As we navigate the ever-changing circumstances surrounding COVID-19 and to help campers feel confident about keeping their summer plans in the books, the DNR is waiving reduced-stay fees through Oct. 31, 2020.

Reduced-stay fees generally are assessed when customers cancel or modify a camping reservation at Michigan state parks and recreation areas and the four state forest campgrounds that accept reservations. The fees are incremental and determined by the length of time a reservation has been held and the number of eligible nights canceled, based on a sliding modification/cancellation formula. Read more

WASHINGTON – Updated analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation shows crop and livestock prices falling to levels that threaten the livelihoods of many U.S. farmers and ranchers. Shuttered schools, universities, restaurants, bars and cafeterias are no longer buying milk, meat, fruits, vegetables and other food, causing a downward spiral in crop and livestock prices.

Nearby futures prices for nearly all the major crops have dropped by double-digit percentages. Pushed down by a 40% plunge in ethanol prices, corn prices have fallen 15%. Soybean prices are down 10%, while the price for cotton, which is heavily dependent on foreign manufacturing capacity, sank nearly 30%. Buoyed by demand in the U.S. and China, wheat prices have declined only 3%.

On the livestock front, since the beginning of the year, both beef and pork futures prices have declined more than 30%. Milk futures prices have also fallen sharply, with the price for milk used to make cheese down 28% and the price for milk used to make nonfat dry milk falling by 34%. Read more

Fairfax, VA– The National Rifle Association, along with other pro-hunting organizations, sent a letter to governors of all 50 states on Friday urging them to keep public lands open for hunting and fishing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Now, perhaps more than ever, families need access to hunting and fishing grounds so they can put food on the table for their families,” said Jason Oumet, executive director, National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action. “There is no reason why people should be prohibited from spending time alone in America’s wide-open spaces. At its core, hunting is the original social distancing.”

The NRA teamed with the Dallas Safari Club, Hunter Nation and Safari Club International in the effort. The letter outlines the reasons why keeping public lands is crucial during this period while strongly supporting efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, such as social distancing.

In part, the letter reads:

“Closing these areas significantly limits the ability of our nation’s millions of sportsmen and women who take to our woods, waters, and wild lands every year to pursue their passion for the outdoors — an activity that is, at its core, America’s most tradtitional form of “social distancing.” Further, given the economic effects of COVID-19, it is more important than ever to allow hunters and anglers access to healthy and inexpensive sources of food to support their families.”

The letter was sent to governors of all 50 states Friday morning.

Read more

By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association

Canceled, postponed, delayed, shut down, and rescheduled are all words we’ve grown accustomed to over the past few weeks.  We’ve added phrases such as “social distancing” to our modern lexicon and continue to wonder how the “new normal” will have evolved.  At the same time many of us have found a strange commodity on our hands and it’s not those latex gloves:  It is time.

All of humankind faces a new dilemma:  work or daytime television.  We can sit there watching a blow-by-blow description of how this maddening virus is affecting people around the globe, all the while hoping it stays away.  It seems as if the virus doesn’t consume us, our thoughts just may, as we sit back and do nothing.  And, being a spectator of daytime television is doing nothing.

As mentioned, work is another option that typically doesn’t make it to the top of the list of things to do.  How many times have we passed by that fence that needs to be repaired or painted?  We no longer have an excuse for not having time even though we are all given the same amount of it.

All those “some-day” projects that never seem to have made it to any daily agenda could easily be part of anyone’s new normal now that we all have time.  Just the other day, I was passing a standing dead red pine that serves no purpose other than to offer perches to local birds.  It suddenly became time to re-purpose that seasoned wood, and even though red pine is not the best source of fuel for my outdoor furnace, it’s fuel nonetheless and has found its way to the wood pile.

If you are anything like me, you many have a firearm that’s been good at collecting dust.  For whatever reason, it doesn’t get used; it could need a good cleaning or maybe some gunsmithing work or a better optic.

A vintage Remington rimfire model 550-1 rifle of mine fits that description has done a fine job of taking up space.  It’s a semi-automatic plinker that has the ability to fire short, long, or long rifle cartridges, but because of a poor choice in optics, hasn’t been used.  The inexpensive red-dot aiming device was meant to improve my ability to compete in speed shooting games, but my old eyes need more assistance than that.  With a few computer clicks, a brand new variable power rimfire scope is on the way.  How exciting!

We may find that the trouble with our current time is that the future is not what it used to be, but this time we have the opportunity to revise it.

Pick a project – any project.  Put it on a list, get it done and then take time to cross it off the list.  Don’t delete it; cross it off.  It feels good!

Brownells Boredom Buster Challenge Gives Chance For $10K Shopping Spree

GRINNELL, IA–Brownells is calling on its fans to beat those bored-in-the-house, social-distancing blues and earn a chance to win a $10,000 Brownells shopping spree by competing in the Brownells Boredom Buster $10K Challenge.

Contestants can enter by creating funny, entertaining or otherwise extraordinary 2nd-Amendment-related videos and posting them on their personal Instagram accounts between April 2, 2020, and April 16, 2020.

To qualify for a chance to win, videos must meet the following criteria:

• No more than 60 seconds long
• Must show safe practices
• Must be tagged @Brownellsinc
• Must use hashtag #BBB10K

After April 16, Brownells will choose the five best videos and allow followers and fans to vote for the winner, who will travel to Brownells for a $10,000 shopping spree. Read more

Contact: Ron Olson, 517-243-1477

To protect public health, violations of social distancing guidelines may result in misdemeanor fines, penalties

To help carry out Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order and further protect public health and safety, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is closing many amenities offered in state parks and recreation areas, effective now through at least April 13.

State parks and recreation areas currently remain open to provide residents with local opportunities to get outdoors; however, extensive travel should be minimal – and reserved only for essential needs – and effective social distancing (of at least 6 feet between yourself and another person) is required so that unsafe conditions do not develop and state-managed lands can remain open. Read more