Posts Tagged ‘wildlife habitat’
Enrollment Open for Michigan DNR Hunting Access Program in Select Regions
In a June 10 Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) press release, the DNR announced payments are available for private landowners in southern Michigan, the northeast Lower Peninsula and the eastern Upper Peninsula that enroll land in their Hunting Access Program (HAP). Started in 1977, HAP is one of the nation’s longest-running private land, public…
Read MoreOn the Ground: 2021 Habitat Events Update
While there are currently no On the Ground (OTG) wildlife habitat improvement events scheduled for the early summer months, we are beginning to schedule our late summer and fall events. Such events will include grassland habitat restoration, native tree and shrub plantings, hunter access trail improvements and a river clean-up. These events are scheduled to…
Read MoreOn the Ground: Volunteers Improve Wildlife Habitat in Northern Michigan
On Saturday, March 27, Michigan United Conservation Clubs’ On the Ground (OTG) program returned to Kalkaska to continue to improve wildlife habitat on public land. A group of 18 volunteers constructed more than 40 brush piles (“rabbitat”) within openings along Johnson Lake Road that will be utilized by wildlife that ranges from rabbit/hare and ruffed…
Read MoreOn the Ground: Spring Field Season Launches this Weekend
MUCC’s award-winning On the Ground (OTG) wildlife habitat improvement program launches its 2021 spring field season this weekend in Harrison. Volunteers with the OTG program will be improving small game habitat on public land near Harrison by building brush piles. Brush piles are a critical component of quality small game habitat, and volunteers with the…
Read MoreVolunteer for Wildlife this Spring
OTG is in need of volunteers for two small game habitat projects this March. Join the OTG program on Saturday, March 13 in Clare County and Saturday, March 27 in Kalkaska as we improve habitat for small game and other wildlife by building brush piles. Also known as “rabbitat,” the brush piles built during these…
Read MorePrescribed Fire as a Habitat Management Tool in Michigan
Note: Cover photo by Jonathan Schechter. A Brief History of Fire in Michigan Despite being best known for its abundant forest and water resources, Michigan’s natural history has also been molded by fire. Many fire-adapted ecosystems like jack pine forests, oak savannas and grasslands all rely on fire for optimal health and regeneration. Before the…
Read MoreOn the Ground: 2020 Year in Review
Despite limitations early in the field season due to COVID-19, the On the Ground (OTG) program was still able to improve habitat across the state of Michigan during the 2020 fiscal year (October 2019 through September 2020). While a typical field season usually includes 20-25 habitat projects, the OTG program hosted eight in 2020. Volunteers…
Read MoreOn the Ground: Final Event of the Season in Kalkaska this Saturday
This Saturday, Oct. 24 finds the On The Ground (OTG) program at the final event of the calendar year. Join MUCC’s OTG program as we plant native trees in Kalkaska near Johnson Lake this Saturday. Volunteers are needed to help plant, mulch and fence 90 mature soft mast-producing trees to enhance habitat for wildlife. These…
Read MoreOn the Ground: Consumers Energy Funds Planting of 2,500 Native Trees at Fulton SGA
On Tuesday, October 6, the On the Ground program returned to the field to kick off the planting of 2,500 native tree species at the Fulton State Game Area (SGA). These trees were funded entirely by the Consumers Energy Foundation and will enhance habitat for an abundance of wildlife within the state game area. Originally…
Read MorePlant Trees with the OTG Program this October
After event postponements and cancellations due to COVID-19 throughout the spring and summer field seasons, the On the Ground (OTG) program is happy to be getting back out into the field to improve wildlife habitat on public land. We have been contacted by diverse conservation groups regarding partnerships to plant trees this fall, and we…
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