A woman has died eight days after being hospitalized as the result of an apparent elk attack on her property in the Pine Lake community in the Hualapai Mountains, about 15 miles southeast of Kingman.

The attack occurred on the afternoon of Oct. 26 while the woman’s husband was in Kingman. According to the husband, when he returned around 6 p.m., he found his wife on the ground in the backyard with injuries consistent with being trampled by an elk. He also observed a bucket of spilled corn nearby. There were no witnesses to the event.

The husband called 911, and his wife was transported first to the Kingman Regional Medical Center and then to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas. According to the husband, she was put into a medically induced coma due to the extent of her injuries.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) did not learn about the attack until the next day, Oct. 27, when a local resident informed a department officer. On Oct. 28, another AZGFD officer visited the community, put door hanger warning signs on residences along the road advising people not to approach or feed elk, and spoke with the victim’s husband and other residents. While at the victim’s residence, the officer observed multiple elk tracks in the yard. Read more

While you’re enjoying time outdoors this fall and winter, keep an eye open for black bear dens. Reporting den locations to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is a simple, yet effective way to support bear management programs.

“Finding winter den locations is an important component to managing black bear populations, and we need hunter, trapper and landowner assistance to add new den sites to the program in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula,” said Mark Boersen, wildlife biologist at the DNR Roscommon Customer Service Center. “Currently, we are monitoring six bears from the ground and aircraft using radio tracking equipment.” Read more

Wow, we asked you to plant trees, and Michiganders showed up: planting and registering more than 100,000 trees on the DNR’s interactive Mi Trees map since 2021.

This amazing turnout for the Mi Trees effort has helped the DNR move toward its goal of planting 50 million trees by 2030 in partnership with 1T.org, a global initiative to plant 1 trillion trees. Much of Michigan’s landscape is privately owned or in urban and community areas, making public participation an important part of the effort.

Why plant a trillion trees? Forests are important for the health of the planet and for us. From simply providing beauty to our landscapes and communities, to creating wildlife habitat, slowing climate change, providing renewable materials for everyday products and even improving mental health, trees are essential.

The Michigan DNR plants about 6 million trees a year on state forest land, with forest management practices that are certified as sustainable by two independent organizations.

If you want to join the effort, find tips to pick the right tree and plant it correctly at Michigan.gov/MiTrees. Be sure to tag them on our map to share your achievement and help us get closer to the Trillion Trees goal. Read more

New Michigan State University research details how the emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive forest pest native to Asia, is jeopardizing the entire U.S. and Canadian native range of black ash trees. The finding is particularly troubling because the trees are of cultural importance to Indigenous and First Nations groups.

Research results were published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. The effort was co-led by Nathan Siegert, forest entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, and Deborah McCullough, professor in the MSU departments of Entomology and Forestry. The USDA Forest Service provided funding for the project. Read more

NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, in partnership with TenPoint Archery, Archery Trade Association, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has released another film in the “Partner with a Payer®” series—a collection of videos highlighting the importance of wildlife conservation and management. The latest video, “Conservation Success at the Crossroads of Collaboration,” highlights the work being done to continue providing public access to target ranges, hunting opportunities and other outdoor experiences within the United States. Read more

Oct. 31, 2023
Contact: Chad Stewart 517-282-4810

Hunters in north-central part of county encouraged to check deer

A 4-year-old doe that was reported to be in poor condition – skinny, drooling and showing no fear of people – in Klacking Township, Ogemaw County, recently tested positive for chronic wasting disease. It is the first CWD-positive wild deer from that county, a finding confirmed by the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Madison, which works with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to identify CWD in Michigan’s wild herd.

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects white-tailed deer, elk and moose. To date, the disease also has been detected in the following Michigan counties: Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Midland and Montcalm.

“When we find chronic wasting disease in a brand-new location, where previous intensive surveillance has not yet been done, it becomes extremely important for wildlife disease managers to understand where additional cases might be within that county,” said DNR deer and elk specialist Chad Stewart. “In light of this new detection, we are offering additional opportunities for those interested in getting their deer tested for CWD in Ogemaw County.” Read more

Without question, bats are one of nature’s most fascinating and misunderstood creatures. Despite their small size, they are also one of the longest-lived mammals in our region, with some recorded as old as 31 years!

Michigan is home to nine species of bats, all of which are insectivores. Their membranous wings, unique to bats, have a completely different structure than that of birds or insects. Although we rarely see them, bats are hard at work all around the world each night – eating insects, pollinating flowers and spreading seeds that grow new plants and trees.

These little creatures, so vital to healthy habitats, deserve some recognition! Join us and our conservation partners during Bat Week, Oct. 24-31, to celebrate all the good that bats do and discover ways we can give them a boost. Follow along with activities and events at BatWeek.org.

• Leave your leaves to help local insects over winter – curious why? Read this Showcasing the DNR story!
• Plant a bat-friendly garden with native Michigan species to reduce use of insecticides.
• Remove invasive species that threaten native plant populations.
• Install a bat house in a location not frequented by people.
• Help reduce the spread of white-nose syndrome by not entering closed mines and following decontamination guidelines for shoes, clothes and gear. Read more

Earlier this month, nearly a thousand migratory songbirds on their way to Central America for the winter died in window collisions with a single building in Chicago. Species included many long-distance warblers that also travel through Michigan, including hundreds of palm warblers and yellow-rumped warblers.

The tragic loss of this many birds is a conservation concern for birds already facing significant population declines from habitat loss and climate change. North America is home to nearly 3 billion fewer breeding birds today compared to 1970. Additionally, two-thirds of North American bird species are at risk of extinction due to climate change. Many of the affected species were neotropical migrants, which are long-distance migrants that breed in North America and overwinter in Central and South America. These birds already face a complex range of threats such as development pressures and invasive species.

While collision events as large as this are rare, bird collisions are not. Read more