The weather is slowly starting to cool as fall takes full effect in Michigan. There are a few things you can do to help prepare and protect your trees for the change of seasons:

• • Mulching: Add a new layer of mulch to better maintain moisture levels and buffer extreme temperature changes in the soil. Remember, doughnuts not volcanoes.
  • Fertilizing: Adding a slow-release fertilizer in the fall helps provide a nutrient boost over the winter and can promote root growth.
  • Watering: As temperatures drop and trees begin to head into dormancy, they don’t need as much water. You can water up until the first freeze, but make sure soils are just a little damp and not soaked.
  • Pruning: Now is a good time to prune out any dead, damaged, or diseased limbs in your trees.
  • Trunk protection: Sunscald or southwest damage occurs on young and thin barked trees in the winter. Bucks will scrape trees with their antlers, scraping off the bark and damaging the cambium. Tree guards can be placed around trunks to protect against this damage.
  • Inspections: Visual inspections can be done year-round, but this time of the year it might be easier to see changes in your tree.

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A motorist struck and killed a mountain lion on Arkansas Highway 84 near Exit 91 of Interstate 30 in Hot Spring County at about 10 p.m. Wednesday. This is the first mountain lion confirmed dead in the wild in Arkansas since February 2024 and only the third confirmed dead since 1975.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff responded to the scene after the Hot Spring County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the road-killed animal and collected the large cat. The mountain lion was a healthy male that measured 83 inches from the tip of the tail to the tip of the nose and weighed approximately 160 pounds during initial measurements. The AGFC is collecting samples from the animal and will send them to an independent laboratory for analysis to determine its origin and age. Read more

Oct. 8, 2025
Contact: Jeff Vasher, 989-745-2942

The Benzie Road Fire near Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, Michigan, is 100% contained, with fire crews putting water on remaining hot spots near the perimeter on Wednesday.

“They will be out there for the next several days, mopping up to make sure the fire remains contained,” said Jeff Vasher, resource protection manager for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The fire was reported early Sunday afternoon east of Old. U.S. Highway 27 near the Clare-Roscommon county line in a marshy area with mixed conifer and hardwood forest. Resources battling the fire included DNR firefighters, local fire departments, bulldozers, fire engines and drone aircraft support.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Read more

A hiker was injured in a bear attack near Squirrel Creek in Fremont County on Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 30.

The hiker, an adult male, was traveling alone on the South rim of Squirrel Creek when a bear charged at him through the thick timber from a short distance away. The bear bit the man as it ran past him and continued on into the forest. Despite his injuries, the man was able to hike out on his own to seek medical attention.

Fish and Game staff have posted signs in the area advising visitors of bear activity. The bear’s behavior was likely defensive and caused by the surprise, close encounter. Due to the nature of this encounter, no further management actions are planned at this time. Read more

As finch season approaches, small birds such as these Pine Siskins and American Goldfinches will prefer shelled sunflower seeds over other foods.

When we look back on when we started feeding birds, like many birders we bought a plastic bag of mixed seeds that included a lot of millet, red milo, and cracked corn at the hardware store. But that was before the true advent of feeding wild birds. Today, birders in the know ignore these seed mixes and, realistically, buying bird food today is much easier. We know that by simply providing black oil sunflower seeds we will attract 95 percent of the seed-eating birds we all prefer to see in our yard, and by providing fresh water we will potentially attract and benefit all birds.

Black oil sunflower seeds provide the best quality of food for wild birds because they are small enough for even goldfinches, chickadees, siskins, and nuthatches to eat, but larger birds like cardinals, woodpeckers, and jays relish them – and these seeds provide highest level of food value of any seeds.

Today, we take providing sunflower seeds a step farther by providing shelled sunflower kernels, which eliminates the mess of empty shells that are spread around the ground and pile up below feeders. It also eliminates the toil of raking, shoveling, and bagging sunflower shells that accumulate around your feeding station. And let’s be honest, there are shells discarded here and there around your yard and neighboring yards too. The shells create a mess – so don’t buy them. Read more

Oct. 7, 2025
Contact: Jeff Vasher, 989-745-2942

A half-inch of rain overnight helped firefighters make headway on the Benzie Road Fire near Houghton Lake, which is now about 95% contained.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources fire crews were using a drone with thermal imaging capabilities Tuesday morning to look for hot spots on the 101-acre fire site, which included a marshy area of mixed pine and hardwood forest.

“It has been a good effort with some tough conditions Sunday and Monday,” said Jeff Vasher, resources protection manager for the DNR. Dry conditions, unseasonable heat and gusty winds all were challenges.

The fire was reported early Sunday afternoon east of Old U.S. Highway 27, near the Clare-Roscommon county line. Resources battling the fire included DNR firefighters, local fire departments, bulldozers, fire engines and drone aircraft support.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The rain is not enough to mitigate dry conditions in much of the state, so please check online for a burn permit or call 866-922-2876 before burning yard debris. Get more fire safety tips at Michigan.gov/FireManagement.

Oct. 6, 2025
Contact: Jeff Vasher, 989-745-2942

With fire danger extremely high across much of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula today, firefighters are working near Houghton Lake in Roscommon County to contain a wildfire burning since Sunday afternoon, Oct. 5, near the Roscommon State Forest Area.

The fire was reported early Sunday afternoon east of Old U.S. Highway 27, near the Clare–Roscommon county line. The cause remains under investigation.

The fire is estimated to be at approximately 85 acres in a marshy area of mixed pine and hardwood forest, where dry fuels and gusty winds have challenged firefighting efforts.

“Crews have been working through difficult terrain to contain the fire,” said Jeff Vasher, Michigan Department of Natural Resources Lower Peninsula resource protection manager. “High winds have made suppression challenging, but firefighters are holding the lines and continuing to reinforce containment.”

Resources on scene include DNR firefighters, local fire departments, bulldozers, fire engines and drone aircraft support being used for aerial mapping and situational awareness. The DNR urges the public to avoid the area while crews continue suppression operations. Read more

A unique convertible roost box–nest box is available from BestNest, and is described and illustrated in the Products section of this issue.

As temperatures cool during fall, some birds begin to use nest boxes as overnight havens – as “roost boxes” – and they use these boxes increasingly as winter-like weather approaches. This has long been a secondary use of nest boxes, but during recent years some birders and nest box builders have improved the process in small but excellent ways to serve cold-weather birds by building a focused roost box. A roost box can be a great way to attract some favorite birds to your yard or property, while providing a considerable benefit to the birds that use it in the process. And who wouldn’t want to provide a roost box for a small owl, bluebirds, or chickadees to name a few of the birds that may benefit. Read more

MISSOULA, Mont. — Wildlife enthusiasts of all ages have a new way to immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of big game country thanks to the captivating exhibits at the James R. Wilkins Jr. Conservation Education Center. Located at Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation headquarters in Missoula, Montana, the Conservation Education Center officially opens to the public on Thursday, Oct. 16, following a year of development and construction.