Northern Michigan Conservation Network

By Frank Krist, NMCN Contributing Editor – Mass marking involves inserting a tiny metal tag in the noses of all trout and salmon stocked in the Great Lakes.  The tags show which hatchery the fish are reared in along with when and where they are stocked.  Unless fish are monitored after they are released there […]

In spite of our nation’s preoccupation with a handful of other more headline-grabbing issues (no need to list them here), there have been numerous pieces of natural resource/conservation-related legislation introduced in the current session of the U.S. Congress. Several of these bills have local and regional implications, including the reauthorization and funding for the National […]

by Frank Krist, NMCN Contributing Editor – The Atlantic salmon program in Lake Huron started in 1986 under an agreement between Lake Superior State University and the DNR.  Fish have been stocked in the St. Mary’s River since that time under the direction of Roger Greil, manager of the LSSU’s Aquatic Research Laboratory and Hatchery.  […]

Last Friday, the Michigan House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources approved a budget package which did include a hunting and angling license fee package which is generally consistent with that advanced by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) as a part of the Governor’s FY 2013-2014 budget proposal.  For those who have […]

As the wolf management debate here in Michigan escalated in recent months, increasing references have been made to what is known as the North American Model for Wildlife Conservation.  Most notably, Dr. Russ Mason, Wildlife Division Chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, recently found it necessary to respond to assertions that if hunting […]

By Frank Krist, NMCN Contributing Editor There have been several legislative hearings completed reviewing the Governor’s DNR budget proposal and the hunting and fishing license fee restructuring.  A few adjustments have been suggested, but overall support has been expressed for the proposal with many organizations backing it.  This package still has not been approved by the […]

by Paul Rose, NMCN Sr. Editor I know what you’re thinking.  For a website that has spent much of its time and identity highlighting legislative efforts to divert and alter the constitutionally-protected use of the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF), proposing any change to its current use and funding allocation may be seen as […]

Now that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) hunting and fishing license fee proposal is a week old and the dust has begun to settle, we’re beginning to hear and see reactions to its details.  While it remains our opinion that the initial reaction to the proposal was largely positive, we must disclose we […]

We’re trying not to get too excited about the possibility of all of the necessary pieces coming together, but based upon the content of Governor Snyder’s 2014 budget message, repairing the revenue problems associated with an antiquated fish and game license structure appears to have been made a Gubernatorial priority. To say that this is […]

Our thanks to NMCN site content contributor Marc Smith and our friends over at the Great Lakes office of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) for passing on this link. While the nation continues to ratchet up the gun rights debate and the battle lines appear to be drawn now on the  wolf management issue here […]