Northern Michigan Conservation Network

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 […]

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 […]

July 19, 2012 Please call your U.S. House of Representatives member TODAY and urge them to support the conservation provisions in the Farm Bill. by Bob Marshall (posted with permission) “Conservation groups this week are sending a desperate plea to sportsmen: Contact your House members today and urge them to bring the Farm Bill up […]

Well, it was nice while it lasted, but the Michigan State Senate is now back in session.  Although the ink is hardly dry on several bad pieces legislation involving public resource management, many of those same bill sponsors are now back from a summer recess and will likely be seeking action on the next phase […]

Now that the Governor has elected to sign the Land Cap Bill (SB-248) into law today, it is not too soon to begin discussing the legislatively-mandated two-year process necessary to allow for the removal of the cap. As most of you know by now, the version of SB-248 which has been signed into law establishes […]

Well, we no sooner made a post acknowledging the progress that had been made with the U.S. Senate’s passage of the new Farm Bill than we now receive word that the House of Representatives has proposed even further reductions in the conservation program funding elements of the bill. While we have already acknowledged the fiscal […]

The Farm Bill was recently passed by the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives has begun work on its own version.  Although we as Americans fully recognize the budgetary situation in which our nation find itself, the conservation funding portion of the Farm Bill represents only a fraction of its total and this version […]

As many of you know, we have been working for several months to reform or stop Michigan Senate Bill 248, also known as the Land Cap Bill. The version which now sits on the desk of the Governor’s office runs the risk of permanently placing a limit on the amount of State-owned public land in […]

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. […]