| Here are a few of this week’s stories from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources:
See other news releases, Showcasing the DNR stories, photos and other resources at Michigan.gov/DNRPressRoom.
PHOTO FOLDER: Larger, higher-res versions of some of the images used below, and others, are available in this folder.
 More than 100 people gathered along the banks of Ionia State Recreation Area’s Session Lake earlier this summer to enjoy an “Underwater Zoo” program from first-year explorer guide Cathy Lawrence.
The Explorer Program is the DNR’s way of providing engaging seasonal environmental education in over two dozen state parks that don’t have full-time visitor centers, and Ionia’s “Underwater Zoo” is just one option offered to campers and day-use visitors.
The program involved an electroshocking demonstration by DNR fisheries biologist Addie Myers. Electroshocking is a humane technique widely practiced in fish sampling, where a small electrical current is used to temporarily stun fish. This doesn’t harm the fish but does cause them to float to the surface of the water, where they are scooped into a net and studied to monitor the overall health of the water system and the biodiversity within it. |
Visitors at this event had the opportunity see a wide range of fish up close and to learn more about the bluegill, bass and trout that inhabit the local streams and lakes within the park, which is located about halfway between Grand Rapids and Lansing.
“I enjoy being an explorer guide and putting on programs like this because I have a passion for connecting people to the natural world around them,” Lawrence said. “All of my programs focus on the birds, insects, native plants and fish at my park, and it’s rewarding to be there, alongside our visitors, learning more about these natural marvels.”
Visitors to Ionia State Recreation Area can enjoy this program when it is offered again Friday, Aug. 9, at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Get programming information and weekly schedules for this park and the other 25 explorer guide parks, with topics ranging from orienteering, wildlife identification and survival skills to astronomy, basic fishing lessons and scavenger hunts, at Michigan.gov/NaturePrograms.
Questions about the DNR’s Explorer Program? Contact Shaun McKeon at 989-370-0789.
Each month, there are a variety of opportunities to get involved with the DNR’s work – here are a few coming up next month!
Help natural areas in state parks
 Several state parks in southern Michigan will host stewardship workdays, where volunteers are needed to help high-quality ecosystems thrive.
Workdays will take place at:
- Island Lake Recreation Area (Livingston County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, and 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11.
- Waterloo Recreation Area (Washtenaw County), 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4.
- Bald Mountain Recreation Area (Oakland County), 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.
- Yankee Springs Recreation Area (Barry County), 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 10.
- Highland Recreation Area (Oakland County), 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17.
- Grand Mere State Park (Berrien County), 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 17.
- Muskegon State Park (Muskegon County), 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18.
- Fort Custer Recreation Area (Kalamazoo County), 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 24.
- Saugatuck Dunes State Park (Allegan County), 9:30 a.m. to noon Sunday, Aug. 25.
- Pinckney Recreation Area (Washtenaw County), 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25.
- Warren Dunes State Park (Berrien County), 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 31.
More details about each workday and how to register can be found on the DNR volunteer events calendar. |
Improve habitat at state game areas
On the Ground, Michigan United Conservation Clubs’ volunteer program in partnership with the DNR, will host two habitat improvement events in August. Lunch, gear and volunteer gifts will be provided for both events.
Invasive species removal stewardship day at Gourdneck State Game Area (Kalamazoo County), 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 3. Help remove woody invasives like glossy buckthorn to make room for native plants to grow.
Cleanup at Pointe Mouillee State Game Area (Monroe/Wayne counties), 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10. Volunteers will remove trash from the state game area to help enhance the quality of fish and wildlife habitat on public land.
Share the outdoors at U.P. State Fair
 Mentors are needed to help staff the DNR’s Pocket Park during the Aug. 12-18 Upper Peninsula State Fair in Escanaba. Activities volunteers assist with include helping kids catch and release bluegills in the U.P.-shaped pond and shoot pellet guns or bow and arrow, staffing the fire tower and greeting visitors.
Volunteer training for all activities is provided. A variety of three- to four-hour shifts are available. Volunteers must be at least 16 years old (unless under preapproved circumstances) and pass a background check. A meal and T-shirt will be provided.
Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Jo Ann Alexander at 906-786-2351, ext. 0, or Kristi Dahlstrom at 906-226-1331.
Give us your input on state forests
Prescribed burns, timber harvests and other activities are carefully planned to keep Michigan’s nearly 4 million acres of state forest thriving. Plans for these activities are currently being made for 2026, but public input is welcome now. Find out what activities are planned and how to share your ideas at Michigan.gov/ForestInput. You can submit online comments during designated 30-day periods or attend an open house or compartment review meeting, where plans are finalized. See all scheduled comment periods, open houses and compartment review meetings for the 2024 season.
For more opportunities to volunteer, contribute and provide input, visit Michigan.gov/DNRVolunteers. |
 Fall hunting is right around the corner, but you can get safety-certified now during the DNR’s Hunter Safety Education Week, Aug. 12-18. More than 60 in-person classes and/or field days are being offered in 40 counties throughout the state as additional opportunities to obtain your hunter safety education certificate.
To purchase a hunting license in Michigan, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1960, is required to successfully complete an approved hunter safety education course.
These classes are commonly offered in the spring, ahead of spring turkey season, or in the fall before the firearm deer season. Hunter Safety Education Week is being offered in addition to the already planned fall classes.
“Just like preparing for school and fall extracurriculars, hunting season needs to be considered in advance,” said Lt. Tom Wanless, DNR recreational safety, education and enforcement supervisor.
“We don’t want to see people wait until the week before they want to hunt to try locating a class, at which point classes are often full,” he said. “We hope that by offering an influx of in-person classes during a particular week each year, it will give people enough notice to prepare for hunting season.”
There are four options for completing hunter safety education in Michigan, all of which require at least four hours of in-person instruction:
- Traditional classroom-based course.
- Online course followed by an in-person field day.
- Interactive online course (with animations and videos that put students in virtual real-life scenarios) followed by an in-person field day.
- Take-home study course followed by an in-person field day.
Hunter safety education helps the next generation of hunters learn how to safely and responsibly enjoy hunting and understand the importance of wildlife management. The DNR-managed program teaches lifelong skills, such as firearm safety, basic first aid and how to use a map and compass, to an average of 15,000 students per year.
Learn more or register for a class at Michigan.gov/HunterEducation.
Questions? Contact Sgt. Cary Foster at 616-262-9532. |
Ready to discover Michigan’s great outdoors and stories? We’ve got you covered! Here’s just a sampling – see a full list at Michigan.gov/DNRCalendar.
Classes on bear, deer, mushrooms and more
 The DNR Outdoor Skills Academy offers several opportunities in August to get started with, or get better at, hunting, fishing and foraging. Classes include:
Birds, bats, kayaking with the OAC
The Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit offers fun programs for all ages, with an August calendar featuring archery, education programs for kids and seniors, yoga, fishing and much more. OAC educators will also lead adventures at other area destinations including Kayaking Belle Isle Aug. 11; a bat hike at Maybury State Park in Northville and Nature at Night on Belle Isle, both Aug. 22; and Birding Belle Isle Aug. 24. |
Pheasants, turkeys and shooting sports
 On Pheasant Fridays, join representatives from Pheasants Forever and learn about firearm safety and the organization’s effort to restore habitat for these beautiful birds. Participants will get an opportunity to shoot a BB gun with expert instruction in a safe environment. There will also be hands-on activities to learn about grasslands and pollinators. Pheasant Friday will take place Aug. 2 at Sleeper State Park in Caseville and Aug. 9 at Seven Lakes State Park in Holly.
The National Wild Turkey Federation State Park Turkey Tour is coming to several state parks, with a BB gun range and NWTF members on hand to share information about wild turkey conservation and hunting heritage. State Park Turkey Tour locations include Silver Lake State Park in Mears (Aug. 8), Mears State Park in Pentwater (Aug. 9) and Clear Lake State Park in Atlanta (Aug. 16). |
History happenings: baseball, lumberjacks, Smokey Bear and more
 Step back in time and learn more about our state’s past at Michigan History Center sites, with events including:
At Hartwick Pines Logging Museum in Grayling, a musical tribute to Michigan Lumberjacks Aug. 2; Forest Fest, a chance to meet Smokey Bear and learn about Michigan’s forests with fun activities and crafts, Aug. 10; and Black Iron Days, Aug. 24-25, with demonstrations by blacksmiths and other artisans and a steam-powered sawmill in operation.
A Tree Party at Higgins Lake Nursery and CCC Museum in Roscommon Aug. 3, where guests can celebrate Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday with cake, a bounce house, historical reenactors, “touch-a-truck” and more.
An Aug. 24 vintage baseball tournament and a farmers market Aug. 4, 11 and 25 at Cambridge Junction Historic State Park in Brooklyn.
A series of Tuesday afternoon presentations at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum in Negaunee – “Michigan Mining Scrip” Aug. 6, “Researching Misinformation and Disinformation in U.P. Lore” Aug. 13 and “Paternalism and Welfare Capitalism on the Marquette Iron Range” Aug. 20. |
Free ORV Weekend, Aug. 17-18
 Taking place twice a year, Free ORV Weekend – coming up Aug. 17-18 – is a great time to see, experience and test out Michigan’s off-road vehicle trails. Residents and out-of-state visitors legally can ride Michigan’s 4,000 miles of off-road vehicle trails and routes and the state’s six scramble areas on two back-to-back days without an ORV license or trail permit. The entrance fee at Holly Oaks ORV Park in Oakland County also will be waived this year. All other ORV rules and laws still apply, and you must supply your own ORV. |
 See more pictures by Michigan state parks photo ambassadors at Instagram.com/MiStateParks. For more on the program, call Stephanie Yancer at 989-274-6182. (This photo is by Karen Allmond, for the Michigan DNR, at Port Crescent State Park in Huron County.)
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