Last spring, a large group of volunteers got together in the St. Helen Motorsport Area in Roscommon County to give a great example of just that – showing they care through action. Paul and Melanie Mulder, partnering with ORV and snowmobile trail maintenance groups, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Adopt-a-Forest program and dedicated Jeep club volunteers, pulled off one of the most successful trail and forest cleanup events I’ve seen in my career with the DNR.

The Mulders, both Ferris State University employees, organized the cleanup event that brought together more than 100 Jeeps and other vehicles from at least seven different groups – all volunteers. In total, they cleaned up 31,000 pounds of trash, 208 tires and even a couple of old boats from the St. Helen trails and surrounding forest areas. The trash filled three 30-yard dumpsters donated by the DNR’s Adopt-a-Forest program.

These projects and many years of dedicated work on the ORV trails of the northeast and north-central Lower Peninsula earned the Mulders a Partners in Conservation Award. The Michigan Natural Resources Commission presents these DNR employee-nominated awards to individuals or organizations in recognition of their commitment to conservation, natural resource management and assisting the DNR in carrying out its mission.

I have had the pleasure of working out in the field with these two, and I learned firsthand about the hard work it takes to keep the trails in shape and cleaned up for the thousands of riders that who enjoy those trails each season. Nice job, Paul and Melanie – we can’t thank you enough!

Where to next?

Beginning this month, many of Michigan’s 68 snowmobile trail maintenance organizations will hit the ground to clean up the trails and routes that we hope will be covered with snow in December. Why start so early, you ask? There’s a lot to do!

But that’s not all. The next step is to check each and every sign along the trail, making sure that it is still in place from last season, that it’s not too faded or broken, that the pole is in good shape, and then replacing those that need it. Do you know that, in some parts of the state, every sign is put up at the beginning of the snowmobile season and then taken down at the end of the season?

In addition, when Dec. 1 rolls around, gates on private property will need to be opened, and “no trespassing” reminders will need to be posted to ensure that the property owners will allow us to use those sections of trail again in the years to come.

Call to action

No matter which season or form of motorized recreation is your favorite, any time is the right time for you to volunteer a weekend of your time to the local ORV or snowmobile club where you live or where you ride.

Here are just a couple of examples of opportunities to get involved coming up soon:

• The Seney Snowmobile Association’s annual trail maintenance days, Sept. 16 and 17. Friday, participants will meet at the groomer barn in Seney at 9 a.m. to do sign maintenance and light trail work. Saturday, they will meet at the groomer barn at 8 a.m. for the big trail cleanup day, with breakfast, lunch and dinner provided. Get more details and RSVP for Seney Snowmobile Association Annual Trail Maintenance Weekend.
• Curtis Area Trails, which grooms and maintains 94 miles of snowmobile trails, will host its first annual trail cleanup day Saturday, Sept. 24. Participants will meet at the Curtis groomer barn at 8 a.m. for breakfast, then head out to start brushing and cleaning up the trails for the upcoming snowmobile season. Lunch and dinner will be provided. Get more details and RSVP for Curtis Area Trail Maintenance Day.

Besides these two opportunities, there are 110 ORV and snowmobile trail organizations across the state, from the Keweenaw Peninsula to Allegan and everywhere in between, that could use a hand over the next several months or years.

For more information about how to contact any of the motorized trail maintenance organizations around the state, email me at [email protected] or find a listing of local clubs on the Michigan Snowmobile and ORV Association website.

If you’re interested in nonmotorized trails volunteering, contact DNR state trails coordinator Tim Novak at [email protected] or get in touch with a local nonmotorized trail organization.

I hope to meet you some day – with boots, gloves, chain saws and trash bags – on the trail.

Find more information about Michigan trails, including maps and ways to support them, at Michigan.gov/DNRTrails.

Check out previous Showcasing the DNR stories at Michigan.gov/DNRStories. To subscribe to upcoming Showcasing articles, sign up for free email delivery at Michigan.gov/DNR.

Using electrofishing boats, crews will survey the shallow areas near the shoreline of lakes at night with the goal of capturing young-of-year walleye. On larger lakes, two or more electrofishing crews using separate boats may operate at the same time to cover more area.

The crews will work both on lakes that have been stocked with walleye and lakes that have not.

“Conducting surveys on both stocked and unstocked lakes can affect decisions about future walleye research and stocking efforts and give valuable insight into the status of the younger walleye in the system,” said Emily Martin, DNR Fisheries Division biologist.

Biologists also will collect and keep a sample of young-of-year walleye from stocked lakes to determine whether the primary source of reproduction is natural or stocked. Many walleye that are stocked are marked with oxytetracycline, a chemical marker that can be observed within captured fish by using a microscope with an ultraviolet light source in a laboratory setting.

Some surveys will be conducted collaboratively with tribal agencies, and tribal natural resources departments also will be conducting surveys independently of the DNR.

Everyone is urged to use caution when fishing near the electrofishing boats, and those wading will be asked to exit the water when a boat approaches and during electrofishing work. Crews will be using bright lights to illuminate the water around the boats and running a generator on board, which may make it difficult to hear and talk with anyone on shore.

Learn more about how the DNR manages Michigan’s fisheries at Michigan.gov/Fishing.

An invasive species is one that is not native and whose introduction causes harm, or is likely to cause harm, to Michigan’s environment, economy or human health.

“Michigan is home to some truly world-class outdoor recreation opportunities,” said DNR Director Dan Eichinger. “Unchecked, invasive species pose serious threats to those resources and the outdoor economy. Michigan’s Invasive Species Grant Program is a valuable tool that allows us to work with community partners around the state to better fight and contain these land and water pests.”

To manage invasive species already established in Michigan, the program targets proposals for novel and efficient control techniques and projects that improve detection and control methods through increased understanding of species biology and ecology.

Proposals to develop or improve tools, such as risk assessments and prioritization models, to inform management and control decisions also are encouraged.

Support is offered to cooperative invasive species management areas, or CISMAs, across the state to implement strategic plans for outreach, detection and control of regional priority species.

Highlights of the 2021 invasive species program are available in the Michigan Invasive Species Program Annual Report, which includes program-funded projects.

Regional CISMAs operate in all of Michigan’s 83 counties, assisting the public in identifying and managing invasive species. Contact information for individual CISMAs can be found at Michigan.gov/Invasives in the Take Action section.

Periodic review of this list is required under Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. As in previous reviews, the DNR convened seven technical advisory committees to evaluate the list and recommend changes. The committees consisted of university researchers, Michigan Natural Features Inventory biologists, DNR staff members and other species experts. Each committee offered recommendations on a particular species group, including mollusks, insects, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and plants.

A public hearing to introduce the proposed changes to Michigan’s endangered and threatened species list will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, in the Forum of the Michigan Library and Historical Center, located at 702 W. Kalamazoo St. in downtown Lansing.

All who are interested are invited to attend and present their views. It is requested that all statements be submitted in writing for the hearing record.

Copies of the proposed changes to the list are available on the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules’ Administrative Rules Division’s webpage in the Pending Rules Activity section, rule set number 2022-11 NR. In the Draft Rule Language document, bold text indicates proposed additions to the language of the endangered and threatened species rules, and strikethrough text indicates proposed deletions from the language of the rules.

Printed copies are also available by writing to: Regulatory Affairs Officer, Legal and Legislative Affairs Office, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 30028, Lansing, MI 48909, or [email protected].

Anyone needing accommodations for effective participation in the meeting should contact Victoria Lischalk at 517-599-1067 or [email protected] to request mobility, visual, hearing or other assistance.

Written comments on the proposed changes may be submitted to DNR-EndangeredSpeciesList@Michigan.gov or by mail to: Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division, ATTN: Endangered Species Specialist,  P.O. Box 30444, Lansing, MI 48909.

To be considered during the list revision process, written comments must be received by 5 p.m. Sept. 30.

“We appreciate the partnership and quick action by our partners in Oakland County to help contain the spotted lanternfly infestation. They have already completed pesticide applications of the impacted area,” said Michael Philip, PPPM Division Director within MDARD. “Early detection gives us more tools in the toolbox for response and containment.”