Habitat

Healthy habitats for Michigan’s wildlife are in trouble. Michigan is developing its land at a rate eight times faster than our population is growing. Wildlife species, especially in southern Michigan, are being forced into smaller and smaller areas thus changing their habitats and their health. There are mounting pressures on our state land, the Department of Natural Resources is currently going through a process to consolidate state lands under its management, there are growing user conflicts on state lands as hunters and recreationists complete for access and our aquatic habitats are threatened by pollution, sedimentation, and invasive species. MUCC is working to address these issues and ensure that ours habitats are healthy, abundant and accessible now and in the future.

Wetlands Protection Legislative Action

Wetlands are critical to protecting the health of our lakes and waterways. They filter pollutants, protect lands from flooding and provide us with millions of dollars worth of recreational activities, especially hunting and fishing. Over half of Michigan’s historic wetlands have already been lost since settlement first began in the 1800s. There is a need to ensure that Michigan’s wetlands, especially the coastal wetlands, are adequately monitored and protected and there is a need to begin to restore the critical wetlands Michigan has lost.

Action: Implement a sufficient fee structure with-in the DEQ so the agency can successfully carry out their wetlands regulatory duties.

Action: Fully fund the Conservation Reserve Program within the state so Michigan can bring in nine federal dollars for every state dollar invested in wetlands restoration.

Improving Habitat on State Lands

Our state lands are a critical asset to maintaining healthy habitats and biodiversity within Michigan. Unfortunately, with today’s budget crunches, the DNR is unable to do many of the habitat management and improvement projects that would benefit game and non-game species on state land. MUCC is currently working with the DNR to develop a hands-on volunteer habitat project that will help get our membership and other citizens out on state lands, doing projects that will improve habitat for all of Michigan’s wildlife.

Action: Pass legislation directing the MDNR to appoint volunteers to work on State Game Areas and other state lands in order to make it easier for volunteers to pick up some of the essential tasks that are needed to keep our habitats healthy and thriving.

Habitat Policy Projects

MUCC’s membership has voiced concerns over habitat since its inception. In 1986, a resolution was passed at our Annual Convention calling for the DNR to develop better programs to provide improved wildlife habitat. In 2006, similar resolutions passed highlighting the importance of protection and improvement of habitat to Michigan’s sportsmen and women, especially restoring winter deer yards to promote a healthy deer herd. These resolutions challenged MUCC to find ways to work with the DNR to help improve deer habitat.

In response to that call, MUCC staff is working with its members and the DNR to develop a volunteer habitat program designed to get Michigan’s sportsmen and women out on state lands doing volunteer habitat projects that will help improve habitat on those lands. With current budget reductions, the DNR is unable to do many of the habitat management and improvement projects that would benefit game and non-game species on state lands. This program will develop a long-term solution that will help enhance and improve all forms of habitat on state game areas, giving Michigan sportsmen and women the ability to tackle this problem directly with hands-on solutions.

Managing National Forests

Early successional and young forest habitat is critical for healthy and abundant game and other wildlife species. Over the past decade, this important habitat has been declining within our national forests as a result of low treatment levels by the U.S. Forest Service in recent years. Over the last 50 years, the U.P. has gone from 26% aspen cover to now just 12%. Early successional and young forest habitat sustains important game species and other wildlife species including white-tailed deer, woodcock, ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare and black bear. Studies conducted in the Upper Peninsula have also confirmed that roughly a third of the bird species in the northeast U.S. depend on aspen during some period of their life cycle.

The national forest plans were reviewed in 2006 and MUCC has repeatedly commented on the need for the U.S. Forest Service to address the lack of management for early successional forest types. We will continue to work on this issue in conjunction with other national and state sportsmen groups and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to ensure that our state and federal forests are properly managed for all forest types.

Non-Industrial Private Forestlands

A recent Michigan State University survey (Aug 2005) showed that the majority of private forest owners know very little about the benefits of managing their forest lands for timber. There are a lot of programs out there that attempt to increase the participation of private landowners in active for forest management, but the survey again confirmed that these programs are not coordinated and are producing minimal results. MUCC has received a grant to pull together stakeholders interested in the future of Michigan’s non-industrial forest lands to identify gaps in policy, educational programming and laws and to develop a strategic initiative to keep these lands available for forest projection.

Back to MUCC's Policy Main Page