021, and interested members of the public are encouraged to take part in these meetings to let their voices…

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Draft of DNR’s 2021-2026 Land Strategy Available for Public Review

Following a public comment period in 2020, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has released a draft of the updated public land strategy. Originally created in 2013, the public land strategy is used by the DNR to outline management plans for Michigan’s public lands and natural resources to ensure that Michiganders and visitors alike…

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Bringing Back the American Elm

DNR Seeks Public Comment on Forest Management Plan

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is requesting the public’s assistance in identifying the locations of American elm trees that are still standing and healthy in Michigan. Known as “survivor elms”, researchers are hoping that these trees will be the driving force behind a new, disease-resistant version of the American elm tree population. Decimated by…

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New NRC Commissioners Appointed

Gov. Whitmer announced three appointments to the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) on Tuesday. The seven-member body is tasked with regulating the take of game and sportfish and is authorized to name new game species and establish the first hunting season. The body is also required to remain bipartisan, meaning that no more than four members…

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State Game Area Highlight: Gratiot-Saginaw SGA

Written by Makhayla LaButte, MUCC Habitat Volunteer Coordinator Comprised of nearly 17,000 acres, the Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area (SGA) is one of the largest managed wildlife areas in the Lower Peninsula. During its acquisition by the State of Michigan in 1939, much of the land that now makes up the Gratiot-Saginaw SGA was agricultural fields…

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Behind the Scenes of MPHI

Pheasant season opens in the Lower Peninsula on Sunday, October 20, and thanks to the Michigan Pheasant Hunting Initiative (MPHI), there will be rooster releases at 11 Southern Michigan state game areas throughout the fall season in 2019 and 2020. The legislation that made this pheasant release possible was Public Act 618 of 2018, which…

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OTG at Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area

Volunteers braved inclement weather on Friday, September 6 to clear up the edges of a dike in the Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area near Ashley. After meeting at the old DNR field office, volunteers made the short trek to the dike to begin clearing excess woody debris to improve water flow through the wetland. The primary…

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Last Call for 2019 OTG!

Our Friday, September 6 project in the Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area marks the end of our OTG projects for the 2019 fiscal year. After this, we will host some OTG Jr. events with local schools before our field season quiets down for the approaching hunting seasons. Come out and help us wrap up another successful…

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