March 20, 2026
Contact: Greg Kinser, 989-390-0431

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is advising outdoor enthusiasts in areas affected by this week’s blizzard to be cautious when planning visits to trails and state parks that may have been affected by the extreme winter weather.

“With record snowfall March 15-16 in the Upper Peninsula – some areas received more than 4 feet of snow – and snowy and icy conditions in the northern Lower Peninsula, we’re urging people to check conditions before traveling to storm-affected areas and to be aware of downed trees and branches, as well as bent or bowed trees and branches that may fall unexpectedly,” said Greg Kinser, Lower Peninsula trails coordinator for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division.

Local officials this week reported impassable, snow-covered roads and downed trees and power lines across the region. Power outages have also been reported, with several counties initially reporting the majority of residents without power.

“In addition to trail impacts, many state parks and recreation facilities across the U.P. and the northern Lower Peninsula were rendered inaccessible by the significant snowfall,” Kinser said. “State park staff are digging out, and it will take time before some park facilities are accessible again.”

Kinser also thanked trail partner groups for their prompt, professional assistance in helping to assess trail conditions.

About 260 miles of forest roads in the northeastern Lower Peninsula remain closed due to debris from extensive tree damage during the 2025 ice storm. Cleanup efforts are ongoing.

Know before you go

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The female Barred Owl is now incubating her recently laid eggs.

In what may be the biggest nest box available to cavity nesting birds, a female Barred Owl is incubating 2 eggs she laid last week inside the especially big nest box installed near Indianapolis, Indiana. Fairly famous among birders, this big nest box has attracted nesting pairs of Barred Owls most years since 2003, including last year’s pair that raised 2 young owls on camera. This year, starting last Wednesday, March 11, birders were treated to their first look at the first egg, which was revealed when the female Barred Owl took an incubation break on the 24–7 live camera that anyone can check on anytime online.

The clutch sizes of Barred Owls range from 1 to 5 eggs, but most clutches contain 2 or 3 eggs. The female revealed her second egg on the evening of Saturday, March 14th after a day of steady incubation. You can view the live view and see both of the egg reveals in the video highlights that are posted regularly as the nesting cycle progresses at Barred Owl Cam. From this point forward, the female will spend most of the next month incubating the clutch inside the nest box while her mate keeps watch and hunts for food. There is also a second camera that shows the outside of the biggest nest box, which you can access by clicking on the green icon at the top-right side of the viewing screen, or at Outside View.

Only the female incubates the eggs and broods nestlings, but the male is responsible for procuring the bulk of the food, bringing prey items to the female inside and outside the nest box. The incubation period is 28 to 33 days, and the female begins incubating as soon as the first egg is laid, which means the nestlings hatch a couple days apart and are staggered a bit in size and development. Young Barred Owls fledge when they are about 6 weeks old, although they may leave the nest site a short time before actually fledging.

The extra-large nest box that attracts Barred Owls that thrill birders annually is located in the backyard of Wild Birds Unlimited founder, President, and CEO Jim Carpenter, who lives near Indianapolis, Indiana. The big nest box is positioned 32 feet high against the trunk of a hickory tree, and to keep predators like raccoons from reaching the nest, aluminum flashing is wrapped around the tree. The Wild Birds Unlimited Barred Owl Cam has been part of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Cam Network since 2012, and the outside camera was added in 2018 so it is possible to watch the action on the perch, and to monitor the young owls when they leave the nest box to begin the fledging period. Read more

A DNR wildlife representative holds a female bear cub during a den check near Cadillac Feb. 27.

March 12, 2026
Contact: Jared Duquette, 517-927-1857

As spring approaches and Michigan’s estimated 12,450 black bears emerge from their dens — many with new cubs in tow — here are a few important things to remember:

• Bears have an extraordinary sense of smell and memory. They can smell food from a mile away and remember food locations for years, including that backyard bird feeder or grease-spattered grill.
• When bears get used to human-associated food sources, they are more apt to roam neighborhoods — not flee when harassed by people — and even break into homes and outbuildings for food.
• A bear raiding your bird feeder is not cause to contact the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to request the animal be relocated. Remove the bird feeder for at least two weeks and the bear should stop coming around and move on to other food sources. Talk to your neighbors about taking the same action.

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This week, a coalition of hunting, conservation, and sportsmen’s advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s approval of a plan to exterminate all mule deer on Catalina Island. The coalition’s partners, including Safari Club International, California Rifle and Pistol Association, California Bowmen Hunters/State Archery Association, Howl for Wildlife, California Deer Association, and the Coalition to Save Catalina Island Deer, will make the case that the Department violated state law by rushing the decision through without proper environmental review.

A convertible nest-and-roost box provides an all-seasons attraction and added benefits for cavity nesting birds.

Early spring is a time to add a new nest box to your yard, but there is an exciting option to a spring nest box – a nest box that doubles as a roost box during the “off-season” – fall and winter. Imagine the joy of observing bluebirds using one of your nest boxes during the season, and having fledglings on hand for some days as they learn to fly and forage for themselves – then having chickadees use the same convertible nest box to spend cold nights during late fall and winter. In the songbird arena, that’s a real possibility with an “all-seasons” nest-and-roost box.

While there seem to be an infinite number of nest boxes available on the market, there are now a few true roost boxes too. But the newest and best option for birders these days seems to be a “convertible” nest box that has a reversable front panel so you can position the entrance hole at top during the nesting season, the reposition the front panel so the entrance hole near the bottom of the box to make it the best option as a roost box during fall and winter.

The idea behind having the entrance at the bottom during the cold weather months is to keep warm air created by the body heat of the bird or birds inside the box. Because hot air rises, instead of escaping out the top, the warm air is kept inside. Also, during the roosting season, a perch consisting of a crossbar or 2, or a ladder-perch, allows the birds to perch above the entrance hole. Sometimes, more than 1 bluebird or chickadee will roost together, adding body heat to the box’s interior. In fact, these small songbirds are known to huddle together for added warmth inside a box while roosting. A convertible nest-and-roost box is really a game changer for cavity nesting birds that also roost in cavities.

The interior of the BestNest nesting-roosting box shows the perches installed for birds to perch on when it is converted to a roost box.
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In this episode of the award-winning “Wildtalk” podcast, guest host Caleb Eckloff and co-host Eric Hilliard discuss commercial forest lands, the duck hunting regulations process and experiences from year two of the U.P. moose project.

Don’t forget to participate in the wildlife quiz part of the show for a chance to win a “Wildtalk” podcast camp mug. The deadline for submission is Mar. 15, so don’t delay. These mugs are exclusive and not available for purchase, so be sure to listen and submit your answer via email to DNR-Wildlife@Michigan.gov with the subject line “Mug me.” Keep an ear out for the April episode, when we will announce the lucky winners.

If you have a general question about wildlife or hunting, record a voice memo on your phone and email it to DNR-Wildlife@Michigan.gov, and we might play it on the air. Don’t worry if you make a mistake recording your audio. We’ll be sure to edit your voice memo to help you be as concise and articulate as possible with your question. Submitted questions are not guaranteed to end up on the show, but we’ll do our best to work in as many as we can.

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An inside look at recent U.P. moose capture-and-collaring effort

By ANDY HENION
Communications representative, Wildlife Division
Michigan Department of Natural Resources

It’s an unusually warm February day in the western Upper Peninsula as a collaborative team of wildlife experts works to fit a radio collar around the neck of an immobilized moose and collect blood and fecal samples from the animal. Speed and skill are crucial. Too much stress or time under anesthesia puts the 700-pound bull at risk. A separate helicopter crew from Texas-based Heliwild had flushed the moose from the Iron County woods and shot it with a tranquilizer dart, a necessary but taxing procedure for the majestic creature. The 45-degree temperature produces another risk factor for an animal whose thick, heavy coat was designed for freezing cold.

The ground team finishes its work, injects the moose with a drug that reverses sedation and backs away. After a few anxious minutes, the massive animal awakens, rises unsteadily and ambles into the thick woods. The entire process takes less than 45 minutes. “Great job everyone,” says Kristie Sitar, a veteran wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, as the crew exchanges high-fives. This procedure was repeated several dozen times in mid-February as some 40 people from the DNR, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Northern Michigan University and Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians participated in an ongoing research project investigating moose survival in the Upper Peninsula. Read more