Northern Michigan Conservation Network

“Ballast Water, Shmallast Water.”  Well, at least that’s what some in the Michigan Senate are apparently saying with the introduction of SB-1212.  We’re not sure that there’s much we can add to what has already been written by the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Drew YoungDyke and others on the topic, but there has been […]

Many natural resource management and conservation services are now being delivered in an entirely different manner than they were just a decade ago.  Since most of these changes and adaptations seemed to happen so incrementally, it went largely unnoticed. What we mean by a “New Conservation Model” is the shift away from agency-driven natural resource […]

To most residents and visitors to our state, public land is, well, public land.  Other than the obvious distinctions between a municipal park, federal forest lands and a state lake access site, few realize that under the umbrella of State of Michigan ownership significant differences exist within this inventory.  We raise this discussion now because […]

The preliminary results of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation has been released.  Conducted at the request of the State fish and wildlife agencies, this survey is completed every five years to measure the importance of wildlife-based recreation to the American people. This is the 12th such study […]

by Drew YoungeDyke, NMCN Contributing Editor The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund was put into the Michigan Constitution in 1984 and placed under the leadership of an advisory board to keep it away from politicians. Senate Bill 1238 would give it back. The bill packs the nonpartisan Natural Resources Trust Fund Advisory Board with two […]

In a recent action, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (don’t ask us about the committee title, we’re still trying to figure out what Ways and Means means) approved S. 2156 which shifts the authority over the price of federal ducks stamps from Congress to the Secretary of the Department of Interior. In […]

Following up on a story originally posted on this site on June 26, 2012 (To All of Our Contributors to the MNRTF – “Say it Ain’t So”), it was announced on Thursday by Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy Corporation that on June 29th it had been subpoenaed by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide all documents […]

After a multi-month process which included public meetings, a web-based survey and further internal discussion and review, the DNR Fisheries Division is recommending to the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) that no change be made to the current harvest limit of five brook trout per day for Michigan’s upper peninsula.  As most who have been following […]

As a result of Michigan United Conservation Clubs’ recent press releases and blogs, many of you may already know about a recent Appellate Court decision affecting recreational shooting ranges.  Thanks to the original work of MUCC and others, the use and historic operation of Michigan’s sport shooting ranges has been legislatively protected since 1989 when […]