It’s best to avoid muddy trails altogether; however, if you do encounter muddy sections, please keep the following tips in mind to avoid widening the trails:

• When bike riding: Dismount and tiptoe down the center – not the sides – of the trail.
• When hiking: Go right through the center of the trail, rather than traveling around the mud.
• When horseback riding: Carefully travel with your horse through the center of the trail.

“Following these tips may mean a little more cleanup for shoes, tires and hooves after an outing, but I think most trail users would agree it’s worth it to ensure our trails stay in the best possible condition during this seasonal transition,” said Kristen Bennett, acting state trails coordinator for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. “Plus, when trails do start to widen, it can pose safety risks to users and cause damage to surrounding wildlife habitat.”

Learn more about etiquette on nonmotorized trails at Michigan.gov/DNRTrails.

Questions? Contact Kristen Bennett at [email protected].

Migrating songbirds like indigo buntings and Swainson’s thrushes are at highest risk of building collisions. These species also face steep population declines; doing what we can to prevent window collisions will help ensure their survival. (This photo of an indigo bunting is by photographer Dan Pancamo.)

Collisions with human-made structures are a leading cause of bird deaths in the United States, causing up to 1 billion bird deaths each year in North America. Birds cannot detect glass, and collisions are just as likely regardless of bird health or age.

When birds hit windows, it is a life-threatening occurrence. Even birds that are able to fly away are likely to succumb to their injuries later. The good news is that there are opportunities to make your home or office more bird-friendly:

• Identify problematic windows. To see which windows have caused collisions, check them from outside two or three times a week. Look for imprints, smudges or feathers on the glass, injured or dead birds, or clumps of feathers within 6-8 feet of the glass.
• Install bird-friendly solutions. Patterns on the outside surface of glass are the best way to reduce collisions. Studies have shown that exterior window patterns should be about 2-4 inches apart; 2×2-inch spacing is even better for smaller species, like Michigan’s ruby-throated hummingbirds, which are more prone to window-collisions.

For a list of quick, affordable ways to protect birds from your windows, check out American Bird Conservancy’s bird-friendly windows flyer and bird-friendly products database, Animal Help Now’s flyer on preventing bird window strikes and Audubon’s resources on reducing collisions with glass. Learn about Audubon’s Lights Out Program and how to make your hometown safer for migratory birds.

For information on how you can get involved in Safe Passage Great Lakes building monitoring efforts, and what to do if you find a window-collision survivor, visit the Audubon Great Lakes website.

Map changes are based on considerations that include changing road conditions, data cleanup and input received from residents around the state. Maps show where state forest roads are open or closed to off-road vehicle use and which roads are only open to conventional vehicles. It’s important to stay on these roads when using motor vehicles to reduce erosion and damage to wildlife habitat.

The following mileages will be open to ORVs starting April 1:

• In the Upper Peninsula, about 5,498 miles – roughly 98% of the total 5,594 miles.
• In the northern Lower Peninsula, about 6,205 miles – roughly 85% of the total 7,317.2 miles.
• In the southern Lower Peninsula, more than 9 miles – roughly 2.5% of the total 370.9 miles.

“As we get into spring and summer you might see fledgling birds hopping around on the ground. This is completely normal,” said Hannah Schauer, wildlife communications coordinator with the DNR. “These fluffy youngsters are getting ready to start trying to fly and need more space than nests provide. The adults aren’t far and will continue to feed and care for their young.”

In addition to birds, you might see other young animals left alone, but the parents are nearby. This is especially true for rabbits and fawns.

The program is seeking volunteers who enjoy and want to help protect Michigan’s 11,000 inland lakes. Though there is still a lot we don’t know about many of our lakes, volunteering with MiCorps will connect you with a statewide network of people who are making a positive impact on these waters.

As a water monitor volunteer, you:

• Choose which lake to sample.
• Select which measurements to take. You can collect data on water quality (water clarity, nutrients, dissolved oxygen and algae), invasive species, native plants and shoreline conditions.
• Will get detailed instructions, training and equipment.

Though the look and feel are different, some things will stay the same:

• The navigation should look familiar, and you should be able to find things the way you did before.
• You can still search for events, but the options are now more robust and include the ability to search by event type, location and date range.
• Shortcuts to your favorite pages (those easier-to-remember website addresses like Michigan.gov/Fishing and Michigan.gov/Hunting) will still work and should go to their correct pages. However, with a total site overhaul there are bound to be some broken links. We are working to correct those over time.

Once you’ve had a chance to check out the new website, we’d love to hear what you think. Your feedback via this brief survey will ensure we continue to improve the website for all users. If you can take a few moments to complete it, thank you!

Kelsey Bockelman and Paige Filice from MSU Extension and Kevin Walters from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy will reveal 2022 Clean Boats, Clean Waters grant recipients, share information on past projects and help your group prepare to apply for a grant in 2023.

Sign up for the webinar and follow Michigan.gov/Invasives for program news, updates and opportunities to help.

Questions? Contact Joanne Foreman at 517-284-5814.

The counties in this stage of the DNR’s ongoing state land review process include Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Lapeer, Lenawee, Marquette, Monroe, Roscommon, Sanilac and Washtenaw. The updated, interactive web map reflects the latest staff recommendations since the initial public comment period closed, making it easy for people to see what has changed. The state land review was implemented as part of the 2013 Managed Public Land Strategy and involves the review of DNR-managed lands that are 200 acres or less in size or that, due to an irregular boundary, may be difficult to manage.

“This county-by-county review process gives us the opportunity to evaluate and make decisions about how well the current land portfolio supports our mission of protecting natural resources while providing broad public access to quality outdoor recreation opportunities,” said DNR forest land administrator Kerry Heckman. “It’s critical that people who enjoy and use these lands are part of the discussion, and we appreciate everyone who has taken the time to get involved so far.”

Comments left on the interactive web map or emailed to DNR-StateLandReview@Michigan.gov by May 11 will be compiled and provided to the DNR director. A final decision on recommendations is expected at the May 12 meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission.

Follow the latest updates on the state land review process at Michigan.gov/PublicLands.

Questions? Contact Kerry Heckman at [email protected].

DNR firefighters and equipment are stationed strategically across the state to protect Michigan’s 20 million acres of forest land, which includes nearly 4 million acres of state forest.

The season generally begins in early spring, with the highest danger in spring and early summer. Risk lessens somewhat as trees “green up,” or bring sap up from their roots, in summer.

Because of Michigan’s wetter climate, the state rarely sees fires as vast or long-lasting as the fires they assist with in western states.

Those large fires are rare and the exception to the DNR’s goal – put out wildland fires as quickly as possible, while they’re still under 10 acres in size.

During 2021, DNR firefighters battled fires on 2,379 acres and conducted prescribed burns on about 5,100 acres. Prescribed burns are carefully planned fires that mimic the effect of natural fire on the landscape. They are used to improve habitat for wildlife and remove invasive species.

Despite mud and snow, prescribed burns are likely to start this month.

“Last year was probably one of the busier springs we’ve had in a long time,” said Jeff Vasher, fire specialist in Roscommon. “It was really dry, and we started really early. Our unit started running fires on March 13 and went into June.”

This year may pose similar challenges.

“We didn’t get a lot of snow this year, and the vegetation from last year is still standing up,” he said. “That makes it rough for us, because when it stands up like that it dries out quicker and it burns a lot faster.”

Even though the ground may be saturated with water, grasses that have been dormant through the winter are dried out and burn quickly.

This means that people need to be very careful and check to see if the DNR is issuing burn permits prior to burning yard waste or other allowed materials.

“Always check on the status of burn permits with your local fire department or with the DNR before you start burning,” Rogers said. “Always check the weather. If it’s windy, dry and warm, do not burn. A fire can escape very quickly under those conditions.”

Some additional important fire safety tips include:

• Never leave a campfire, bonfire or yard waste fire unattended.
• Always keep a shovel, metal bucket and water source nearby.
• When finished with your fire, douse it thoroughly with water, stir the ashes and douse again. Repeat until cool.
• Your fire should be at least 10 feet away from logs, stumps or debris. Remember to make sure no branches are hanging overhead.
• Do not burn on windy days or during periods of dry weather.
• Consider composting yard waste instead of burning.
• If the fire escapes your burn barrel or designated area, call for help immediately.

Another thing to think about in springtime is keeping homes safe from wildfires.

• Homeowners can make their homes less susceptible to wildfire by taking some simple steps towards Firewise landscaping:
• Create a “fire-free” area around your home. Trim branches, mow the lawn regularly and remove dead vegetation near the home.
• Use non-flammable landscaping materials and plants with a high moisture content. Water plants, trees and mulch regularly.
• Create “fuel breaks”, like driveways and walkways, in your yard.

“We’re ready for the season,” Vasher said. “The tactics meetings get us started. It’s to get your mind set that fire season is coming, that your equipment is ready, that you have everything you need for the year.”

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