A night with the Detroit Tigers, Pointe Mouillee Waterfowl Festival, piping plovers and more!



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The Wild Times: Summer 2023


Michigan has some of the best wildlife-based recreation opportunities around. This newsletter will give you updates on the great work going on for wildlife conservation across the state and some tips on how to get involved.


* Report wild turkey sightings through Aug. 31 [ #link_5 ]
* Featured species: Piping plover [ #link_4 ]
* Birding at the Portage Marsh Wildlife Management Area [ #link_1 ]
* Meet the staff: Delta and Menominee counties [ #link_3 ]
* Detroit Tigers Hunting and Fishing Night [ #link_7 ]
* Tree planting at Allegan State Game Area [ #link_6 ]
* Join us at 75th annual Pointe Mouillee Waterfowl Festival [ #link_8 ]
* Events [ #link_17 ]
* Grants and jobs [ #link_9 ]
* Support wildlife [ #link_2 ]

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Report wild turkey sightings through Aug. 31
Hen turkey leads turkey poults along a hedgerow.

See a turkey – report a turkey! This is Michigan's first year participating in the multistate wild turkey brood survey. You can help us monitor the turkey population by watching for turkey hens with young (a brood) or any other turkeys, and then submit your sightings to us by completing a short survey to help us better understand how turkey populations are doing in Michigan. 

Take the survey ► [ [link removed] ]

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Featured species: Piping plover

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Piping plover stands on the beach

Piping plovers are small, ground-nesting birds that spend their summers scurrying along the shorelines of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and other nearby beaches in the Great Lakes region. These sandy-gray colored birds with skinny, orange legs are an endangered species in Michigan, only nesting in a few locations every summer. Learn more about piping plovers and how you can help conserve the species in the latest "Wildtalk" podcast episode [ [link removed] ].

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Birding at the Portage Marsh Wildlife Management Area
A group of ten birders stand around a bird identification sign on the Portage Marsh birding trail in Escanaba.

In May, 35 people gathered to enjoy a morning in the outdoors and watch for birds at the Portage Marsh Wildlife Management Area [ [link removed] ] in Escanaba, Delta County. The group explored the area’s 1-mile loop trail that travels along the historic dike system in the Portage Marsh and the Lake Michigan shoreline, and spotted 54 species, including a trumpeter swan and yellow-headed black bird.

Over the next few months, Portage Marsh Wildlife Management Area will continue to be a birding hotspot as fall migration will draw in a variety of waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds. To check out the bird diversity within the coastal wetland visit the Portage Marsh eBird page [ [link removed] ].  

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Meet the staff: Delta and Menominee counties
Wildlife biologist Joe Sage takes a selfie in front of flames from a prescribed fire.

*Joe Sage *joined the Wildlife Division one year ago as the wildlife biologist for Delta and Menominee counties. Sage recently returned to Michigan from Florida, where he worked as a wildlife biologist with Florida's state wildlife agency for 15 years. He has many favorite wildlife species, but he's always been particularly fond of reptiles and amphibians, having done his master's research on eastern massasauga rattlesnakes. Sage's favorite outdoor activities include hiking, kayaking, wildlife viewing and anything that involves horses. So far, his favorite part of working for the division is the incredible diversity of activities he gets to participate in and being able to have a positive impact on wildlife conservation in Michigan.

*Colter Lubben* is a wildlife technician working out of the Escanaba Customer Service Center for the western Delta County and Menominee County areas. With nine years of experience at the CSC and two seasons as a noncareer wildlife assistant at the Cusino Field Office, Lubben is a seasoned member of the team. In his free time, he enjoys running beagles on snowshoe hares and cottontail rabbits, and his favorite part of working for the Wildlife Division has been helping everyone find enjoyment on Michigan's great public lands.

Colter Luben smiles for the camera while on a snowshoe hare hunt in the Upper Peninsula.
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Detroit Tigers Hunting and Fishing Night

Orange stocking cap with Detroit Tigers logo and fishing hook

It’s game time! Join the DNR for a wild night at Comerica Park during Hunting and Fishing Night Wednesday, Sept. 27 to support local hunting and fishing groups while watching the Detroit Tigers take on the Kansas City Royals.

The DNR is honored to help raise awareness for two Michigan groups that connect people through hunting and fishing activities. To celebrate, Michigan’s hunters, anglers and general outdoor enthusiasts can purchase a special, discounted ticket to the game, which includes a collectible Detroit Tigers Carhartt beanie.

Purchase your tickets through the link below to have a portion of your ticket be donated to two groups focused on hunting and fishing programs, Michigan Sportsmen Against Hunger [ [link removed]. ] and We Fixin’ to Fish [ [link removed] ].

Detroit Tigers Hunting and Fishing Night  [ [link removed] ]► [ [link removed] ]



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Tree planting at Allegan State Game Area
Volunteers who planted trees on the Allegan State Game Area smile for photo with the ACT Foundation's banner.

Eighteen volunteers planted eighty fruit and chestnut trees at Allegan State Game Area with partners, Mohanji Foundation [ [link removed] ], ACT Foundation USA [ [link removed] ] and Act4Hunger [ [link removed] ] as part of a Fruit Tree Plantation Drive.

Pear, apple and chestnut trees were planted for wildlife and people to enjoy. This project was completed by generous partners at the Rob and Melani Walton Foundation, [ [link removed] ] which funded a portion of the trees, and the ACT Foundation USA, which has helped to plant 90,000 food-producing trees around the world since 2021. 

The planting can be accessed at the Allegan State Game Area [ [link removed] ] on the west side of 44th Street, north of 112th Street by 1 mile [ [link removed] ]. The parking lot is located on 44th Street. There will be a red gate across the two-track to prevent vehicle entry. Walk past the red gate, down the two-track .33 miles, and you will see the first planting north of the two-track. To access the second planting, continue walking down the two-track until you reach an open field to the south. Walk along the field edge for .25 miles until you reach the second planting.

Visitors are welcome to forage fruits and nuts from this planting. Foraging for wild-grown foods is an exciting way to explore the outdoors and bring nature's bounty to the table. Learn more about foraging on state lands on our foraging page. [ [link removed] ]

ACT Foundation, created in 2003, is a global charity community that works to serve humanity in a growing number of countries across all five continents. To learn more about the foundation and their mission, visit ACTFoundation.org [ [link removed] ].

For questions about the tree planting or Allegan State Game Area, call the game area office at 269-673-2430.

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Join us at 75th annual Pointe Mouillee Waterfowl Festival
Man throws dog toy into water for a chocolate Labrador dog to retrieve.

The Pointe Mouillee Waterfowl Festival [ [link removed] ] is one of the longest-running and most unique events of its kind in Michigan. Come join us for duck calling and dog jumping contests, outdoor gear vendors, live auctions, and games and activities for the family! The festival is *8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16-17, at *Pointe Mouillee State Game Area [ [link removed] ]* in Brownstown Township.*

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Events

*Sept. 1:* Fur Taker User Group meeting in St. Ignace [ [link removed] ]

*Sept. 14:* Natural Resources Commission meeting [ [link removed] ]




Grants and jobs

DNR grants [ [link removed] ]

DNR jobs [ [link removed] ]




Support wildlife

Purchase a Kirtland's warbler wildlife habitat license plate [ [link removed] ] and help protect Michigan’s most vulnerable species.





"Learn more: Michigan.gov/Wildlife [ [link removed] ]"


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