Monday, July 1st marks the beginning of “Michigan Wildlife Conservation Month” as proclaimed by the state legislature and Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
July 1st has a special significance for wildlife conservation, 81-years ago the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act was implemented. The nation’s wildlife managed by funds generated through the sale of hunting equipment.
Michigan duplicated the model in 2013 when Newaygo County’s then State Rep. Jon Bumsted helped create the Michigan Wildlife Council authoring legislation financially supporting state conservation efforts through the sale of hunting and fishing licenses that supports the state’s Department of Natural Resources. Last year alone, $61 million were generated.
“There’s a lot of work that the DNR does to keep waters kind of regulated and enforcement of the fish and game laws that we have.”
Jeff Poet is a Michigan Wildlife Council board member.
“Through that management we’ve got some great things to recognize that a lot of people don’t know. For example, the Rocky Mountain Elk that was reintroduced 100-years ago. Now we’ve got a great herd up in Northern Michigan. Turkeys have made a comeback, you know, from the ‘60s. The populations were extremely low and today they are exploding. Everybody has encounter turkey.”
Poet explains when those game species are managed…
“The nongame species also benefits like the Kirtland’s warbler, the sturgeon, because of the work that you’re doing and improving habitat there’s just a lot of things that kind of piggyback off from that and get a residual benefit.”
Raising awareness, the first-ever travelling Michigan Wildlife Photo Mosaic Wall is making stops at Detroit’s Comerica Park July 6th and Grand Rapids’ John Ball Zoo August 1st.
Patrick Center, WGVU News.