Michigan DNR Plantings and Habitat Improvements Benefit Wildlife in Alger, Schoolcraft and Delta Counties
OutdoorHub 02.06.12
Seven major wildlife habitat projects, benefiting a variety of game and nongame species, were completed in Alger, Schoolcraft, and Delta counties during 2011, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources said today.
DNR Wildlife Division staff from the Shingleton Field Office planted more than 180,000 trees and improved habitat on approximately 2,000 acres in an effort to increase food sources and provide quality winter shelter. Species that will benefit from this work include white-tailed deer, turkeys, snowshoe hare, sharp-tailed grouse, woodcock and black bear.
“These accomplishments are a testament to the hard work of our staff to initiate and complete projects in the field, while cooperating closely with our conservation partners,” said DNR Upper Peninsula Regional Wildlife Supervisor Terry Minzey. “Outdoor enthusiasts and a variety of wildlife species will reap the benefits for years to come.”
The seven projects highlighted below focus on wildlife habitat improvements that benefit wildlife in the easternUpper Peninsula.
- Improved deer wintering habitat by planting 26,000 red osier dogwood seedlings, benefiting both white-tailed deer and snowshoe hare
- Planted 1,000 red oak saplings in deer wintering habitat and within beech tree stands, in anticipation of beech declines due to American beech bark disease
- Worked with UP Snow Gobblers Chapter of National Wild Turkey Federation to plant 350 crab apple and high-bush cranberry shrubs, enhancing long-term food sources for turkeys, deer, and other wildlife
- Planted 160,000 hemlock and red oak seedlings to provide winter cover and food for deer and a variety of game and nongame species
- Improved 150 acres with Woodcock Initiative Funds by employing alder stand rotation, creating woodcock singing and display grounds, and increasing available foraging habitat for woodcock, grouse, black bear and deer
- Created more than 950 acres of grassland to benefit sharp-tailed grouse and pregnant does in springtime
- Conducted a prescribed burn on 900 acres in the Petrel Deer Wintering Complex to increase food sources, improve habitat, and encourage regeneration of northern white cedar for years to come
Many of the habitat and planting projects in 2011 were partially or completely funded by the Deer Range Improvement Fund. These projects provide important habitat and breeding grounds for deer and other wildlife in theUpper Peninsula.
DRIP is funded by a portion of deer license revenues. From each license, $1.50 is legislatively ear-marked to improve and maintain deer habitat and acquire land for deer management purposes in the Upper Peninsula and theNorthern Lower Peninsula.
The remaining projects were supported by funding from hunting license revenues and Pittman-Robertson federal aid, which provides a three-to-one dollar match for every hunting license sold inMichigan.
To learn more about the recent DRIP-funded projects, contact DNR wildlife biologist Kevin Swanson at 906-452-6227, or go online to www.michigan.gov/deer.
