14 projects funded at nearly $200,000

Conservation groups, K-12 students and landowners across the Upper Peninsula will improve hundreds of acres of white-tailed deer habitat this year after receiving state grants generated from deer hunting license revenue. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is funding 14 projects totaling nearly $200,000 in grants in 2026. That’s double the per-year amount of funding from past years through the Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative. Now in its 18th year, the U.P. initiative has awarded nearly $1.5 million across 176 grants, with partners contributing more than $1 million in matching funds or in-kind contributions. “The initiative has created a collaborative approach to improving deer habitat on private lands across the Upper Peninsula,” said Bill Scullon, grant program coordinator and field operations manager for the DNR. “As we know, deer know no boundaries. Creating suitable habitat across both public and private lands is crucial to helping deer survive the often-challenging U.P. winters.” Funding for the initiative comes from the Deer Range Improvement Program, or DRIP, a state appropriation created in 1971. Through DRIP, $1.50 from every deer hunting license goes toward improving deer habitat. Read more

Article and Photos by Paul Konrad

Recently fledged American Robins have dominated the feeding station during recent weeks, along with the adults that lead them to the grape jelly feeders (photos by Paul Konrad).

One of the most exciting things that can happen at a feeding station is for birds that visit your feeders during the nesting period to bring their fledglings to your feeders and surrounding tree branches. In addition to the chance to view the young birds at close quarters during this important developmental stage when they learn to fly and learn how to survive beyond the nest, it’s great to watch the interactions between fledglings and adults, and other birds. Most songbird fledglings rely on the adults to feed them and protect them, while the young birds watch and interact with adults and other birds at a feeding station, and beyond.

Best of all we can watch the fledglings quickly develop beyond the nest – not an easy thing to do beyond the “confines” of a feeding station with a window view. This is an especially bountiful year in the Northern Plains, and that may be the reason behind so many fledglings being produced in my neighborhood, and why my grape jelly feeders have been attracting a variety of fledglings. Family groups of American Robins and House Finches have now been joined by a Baltimore Oriole female feeding one or more of her recent fledglings that occasionally follow her to perch in branches in the ash tree adjacent to the feeding station. The male Baltimore was as active as the female in collecting jelly and insects attracted to the sweet food, but he suddenly disappeared after July 1^st, leaving the female to care for the fledgling (or fledglings) during the final step of the post-fledging period.

Recently, a male Orchard Oriole has substantially increased the number of its visits to collect jelly and bugs, which indicates it is feeding nestlings nearby – and hopefully they will follow him to the jelly feeders when they leave the nest too. [As I write this, the male Orchard arrives on que to load up on jelly.] A few Orchard Oriole broods have spent time utilizing my feeders in the past – usually numbering 2 or 3 per brood that resemble the adult female with new yellow plumage. This season, only the male has been a regular visitor – so far. Some years I have 2 or 3 pairs of orioles nesting in the area, but this year it has been just 1 pair of each species.

Realistically, it has been the American Robins and House Finches that have provided the biggest thrills and levels of activity this summer. Read more

July 13, 2026
Contact: Michael Michalek, 517-331-8387 or Mallory Simon, 517-930-8108

The DNR news release issued Monday included an incorrect link to the list of Buy Now properties referenced near the end of the release. The current Buy Now list includes nine (9) parcels available for purchase by the general public. The link has been corrected in the body of the story, below. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Nearly 100 parcels available; sale proceeds will be used to acquire land that better fits the department’s outdoor recreation, conservation goals

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is busy preparing 97 properties for sale via online auctions later this summer. River frontage, lake frontage and forested acreage surrounded by private ownership — these characteristics describe some of the parcels that will be available Aug. 4-28.

Kerry Heckman, DNR forest lands and special projects administrator, said though it might seem counter-intuitive for the DNR to make any land available for sale, it’s important to note that the public benefit of some properties is severely limited. Read more

July 13, 2026
Contact: Kerry Heckman, 517-643-1256

Public ceremony/signing set for Friday, July 17

The Pigeon River Country State Forest, east of Vanderbilt in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, is known for many things: its wilderness, rugged character, and being home to the state’s elk herd, crystal-clear sinkhole lakes and world-class trout streams. Now, thanks to a partnership involving federal and state grants and private funding, this forest known as the “Big Wild” is nearly 8,850 acres bigger. In early December, on behalf of the public, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources purchased the Black River Ranch property located in the eastern portion of the Pigeon River Country. This breathtaking property includes over 14 miles of rivers and streams, including the Black River, the East Branch of the Black River and Stewart Creek. It also includes three entire lakes, including the 150-acre Silver Lake. Bugle Hill, the high point on the property, offers a stunning view of the Black River valley and miles of wilderness and forest to the west. Ceremony/access Read more

A map graphic shows winter snow depth in the Upper Peninsula during the winter of 2025-26.

This past winter, with its heavy snowfall, marks the third severe winter in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in the past five years and could significantly impact the peninsula’s white-tailed deer population.

Wildlife biologists from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources conducted field necropsies of vehicle-killed deer in late winter and spring and documented widespread signs of starvation.

A white-tailed deer is shown in an Upper Peninsula winter.

Biologists look inside leg bones of deer to examine bone marrow fat as an indicator of nutritional status. Deer that are exhibiting a red, gelatinous marrow have no fat reserves and often succumb to starvation.

The U.P. logged 111 days with at least 12 inches of snow on the ground this winter, making it one of the harshest seasons in the past quarter-century for the deer herd. Read more

Exactly one minute after the clock strikes midnight tonight, participants in the 2026 Florida Python Challenge™ will start their search for invasive Burmese pythons as this year’s python removal competition officially begins! Starting at 12:01 a.m. this Friday, July 10, and running until 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 19, competitors in this year’s event will get the chance to win a share of $25,000 in prizes while raising awareness about nonnative species and helping to protect the native Florida wildlife that call the iconic Everglades ecosystem home.

This year’s event, hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District, features Everglades National Park as a partner and one of eight official competition locations. The 2026 Florida Python Challenge also offers an Ultimate Grand Prize of $10,000 for the participant that removes the most pythons during the 10-day competition, with additional prizes up for grabs for the most and longest pythons removed in three different categories, including professional, novice and military. Read more

After consultation with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department captured and relocated a subadult male grizzly bear on June 29, 2026.

The grizzly bear was captured at a cattle depredation site on public land in Sublette County. In cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Shoshone National Forest, the grizzly bear was relocated to the Five Mile Creek drainage approximately five miles from the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park.

Grizzly bears are relocated in accordance with state and federal law and regulation, and Game and Fish is required to update the public whenever a grizzly bear is relocated.

WHY RELOCATION? Read more

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources needs your help to tally wild turkeys this summer. Take just a few minutes to report any turkeys you see, July 1 through Aug. 31, and contribute valuable data to track the health of the state’s turkey population. Photo courtesy of Michigan DNR

If you spot a hen turkey leading a line of poults (baby turkeys) this summer, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants to hear from you.

It’s time for Michigan’s wild turkey brood survey: a community science effort that helps wildlife biologists understand how well turkeys are reproducing across the state and provides valuable information about the health of Michigan’s turkey population. The DNR is asking residents to report sightings of wild turkeys and turkey broods — family units consisting of at least one adult hen and her young — July 1 through Aug. 31.

“Summer is one of the best times of year to see wild turkey families,” said Adam Bump, the DNR’s upland game bird specialist. “Every brood observation helps us better understand how many young turkeys are surviving and where reproduction is occurring across Michigan.”

Wild turkeys are one of Michigan’s greatest wildlife conservation success stories. Once extirpated (locally extinct) from the state, turkeys have rebounded and now are found in every Michigan county.

Building on three years of observations

Maintaining healthy turkey populations requires continued monitoring, and that’s where residents can make a difference.

Now entering its fourth year, the turkey brood survey is part of a larger multistate effort supported by the National Wild Turkey Federation to monitor turkey populations using a standardized survey protocol.

Since the survey launched in 2023, Michigan residents have submitted more than 17,000 observations, documenting over 36,200 hens, 95,300 poults and 15,500 male turkeys.

Those observations will allow biologists to track annual changes in turkey reproduction and compare Michigan’s turkey population trends with those in other states.

“Turkey populations are influenced by many factors, including weather, habitat conditions and poult survival,” Bump said. “By collecting observations year after year, we’re building a long-term dataset that helps us understand trends before they become problems.” Read more

Think about how different summer bird feeding is from the winter feeding: Certainly, different birds are on hand, and even the same species may look different during the 2 seasons, like American Goldfinches for example (photos by Paul Konrad).

Summer is a good time to try to specialize on attracting birds that may not be around past September. Starting with keeping fresh water in one or more birdbaths in your yard, it’s nice to provide an all-inclusive feeding station that welcomes a variety of birds, and summer is the best time to emphasize certain foods as the nesting season winds down and fledglings become more a part of the neighborhood mix. We tend to focus on such seasonal species as orioles and hummingbirds, as well as goldfinches, woodpeckers, and the occasional nuthatch; but this year robins have become the dominant birds – utilizing grape jelly even more than orioles – as are House Finches.

Do what works best for you: Our summer feeding efforts center on providing grape jelly for 2 species of orioles, catbirds, robins; a rare tanager or warbler, and an occasional grosbeak during spring and fall migrations. Sugar-water nectar for hummingbirds is also a daily resource we provide in season. Of course, keep your nectar feeders clean and your nectar fresh, as nesting and post-nesting hummingbirds search for a reliable nectar source. Even if you only attracted these exciting birds to nectar feeders during spring migration, after nesting more adults and new fledglings will likely bring even more hummingbird action to your nectar feeder in July, continuing through September. Read more

A colony of bats roosts in a confined space, highlighting the importance of summer roost sites for resting, raising young and sheltering throughout the season. Photo courtesy of Joy and Richard Kuyt.

From tree cavities and trunks to bridges and barns, bats are settling into a variety of summer roosts across Michigan. Just as they did last year, residents can help scientists better understand where these important mammals are living, by sharing information about the bat activity they see around their homes and communities.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan Natural Features Inventory are asking the public to report bat roost locations through the Michigan Bat Roost Monitoring Program.

Providing the information is easy. The online form asks for basic information such as the date and time when you saw bats using the roost, whether the location is on public or private land, the type of structure (house, barn, bat box, etc.), and how many bats you observed using the roost. There also is an opportunity to share photos.

This project focuses on summer roosts — places where bats rest and raise their young during the warmer months. Bats typically use summer roosts through August or early September. As temperatures cool in the fall, many species move to winter roosts, called hibernacula, where they hibernate until spring. Reports of summer roosts can be submitted at any time, even if the observation occurred earlier in the year. Read more