MISSOULA, Mont. — Thirty-nine years after four elk hunters founded a small, hunter-based conservation organization, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is financially strong and coming off a banner year of accomplishment.

In 2022, RMEF volunteers hosted hundreds of banquets and other events that generated record revenue for the mission. As a result, RMEF collaborated with its partners to put millions of dollars on the ground to help protect more than 91,000 acres of wildlife habitat, open or improve public access to nearly 117,000 acres, and supply funding for scientific research, wildlife management and scores of hunting heritage efforts.

“The best way to honor our founders and the sacrifices they made so many years ago is to have a strategic focus to do even more to ensure the future of elk, mule deer, moose and so many other wildlife species as well as wildlife habitat, hunting and conservation,” said Fred Lekse, RMEF Board of Directors chair. “Looking back, that is what we have done organizationally and looking forward, that is what we’ll continue to do.” Read more

Warm, sunny spring days across most of Michigan this week have sparked people’s interest in outdoor fun, but warmer weather also stokes wildfire danger. Make fire safety a top priority when working in the yard, riding all-terrain vehicles or building an evening bonfire.

Fire danger is highest across the northern Lower Peninsula and in parts of the Upper Peninsula, said Jeff Vasher, fire specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

“Humidity is low, so the environment is drying out fast,” Vasher said. “A fire can take off with very little warning in these kinds of conditions, especially if it’s windy at all.”

Some parts of the Upper Peninsula still have melting snow, but those that don’t also are drying fast. Fire danger is expected to remain elevated throughout the weekend. Read more

More than 500 cold-stunned sea turtles were flown to 12 AZA facilities across the country for critical care and rehabilitation this year.

SPRINGFIELD, MO – As part of a nationwide commitment to conservation, 12 Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) facilities have teamed up this year to rescue and rehabilitate 518 cold-stunned sea turtles off the coast of New England.

Participating in this global effort are some of the nation’s top wildlife conservation and education destinations, including the world-renowned and award-winning Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium (WOW), New England Aquarium, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Florida Aquarium, Georgia Aquarium, Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, Mystic Aquarium, National Aquarium, North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium, SeaWorld Orlando, and South Carolina Aquarium.

In the last decade, more than 10,000 sea turtles have required rescue along the U.S. Atlantic Coast due to cold-stunning. This life-threatening condition occurs when water temperatures rapidly decline, and sea turtles are unable to move to warmer waters or fend for themselves. Like all reptiles, sea turtles are ectothermic (cold-blooded) and cannot regulate their body temperature. If water temperatures drop below approximately 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), sea turtles become lethargic and are unable to swim, forage for food and defend themselves from predators. The number of cold-stunned sea turtles varies from year to year based on migratory habits and the severity of winter storm conditions in the area. This season, more than 1,000 turtles washed ashore, making it the third-largest cold-stunning event on record out of the Northeastern United States.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are two key governmental agencies dedicated to conserving and managing marine ecosystems. These organizations oversee sea turtle rescue efforts and facilitate transport from the beaches to the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, where the turtles receive initial assessments and urgent care year after year. As the hospitals fill up, the nonprofit group Turtles Fly Too then helps transport many of the animals across the country to AZA-accredited institutions.

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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