Looking for a cool new T-shirt, hoodie, sticker or other keepsake? Check out Great Lakes Proud, the DNR’s new official merchandise and apparel provider for Michigan state parks, trails and waterways.

Great Lakes Proud, a Traverse City-based company, will create and curate lifestyle merchandise and sustainably sourced apparel highlighting Michigan state parks, trails and boating. A portion of proceeds will be donated back to DNR programs and amenities that benefit natural resources and outdoor recreation in Michigan.

The partnership is part of “These Goods are Good for Michigan,” a program that recognizes partners who help support state parks through a revenue-sharing agreement from merchandise sales. Read more

Trumpeter swans, whose populations have grown as a result of significant conservation efforts by many partners over decades, were recently removed from Michigan’s threatened and endangered species list.

58 species added, 36 removed, bringing list to 407 species

The Michigan list of threatened and endangered plants and animals now includes 407 species after completion of its seventh update in nearly 50 years. Experts from universities, the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, other conservation organizations and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources recommended changes to the list based on recent data.

“When people come together to collaborate on conservation, we can recover rare species,” said DNR endangered species specialist Jennifer Kleitch. “For instance, trumpeter swans were just removed from Michigan’s threatened and endangered species list. Their populations have grown as a result of significant conservation efforts by many partners over decades.”

Although the trumpeter swan has been removed from Michigan’s list of threatened and endangered species, it is still federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Read more

Lawsuit Aims to Protect Texas Wildlife Habitat, Beach Access From More Exploding Rockets

Following a massive rocket explosion in South Texas, national and local environmental groups and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, Inc. sued the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today for failing to fully analyze and mitigate the environmental harms resulting from the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy launch program at Boca Chica.

The launch site sits next to prime habitat for protected species and migratory birds, like the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle and the Piping Plover. The first rocket to be launched from the site as part of the program exploded on April 20, showering the surrounding area with particulate matter.

The agency permitted SpaceX to launch 20 Starship/Super Heavy rockets each year for the next five years. They are the largest rockets ever made, and they are being launched right next to crucial habitat, putting imperiled wildlife at great risk and harming community interests. Despite acknowledging the harm from SpaceX construction and launch activities, the FAA decided to forego a full environmental review, claiming the damages would not be “significant” due to proposed mitigation measures.

Today’s lawsuit argues that the proposed mitigation by the agency isn’t enough to prevent the launch program from causing significant environmental harm. The agency hasn’t explained how mitigation would address and prevent rocket explosions and fires that could wipe out neighboring habitat. The suit calls for a full environmental analysis to truly protect Threatened and Endangered species and ensure public beach access for all people. Read more

Twelve grants awarded across 10 counties

Projects on private lands aimed at improvements for white-tailed deer

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has awarded a total of $100,000 in deer habitat improvement grant funding to a dozen entities for projects in the Upper Peninsula.

The Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative is a competitive grant program designed to enhance deer habitat on non-state lands.

This year, 12 grants were awarded from 18 applicants for projects across 10 of the U.P.’s 15 counties. The value of the projects awarded grants totaled $201,541.

“These grants will produce positive impacts in Marquette, Alger, Delta, Dickinson, Iron, Baraga, Ontonagon, Gogebic, Schoolcraft and Mackinac counties,” said Bill Scullon, DNR field operations manager and administrator for the grant initiative. “The planned match for the 12 grants is valued in excess of $79,000 (well in excess of the required 25%) further expanding the impact of the projects.”

Groups eligible for these grants include organizations with a formal mission to promote wildlife conservation and/or hunting, such as sportsmen’s clubs, conservation districts, land conservancies, industrial landowners with more than 10,000 acres, or private land affiliations where two or more unrelated persons jointly own 400 or more acres. Read more

The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs had sought to lease 162,000 acres of state forest land for training

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has declined a proposed 20-year lease of approximately 162,000 acres of state forest land to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The DMVA had sought to lease the land, located around the National Guard training camp in Grayling, to accommodate low-impact military training activities.

“We appreciate the many comments we received on this proposal and the commitment people have to public lands,” said Acting DNR Director Shannon Lott. “Public concerns and feedback from Tribal governments, coupled with our own review of the proposal, led us to decide against a 20-year lease on such a significant portion of state-managed land.”

The decision was made after months of public input and after consultation with interested Michigan Tribal governments. Read more

The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs had sought to lease 162,000 acres of state forest land for training

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has declined a proposed 20-year lease of approximately 162,000 acres of state forest land to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The DMVA had sought to lease the land, located around the National Guard training camp in Grayling, to accommodate low-impact military training activities.

“We appreciate the many comments we received on this proposal and the commitment people have to public lands,” said Acting DNR Director Shannon Lott. “Public concerns and feedback from Tribal governments, coupled with our own review of the proposal, led us to decide against a 20-year lease on such a significant portion of state-managed land.”

The decision was made after months of public input and after consultation with interested Michigan Tribal governments.

Memorandum of Understanding

Under a Memorandum of Understanding between the DNR and the DMVA, the DMVA will be able to apply for limited land use permits to conduct exercises on up to 52,000 acres of eligible land. The permits would allow the Michigan National Guard to conduct low-impact training on specified areas of land, which would remain open to the public and Tribal members at all times. The MOU also provides that the permits will not allow military training to take place in any protected or sensitive habitat areas or within a certain distance of inland lakes and designated trout streams. Read more

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been detected for the first time in free-ranging California wildlife.

One hunter-harvested mule deer, a buck from El Dorado County, was confirmed to be infected with SARS-CoV-2. The deer was harvested in 2021 and sampled by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) for chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance. It was negative for CWD and did not show any outward signs of illness.

In California, SARS-CoV-2 has been confirmed in pets and zoo animals, but never in free-ranging wildlife. Following reports of SARS-CoV-2 detections in free-ranging white-tailed deer and mule deer in other states and Canadian provinces, CDFW tested archived deer samples for SARS-CoV-2. The samples consisted of lymph nodes collected as part of CDFW’s CWD surveillance efforts. CWD has never been detected in California’s deer or elk populations.

CDFW submitted archived samples from 170 black-tailed and mule deer collected in 2020 and 209 black-tailed and mule deer collected in 2021. Initial testing for SARS-CoV-2 was conducted at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory at UC Davis, and confirmatory testing was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. Read more

New X-TERRA PRO offers modern technology in a durable, waterproof, and affordable package

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIb2fxPud1g

Chicago, IL (April 26, 2023) – Its technical rugged good looks aren’t by accident. It’s that kind of detector – durable, full-of-features, and, yes, waterproof… If you’ve been intrigued by the burgeoning outdoor activity of treasure hunting, but haven’t yet stepped in the ring, now’s the time to join the growing crowd.

Minelab, the international leader in metal detection, proudly introduces the X-TERRA PRO. Priced to be a gateway into the sport, the X-TERRA PRO offers more for the money than any metal detector, ever. Read more