In reviewing one of the more recent legislative proposals involving natural resource management and all that is the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, we noticed that Senate Bill No. 1280, introduced on September 19, 2012 by Senators Casperson and Booher, contained one sentence which has the potential for a wide range of interpretations. The key […]
September 19, 2012
Comments Off on Take Two, They’re Small – Buy a License and Support Conservation
For some, purchasing this year’s hunting license may bring back to mind a discussion which took place in some Michigan circles about a year ago. Although not entirely a new idea, the suggestion from DNR Wildlife Chief Russ Mason was to encourage non-hunters and others who support wildlife and fisheries habitat enhancement projects to buy […]
September 16, 2012
Comments Off on Farm Bill Expires at End of Month, Conservationists Urge Renewal
Please call your U.S. House of Representatives member and urge his or her support of the current Farm Bill. As we’ve previously written on this site, the 2013 Farm Bill has significant implications on numerous northern Michigan conservation/restoration programs. For many of us in the northern Michigan area, our Representative is Dr. Dan Benischek. His […]
September 10, 2012
Comments Off on Michigan Conservation Coalition Launches Opposition To Ballast Water Legislation
The Michigan Conservation Coalition, a diverse partnership of sportsmen’s organizations and conservation groups, is seeking grassroots support for its opposition efforts regarding Senate Bill 1212 (see NMCN post “Reversing Course on Great Lake Ballast Water” (https://nmconservationnetwork.org/2012/08/29/reversing-course-on-great-lakes-ballast-water/). The Coalition is asking that its partner organizations and members sign on to this letter (or one of their […]
September 9, 2012
Comments Off on 2012 Delta Waterfowl Breeding Survey Released
Delta Waterfowl http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/ has released its 2012 annual duck breeding survey. In spite of the challenging spring and early summer conditions found in many areas, together with the habitat declines in the Prairie Pothole areas, overall populations continued their long term growth trend. Among the other good news contained in the survey is that in […]
September 4, 2012
Comments Off on Investments in Michigan’s Recreational Resources Paying Big Dividends
Although the reports are very preliminary and in many instances anecdotal, the 2012 travel and tourism season appears to have been the best in nearly a decade. In a recent WTVB interview, Smith Travel Research said that “the statewide average hotel occupancy rate for the year to date as of July was at 56 percent […]
August 29, 2012
Comments Off on Reversing Course on Great Lakes Ballast Water
“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 […]
August 23, 2012
Comments Off on The New Conservation Model
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 […]
August 21, 2012
Comments Off on Not All Public Land Is Created Equal
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 […]
August 17, 2012
Comments Off on Recent Study Shows Increase in U.S. Hunter Numbers
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 […]
Northern Michigan Conservation Network 
September 23, 2012
Comments Off on Senate Bill No. 1280 – Subtle Shift or Fundamental Change in DNR Mission