Weigh in
See the planned revisions to the wildlife plan and weigh in. Feedback is due Sept. 12.
How should we conserve the piping plover? What about the Kirtland’s warbler? The Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants your opinion.
Black-crowned night-herons, lake sturgeon, shortjaw ciscoes, clubtail dragonflies — all are rare species in Michigan.
In order to qualify for federal wildlife funding, Michigan drafts wildlife action plans. They are essentially a roadmap for how to conserve these species over the next decade.
The plan is required for the state to receive federal wildlife funding. But it can also be useful in unifying the approaches of many organizations, such as DNR, tribes and conservation groups.
"If we didn't have the plan, we'd all, you know, kind of be all over the place, doing little things here and there, and it'd be great for the species in those areas," said Tony Henehan, who coordinates the action plan for the DNR.
He just received a comment from a birder who read a couple chapters of the plan.
"He talks about how we mentioned development as a threat," Henehan said, "And from his perspective, we needed to include a few more examples of development so that way it's more provides more context for the reader, so they understand what we're talking about when we mentioned development. So something like that's really great."
Because, Henehan said, it gives him a clear idea of what to fix before the plan is finalized next spring.
Birdwatchers, anglers, wildlife enthusiasts and other members of the public can review the draft plan on the DNR’s website.
Feedback is due on Friday, Sept. 12.
