The crew will be at Black Lake Aug. 29, Mullett Lake Aug. 30 and Burt Lake Aug. 31, offering free and fast boat washes at boating access sites to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Even if you don’t have a boat, be sure to say hello and grab some aquatic invasive species swag and information at their booth.

“Plant fragments attached to boats or trailers can move invasive species to a new lake,” said Luc McPherson, DNR boat wash technician. “It’s easy to spend a few minutes to clean, drain and dry your equipment to protect your favorite fishing and boating lakes.”

“Most people don’t pay attention to invasive species, but they notice when their favorite places are suddenly covered in plants,” said Jesse Teunissen, DNR boat wash technician. “But luckily, to clean, drain and dry your boats, you don’t have to know how to identify invasives. If you remove all of it, nothing can hitchhike with you to the next location.”

The DNR’s mobile boat wash program is funded by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-administered grant from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal effort that accelerates protection and restoration across the Great Lakes basin.

Both seasoned and first-time anglers can join in various fishing programs. Fishing poles and bait will be provided for guests to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis at locations such as Interlochen State Park (Grand Traverse County), the Portage Lake fishing pier at Waterloo Recreation Area (Jackson County), Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery (Van Buren County) and Oden State Fish Hatchery (Emmet County). Wolf Lake requests that guests reserve a fishing time, and guests over the age of 17 at all locations are required to have a fishing license to participate. The Wolf Lake and Oden hatcheries also will host free tours to share how the DNR raises and releases millions of fish every year into state lakes, rivers and streams.

If you’re looking for a learning adventure that’s a little off the beaten path, we have you covered there, too. For those who will be in the Upper Peninsula, make sure to visit the DNR’s Pocket Park (Delta County) Aug. 30 for a DNR Dungeons and Dragons event. This interactive tabletop game allows participants to explore Michigan’s ecosystems through a conservation-themed adventure. Have you ever wondered about where sinkholes come from? Learn about them, along with disappearing lakes and underground rivers, during an Aug. 30 presentation at Hoeft State Park (Presque Isle County) in the northern Lower Peninsula.

For more information and a complete list of visitor centers, visit Michigan.gov/DNRVisitorCenters. Learn more about the explorer guide program and weekly nature program schedules at Michigan.gov/NaturePrograms.

Questions about the explorer guide program? Contact Shaun McKeon at 989-370-0789.

Whether you are taking out your own boat or are a guest on someone else’s, there are important safety tips to know before ever leaving shore. Besides the obvious – always wearing U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, making sure your boat is properly equipped and in good working order, and checking and monitoring weather and water conditions – the DNR shared other safety recommendations:

• Always ride with an operator who has completed an approved boater safety course. In Michigan, boater safety certificates are needed by anyone born after June 30, 1996, operating a motorized boat, or anyone born after Dec. 31, 1978, operating a personal watercraft – like a Jet Ski. Most states require a boater safety certificate for boat or personal watercraft rentals.
• File a float plan with someone you trust. Include details about the trip, boat, others on board, towing or trailer vehicle, communication equipment and emergency contacts.
• Boat sober. Where the primary cause of boating-related deaths was known, alcohol was listed as a leading factor.
• Beware of carbon monoxide poisoning. Gasoline-powered engines on boats, including onboard generators, produce carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas that can poison or kill someone who breathes too much of it. Install and maintain a working CO detector, never block exhaust outlets, and always dock, beach or anchor at least 20 feet away from any boat running a generator or engine.
• Keep in touch. Communication devices, such as marine radios, can be your most important piece of emergency equipment.

For safer swimming, choose buoyed swim areas at state parks. These areas offer added safety measures and visual cues, helping swimmers avoid potentially hazardous locations such as piers with structural currents. Please note that not all state parks offer buoyed swim areas.

Other tips:

• Check beach flags in buoyed swim areas (double-red flags mean water access closed, red flag means high hazard, yellow flag means medium hazard and green flag means low hazard). These flags are updated by park staff as lake conditions change throughout the day; check them frequently. By law, you cannot enter the water from the beach when double-red flags are flying or if otherwise directed.
• Never swim alone, especially children.
• Avoid using rafts or other inflatable flotation devices when winds are blowing offshore.
• Keep close watch on children and less experienced swimmers: Stay within arm’s reach, have them wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, be conscious of their limits and take frequent breaks.
• Be aware of water temperatures and weather warnings.
• Remember that water currents near piers, breakwalls and river outlets can be extremely hazardous.

Find information on buoyed swim area locations, the Great Lakes flag warning system, current awareness and escape strategies and more at Michigan.gov/BeachSafety.

Questions? Contact Pat Whalen at 269-838-1196.

Safety is vital on any ride, for you and others. According to 2023 statewide ORV crash data, 93% of ORV fatalities could have been prevented. These crashes and injuries primarily were due to excessive speed and a lack of helmet/seat belt use. Parents are reminded, too, that they must have visual supervision of all children under the age of 16 when those children are operating an ORV.

“Always ride within your capabilities and the machine’s limitations,” said Cpl. Mike Hearn, DNR law enforcement ORV and snowmobile specialist. “When you ride too fast, you are more likely to lose control when hitting even the smallest bump or trying to make turns or stop.”

All ORV operators are urged to “Ride Right” and:

• Ride at a safe speed.
• Ride sober.
• Ride on the right side of the trail.
• Keep lights on when riding.
• Always wear a helmet.

Nets can cover more than an acre on the lake bottom. If snagged by a boat, a net can be damaged or cause damage to the boat and other equipment.

If you see an orange a flag or buoy while boating, turn the other way and maintain a distance of at least 500 feet. Avoid navigating between flags and pull in any fishing gear. Also, additional flags may be difficult to see due to waves, glare, fog, low light or reduced visibility.

If your boat does get tangled in a net:

• Turn off the engine or put the boat in neutral.
• Cut yourself free using wire cutters, then label any gear left behind that should be returned to you.
• Attach a buoy or jug to mark the net and leave it in the water.
• Use GPS to mark the location.
• Report the net to the DNR hotline by calling or texting 800-292-7800.

For more information, check out Michigan Sea Grant’s Nets of the Great Lakes webpage.

Questions? Email 2nd Lt. Kevin Postma at PostmaK@Michigan.gov.

Though the season is two months away, registration opens 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 1, at MiDNRReservations.com. The registration fee is $10 per horse per day, and 125 slots are available each day.

As the off-road vehicle season comes to an end Oct. 31, a designated horseback riding route is established. This route offers a peaceful ride along Lake Michigan, with towering dunes providing a stunning backdrop. Riders can use the parking lot within the Silver Lake ORV Area, 8960 W. Fox Road in Mears, as a staging area to unload and prepare their horses.

“The shoreline horseback riding season is one of two unique ways the DNR has expanded off-season outdoor recreation at Silver Lake,” said Jody Johnston, Silver Lake State Park manager. “We also offer a fat-tire biking season Dec. 15 to March 15 each year.”

Known for its 450 acres of motorized dune riding – the only opportunity of its kind east of the Mississippi River – Silver Lake State Park is a popular destination.

For links to both shoreline horseback riding and fat-tire biking seasons, including a registration link (horseback riding only), rules, maps, tips and other information, visit Michigan.gov/SilverLake.

Questions? Contact the park at 231-873-3083.

“There are still a lot of downed trees and branches in the area as the result of the ice storm last March,” said DNR fire prevention specialist Paul Rogers. “That wood is drying out, and that does increase the risk of a wildfire.”

If you’re burning leaves or yard waste, check Michigan.gov/BurnPermit before starting your fire to make sure weather conditions allow for safe burning. In southern Lower Peninsula communities, consult local fire authorities. If a backyard fire does get away from you, immediately call 911.

Here are tips to keep your outdoor activities fire-safe:

• Keep a hose or other water source nearby when burning.
• Prevent sparks. Keep trailer chains from dragging when you’re on the road, and don’t park hot equipment on dry grass.
• Contain your campfire or bonfire in a pit or ring, and make sure to thoroughly extinguish it before leaving the site. Drench the fire with water, stir the ashes and drench again.
• Never leave any fire – including hot coals – unattended.
• Never shoot fireworks into the woods, dry grass or shrubs.
• Remember it is illegal to burn plastic, hazardous materials, foam or other household trash. This can release dangerous chemicals into the air.
• Burn paper, leaves and natural materials in a burn barrel with a screen on top.

Get more fire safety information at Michigan.gov/FireManagement.

Questions? Email Paul Rogers at RogersP5@Michigan.gov.

The Asian longhorned beetle, or ALB for short, is a non-native, wood-boring beetle considered invasive in North America because it attacks at least 12 types of hardwood trees, including maples, elms, horse chestnuts, birches and willows. There are no predators or diseases in North America to keep ALB populations in check.

In its larval stage, the insect feeds inside tree trunks and branches during the colder months. The beetle creates tunnels as it feeds, and then it chews its way out as an adult in the warmer months, creating large, round exit holes approximately 3/8 to 1/2-inch in size.

• A shiny, black body with white spots. Its body is about 1 to 1.5 inches long.
• Black and white antennae that are longer than its body.
• Six legs with feet that can appear bluish.

Signs that a tree might be infested include:

• Round exit holes about the diameter of a pencil found in tree trunks and branches.
• Shallow, oval or round scars in the bark, where the adult beetle chewed an egg-laying site.
• Material that looks like wood shavings lying on the ground around the tree or in the branches.
• Dead branches or limbs falling from an otherwise healthy-looking tree.

For more information about ALB, call the USDA at 1-866-702-9938 or visit APHIS.USDA.gov/Plant-Pests-Diseases/ALB.

The DNR is now accepting applications for the 2025-26 grant cycle. The program provides financial assistance to communities served by DTE Energy’s electric and natural gas services. Grants are available to support projects that plant trees away from utility lines along streets, in parks and near schools – all of which can help to mitigate climate change, enhance local beauty and engage residents in environmental stewardship.

Since 1996, this grant program has been a joint effort between the DTE Foundation and the DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry program to improve communities and the environment through tree planting. ReLeaf Michigan, the only statewide nonprofit dedicated to tree planting and homeowner education, was added to the program to provide technical support to grantees and help ensure successful and sustainable tree planting efforts.

“At the DTE Foundation, we believe that real change takes root when communities come together,” said Rodney Cole, the foundation’s president. “Tree planting is more than an environmental initiative; it’s a way to bring neighbors together, strengthen local pride and create healthier, more vibrant places to live.

“We’re proud to support this work alongside dedicated partners like the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and ReLeaf Michigan, whose efforts continue to strengthen our communities and protect the environment for future generations.”

Application info

Applicants can request up to $4,000 with a 1-to-1 matching requirement. Additionally:

• Applications must be submitted through DNR MiGrants by Sept. 15.
• Grant awards will be announced in October 2025.
• Projects must be completed by Sept. 1, 2026.

Learn more and apply for a tree planting grant at Michigan.gov/UCF.

About the DTE Energy Foundation

The DTE Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of DTE Energy with a strong legacy of community support and involvement. In 2024, the Foundation provided $14.5 million in grant support to 375 nonprofit organizations in communities where the company has a business presence, with a focus on driving positive, meaningful change in priority giving areas: arts and culture, community transformation, economic progress, education and employment, environment and human needs. As one of Michigan’s leading corporate citizens, DTE aspires to be the best in the world and the best for the world. Visit DTEFoundation.com to learn more.