Northern Michigan Conservation Network

As most of you know, the collective WE have been fighting the Michigan Land Cap Bill SB-248 for many months. Although many conservation partners were able to secure some improvements to this ill-conceived piece of legislation, the compromise amendment which sought to exclude the northern portion of the lower peninsula was removed prior to passage. […]

Our thanks goes to the Traverse City Record Eagle for its recent Editorial on what amounts to the latest shot across our conservation bow again from Senator Casperson.  This time, and pardon the pun, he’s dredged up an old bill but this time has repackaged it as “an effort to combat invasive species.” Right, Tom. […]

With all of the debate taking place in Michigan relative to Senate Bill 248 and the question of “what constitutes too much public land?” it is refreshing to see that a study conducted in western states has confirmed that extensive areas of public land can stimulate economic activity and it is not a drain on […]

Detroit Free Press Editorial – May 19, 2012 Michiganders who love the Great Lakes shoreline will want to keep an especially close eye on their lawmakers as they debate a bill that would stop the Department of Environmental Quality from overseeing what happens on the beaches. This is the return of a battle that was […]

By Chris Engle, HT Outdoor Columnist   12:04 p.m. EDT, May 4, 2012 As much as I’m aching to share a happy outdoors memory this week, it’s impossible as long as my future outdoor experience is held at gunpoint in the Legislature. Specifically, there are three proposals in Lansing right now that I’ve got my […]

Enforcement of the Invasive Species Order (ISO) for Russian wild boars The full Senate is poised to vote on the budget bill containing the DNR’s annual appropriations, possibly even today. We are told that Senator Booher (R-Evart) intends to offer an amendment to SB 960 which will prohibit the DNR from expending money to enforce […]

From the beginning, this is a bill which I felt had been authored more for the purpose of creating political differences between sportsmen than actually advancing a positive agenda. Hopefully, some reasonable compromises can be worked out when considered by the Senate. by Bob Marshall It’s called “The Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012,” but this House-passed […]

It seems somewhat sadly ironic that at the same time states have struggled to get Federal officials to take the issue of Asian Carp seriously as a threat to the Great Lakes, the northern snakehead is now making its way up the Potomac River.  Let’s just hope that the Maryland DNR’s characterization of this “angling […]

With America’s population surpassing 310 million, the significance of national forest lands to our outdoor traditions continues to grow. The TRCP praised the recent implementation of a new planning rule that will facilitate responsible management of 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands critical to outdoor recreation and our hunting and fishing resources. The […]

Fish-and-game protections are in the path of a killer Congress. Article by Bob Marshall. Uploaded on March 02, 2012 It’s now or never for public hunting and fishing. For 2 million miles of stream habitat that support the wild trout and big-game herds in the West. For 20 million acres of small wetlands that produce […]