Northern Michigan Conservation Network

As 2017 comes to a successful close, the Upper Black River Council (UBRC) is pleased to provide a final River Crew Progress Report for 2017. Since our July report, we are happy to report that the entire Northern Blue Lakes (NBL) permit reach has been completed. Ken Reed and crew finished the final 93 structures remaining after […]

Stop Michigan Senate bills 39 & 40 These bills represent the most significant legislative intervention in public land management in the State’s history. These provisions include: The potential forced opening of our few remaining special management areas to motorized vehicles Increased timber harvest to levels which may be in conflict with publicly-adopted sustainable forest management […]

Dear Governor Snyder, I am writing today to remind you of the promise you made in 2012, when you signed into law what was then known as Senate Bill 248 (a.k.a. Public Land Cap Bill). In a July 2, 2012 press release from your office it was stated that Gov. Rick Snyder recently signed legislation […]

This past holiday weekend, we had the opportunity to get up close and personal to the site of one of the numerous “prescribed burns” being implemented this spring by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. According to the Department, “prescribed burns are planned to achieve specific objectives – oftentimes simulating the benefits of natural fires. […]

Over the past nearly 80 years, the Sport Fishing and Wildlife Restoration programs (authorized by the Pittman-Robertson & Dingle-Johnson Acts) have provided well over fifteen billion dollars in grant funds to state fish and wildlife agencies for projects to restore, conserve, manage, and enhance all species of fish and wildlife – $1.1 billion will be […]

If you’re like me, you may have often wondered about the forest fire and wildfire hazard ratings you see posted outside of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources field offices. While I’ve always known that these ratings were based on more than just an empty rain gauge, it wasn’t until a presentation made by Atlanta […]

Many may recall the debate in 2012 surrounding what was then known as the “Land Cap” bill. Although some improvements to the original bill were secured, PA 240 of 2012 became law and thereby established a 4.6 million acre limit on the amount of land that the State of Michigan could own and manage. One […]

It seems worthy of note that six of the top ten states in the nation as ranked by a recent USA Today for the perceived “well-being” of their residents are also among the top 12 states in the Percentage of Public Land area. The main exceptions to this trend were the three states which have been more […]

We recently shared a story which included a video segment from a Traverse City area television station (TV 9 & 10) whose byline read “DNR Plans to Remove Acres of Trees” (click here to view segment). Since the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and others who conduct professional forest management “remove” acres of trees every […]

Story by Bob Gwizdz and published courtesy of MDNR – The upper Black River, in the northeastern Lower Peninsula, has long been recognized as one of Michigan’s best brook trout streams. Earnest Hemingway, who fished there, wrote about it glowingly. “It’s renowned for its wild brook trout population,” said Tim Cwalinski, fisheries biologist who oversees […]