Cooler weather and autumn leaves aren’t the only changes visitors will notice at Michigan state parks this season. A number of planned improvement projects that are transforming amenities and infrastructure in several parks across the state are now completed, underway or getting ready to start.

“Michigan’s beloved, award-winning state parks play host to visitors’ treasured memories year after year: catching your first fish, telling stories around the campfire, connecting with family and friends. Our state parks are here for it all,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “These upgrades and improvements are what the Building Michigan Together Plan is all about, and it is gratifying to see these changes happening in real time. State parks support tens of thousands of jobs and countless local economies, empowering tourism and recreation small businesses across the state. It is critical that we invest in these destinations for current and future generations.”

Thanks to $250 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Read more

Registration is open for the 2024 Run for the Trees: Happy Little 5K, a virtual event the Michigan Department of Natural Resources launched in 2020 with Bob Ross, Inc. and that is now taking root in more than a half-dozen other states across the country.

The Happy Little 5K, now in its fifth year, continues to expand its reach – several other state departments of natural resources and state park foundations have connected with the Michigan DNR to replicate the virtual run/walk event for their residents and visitors. The result of this collaboration: Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wisconsin all are helping raise awareness and funding for stewardship efforts in state parks. Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture hosted a Turkish hardwoods trade mission to the Hoosier state last week. This visit was timely as a proclamationfrom Gov. Eric Holcomb announced it is Forest Products Week across the nation and in Indiana.

Indiana’s hardwood industry exports were valued at over $167 million in 2022. Eight Turkish companies were excited to experience this robust industry firsthand. Read more

Say “forest products” and most people will probably conjure up a mental picture of a pile of lumber.

National Forest Products Week – the third week of October every year – is aimed at showing us how much more forest products can be.

If you don’t think you use forest products every day, you’re sorely mistaken. There’s toilet paper, copy paper, cardboard, craft paper and much more.

Then we’ll move on to that pile of lumber, used in building houses, furniture and other products we use daily. Wood fibers and cellulose, a material derived from wood, are used in everything from clothing (you’ll see viscose, Lyocell and Tencel on content tags) to makeup and some food products.

Because of wood’s versatility and sustainability, new forest products are always being invented. Read more

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus was first detected in wild birds and domestic poultry in Montana in spring 2022. While HPAI cases in wild birds did decline over the summer, there are detections of new cases in parts of the U.S., including Montana again this fall. HPAI viruses are extremely infectious and fatal to poultry and some species of wild birds.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is continuing to monitor the situation by testing wild birds that display symptoms consistent with HPAI infection. Some waterfowl species carry and transmit the virus without developing symptoms. Other wild bird species are highly susceptible and are likely to die from infection. In Montana, various duck species are most likely to carry the virus without symptoms, while geese and raptors have been the most common wild birds to die from the virus. The virus is also highly fatal to domestic poultry, including chickens, ducks and turkeys.

Human infections with bird flu viruses are rare but can occur, usually after close contact with infected birds. The current risk to the general public from bird flu viruses is low; however, it is important to remember that risk depends on exposure, and people with more exposure might have a greater risk of infection. Although the CDC considers risk of HPAI spread to humans to be very low, Montanans should take precautions when handling harvested game birds or any sick or dead bird they find. Whenever possible, avoid contact with sick or dead wildlife. Even if a bird is not suspected to have died from a contagious disease, gloves should always be worn if a dead animal must be handled for disposal. Read more

Public invited to offer feedback on proposed actions by Nov. 3

If you spend time hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, birding or otherwise enjoying public lands, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants your feedback.

In 2013, the DNR developed a public land strategy aimed at guiding public land ownership and maximizing benefits to residents and the state’s natural resources. As part of its multiyear state land review process, the DNR has completed review of the ninth and final group of parcels and is now determining which ones best meet its goal of delivering broad public access to quality outdoor recreation opportunities, while protecting natural and cultural resources on those lands.

The state land review covers approximately 240,000 acres of public land statewide to determine their contributions to meeting the DNR’s mission. Those 240,000 acres include parcels that are 200 acres or smaller in size, or difficult to manage due to irregular shape, resulting in a significant shared private-public boundary.

The nearly 4,000 acres of land throughout the state reviewed in this ninth and final group were not captured in previous reviews due to their small size or the need for additional research to verify the accuracy of the parcel location or ownership.

The public is invited to share input on the outcomes of that review Oct. 24 and 25 during virtual meetings. Read more

Wyoming Toad Conservation Area and Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge will conserve important habitat, expand outdoor recreation access

WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today announced the establishment of the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area in Wyoming and the Paint Rock River National Wildlife Refuge in Tennessee as the 569th and 570th units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). The announcement comes as the nation celebrates National Wildlife Refuge Week, which commemorates the important role the Refuge System plays in providing vital habitat for wildlife species, offering outdoor recreation access to the public, and bolstering climate resilience across the country. Read more