Plus, what do you do if you find a bird's nest in a less than ideal location? Learn more!



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"News Digest - Week of June 9, 2025"
a Kirtland's warbler, a small bird with black-blue and gray feathers and a yellow breast, sits on the thin branch of a leafless tree

The Kirtland's warbler is one of the species supported by the purchase of wildlife habitat license plates [ [link removed] ].



Here are a few of this week's stories from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources: 


* DNR joins national conversation about deer donations to help the hungry [ #link_16 ]
* Video: Catch up with the Karner blue butterfly [ #link_17 ]
* Buy a license plate, give Michigan wildlife a big lift [ #link_2 ]
* Natural Resources Commission meets Thursday in Bay City [ #link_3 ]
* Found a bird nest in a bad spot? Here’s what to do next [ #link_4 ]
* Photo ambassador snapshot: Golden glow at Ludington [ #link_1 ]

See other news releases, Showcasing the DNR stories, photos and other resources at Michigan.gov/DNRPressRoom [ [link removed] ].

*PHOTOS: *High-res versions of some of the images used in this email (Kirtland's warbler [ [link removed] ], butterfly [ [link removed] ], trumpeter swans [ [link removed] ] and white-tailed deer [ [link removed] ]) are available in the DNR's online image gallery [ [link removed] ]. The license plate [ [link removed] ] photo is available separately.

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DNR joins national conversation about deer donations to help the hungry

a small group of men and women wearing aprons and gloves prepare venison meatballs at a stainless steel kitchen table

The DNR and its Hunters Feeding Michigan program hosted the annual meeting of the American Sportsmen Hunger Relief Alliance – a nationwide coalition of independent state programs advocating for and growing wild game donations to reduce food insecurity at the local level – at the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit last week.

The Hunters Feeding Michigan program makes a positive difference in communities across the state by connecting hunters, wild game processors and charities to provide high-protein, nutritious venison meals to those in need.

This conference offered the opportunity for Michigan and other states to share their knowledge about building and growing successful wild game donation programs. Attendees, shown above, also got the chance to prepare and serve a meal (with venison donated through Hunters Feeding Michigan) to those in need in downtown Pontiac. 

“We’ve learned a lot, and other states have learned a lot, about how to make the most of our efforts to help feed people in need,” said Joe Presgrove, DNR Hunters Feeding Michigan program specialist. “Joining in this national conversation helps us step up our game when it comes to reducing food insecurity in Michigan communities.”

Wild game donation program representatives from states including Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee also attended the conference.

The Hunters Feeding Michigan program offers hunters a way to share their harvest by donating their deer at a participating processor. A network of processors and charities channels the venison donations to those in need. Monetary donations also help support the program. Learn more at Michigan.gov/HuntersFeedingMichigan [ [link removed] ].

Questions? Contact Joe Presgrove <[email protected]> at 517-643-3809.



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Video: Catch up with the Karner blue butterfly

a Karner blue butterfly with pale blue, speckled wings sits on the white leaves and greenery of a raspberry bush in a lush, forested area

Next week, June 16-22, is National Pollinator Week [ [link removed] ], making it the perfect time to talk about one of North America’s rarest butterflies: the Karner blue.

This federally endangered and (Michigan) threatened pollinator faces a challenging journey for survival, but collaborative conservation efforts between the DNR and the Michigan Natural Features Inventory are helping to sustain their habitat at Allegan State Game Area in southwestern Michigan.

This short video shares more about the work at Allegan SGA [ [link removed] ].

A relatively small butterfly, with a wingspan measuring no more than an inch, the Karner blue feeds exclusively on wild blue lupine [ [link removed] ], a native, fire-dependent, perennial wildflower often found in oak savannas and barrens. Karner blue butterflies are an important indicator of healthy, specialized habitats, and conservation of those habitats helps protect other plants and pollinators that also thrive in these rare ecosystems.

As Michigan celebrates 50 years of endangered species law, a milestone marking decades of dedicated partnerships and efforts to protect our state’s most vulnerable plants and animals, this little butterfly represents a big hope for continued conservation success.

Questions? Contact Rachel Lincoln <[email protected]>, DNR wildlife communications representative, at 517-243-5813.



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Buy a license plate, give Michigan wildlife a big lift

a white Michigan license plate with Pure Michigan at top, a Kirtland's warbler illustration at left, and Conserve Wildlife Habitat at bottom

Every species has a story. Thanks to the Michigan Nongame Fish and Wildlife Fund, several Michigan species are adding encouraging chapters on restoration and stabilization to theirs. In fact, the fund has helped recover the Kirtland’s warbler, trumpeter swan and osprey, and continues to fund conservation for pollinators, bats, amphibians and reptiles.

“When the fund was created in 1983, it had three main goals: to restore populations of endangered and threatened species through management and protection, to maintain present populations of animals and plants, and to promote appreciation and awareness of these species through education and first-hand opportunities to experience wildlife,” said DNR wildlife communications representative Rachel Lincoln.

One way to promote the fund and build more buzz about the plight of threatened and endangered species was the introduction, in 2006, of the wildlife habitat license plate [ [link removed] ]. For the first time, Michigan residents could choose a plate (then featuring the common loon) that would both send a portion of their plate registration fee to the fund and allow them to publicly display, on their vehicles, support for wildlife conservation.



a pair of trumpeter swans, with full white plumage, long, slender necks and black eyes and beaks, rest atop the calm, deep blue-green water

The Michigan Nongame Fish and Wildlife Fund [ [link removed] ] was vital in bringing back trumpeter swans from near extinction, with habitat restoration and reintroductions between the late 1980s and early 2000s that helped the population recover to the point that the swans were removed from Michigan’s Threatened and Endangered Species List in 2022. It also supports ongoing critical conservation work for the northern long-eared bat [ [link removed] ], a species threatened by white-nose syndrome and habitat loss. This includes protective measures such as gating sensitive hibernation sites, surveying bats and developing a regional bat habitat conservation plan to minimize the impact of forest management activities.

Since 2006, the wildlife habitat license plate has raised over $4.8 million for the Nongame Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund. After the loon, the plate also has featured the elk and, currently, the Kirtland’s warbler.

Want to learn more? Try the Sept. 1, 2024, "Wildtalk" podcast [ [link removed] ] for a deeper dive into a variety of threatened and endangered Michigan species and the benefits provided through the Nongame Fish and Wildlife Fund.

Questions? Contact Rachel Lincoln <[email protected]>, DNR wildlife communications representative, at 517-243-5813.



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Natural Resources Commission meets Thursday in Bay City

a mature tan and white white-tailed deer with large, rounded, upright ears stands in a dark-green forest, brightly backlit.

The next meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission is Thursday, June 12, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Bay City – Riverfront, One Wenonah Park Place. 

Before the meeting, the public is invited to enjoy Coffee with the Commissioners at 8:30 a.m., a chance to sit down and talk with NRC members in a less formal setting.

The meeting follows at 9:30 a.m. and includes a presentation on the preliminary deer harvest survey report, an update on the steelhead task group report with Trout Unlimited, recognition of former NRC member David Cozad, a legislative update and several land transactions. See the draft meeting agenda [ [link removed] ] and remaining 2025 meeting dates at Michigan.gov/NRC [ [link removed] ].

For more information or to request time to speak at the meeting, email [email protected] <[email protected]>.



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Found a bird nest in a bad spot? Here’s what to do next

an adult tan and black bird holds a worm in its mouth as baby birds in a nest stretch their open mouths upward

Picture this: You’re getting ready to take out your camper van for the weekend and you find that a bird has nested on the tire or windshield. Or perhaps you’re walking up to your home and you spot a nest tucked away in your door wreath. From gutters to mailboxes, birds can choose inconvenient, silly – and sometimes dangerous – places to nest.

What can you do? It’s important to recognize that birds will often abandon their nests and eggs when they are moved. It’s also important to be aware that, outside of a few exceptions, most species are federally protected, and so are their eggs and nests.

While it can be inconvenient, the best and recommended course of action for the majority of cases is to leave the nest until the eggs hatch and the young fledge from the nest. Guidance from Audubon Great Lakes breaks down the different rules and regulations protecting bird nests [ [link removed] ], which can help you determine what to do if you stumble across one in a less than ideal location.

The full article is brought to you by MI Birds [ [link removed] ], an outreach and education program of the DNR and Audubon Great Lakes.

Questions? Contact Emily Osborne-Kim <[email protected]> (Audubon Great Lakes) at 414-841-5273 for information about the article. Contact the DNR Wildlife Division <[email protected]> at 517-284-9453 for tips on handling a bird nest. 



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Photo ambassador snapshot: Golden glow at Ludington
the sun sets low and golden over Lake Michigan as small groups of people gather on the beach at Ludington State Park

See more pictures by Michigan state parks photo ambassadors [ [link removed] ] at Instagram.com/MiStateParks [ [link removed] ]. For more on the program, call Stephanie Yancer <[email protected]> at 989-274-6182. (This photo is by Sarah Goodwin [ [link removed] ], for the Michigan DNR, at Ludington State Park in Mason County.)

"While the majority of the Ludington State Park [ [link removed] ] is closed for enhancements through July 1, visitors can still enjoy 2,000 acres of parkland and a beautiful 3-mile stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline south of the Big Sable River. The trails and boardwalk south of the river remain open, including the Skyline Trail. Trail parking is available at the amphitheater parking lot and trailheads along Piney Ridge Road. Lake access parking is available on the west side of M-116. "

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THINGS TO DO [ [link removed] ]

Need a nature break? Sign up for the Snug Wellness Club mini retreat series [ [link removed] ] this summer at Muskegon State Park. Meet among the trees, breathe, be mindful and share stories.




BUY & APPLY [ [link removed] ]

If you're thinking about burning yard debris, visit Mi.gov/BurnPermit [ [link removed] ] or call 866-922-2876 to make sure that weather conditions aren't too hot, dry or windy to safely have a fire.




GET INVOLVED [ [link removed] ]

Michigan's outdoor spaces and historic places can use your help! If you want to lend a hand but aren't sure where to start, our volunteers webpage [ [link removed] ] has options to host, teach, guide and more.





"Following the severe March 28-30 ice storm in northern Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources continues assessments and cleanup at many DNR-managed locations. Find a dashboard [ [link removed] ] with the latest status (open, partially open, temporarily closed) of state parks, state-managed trails, boating access sites and state forest campgrounds; an interactive map; safety updates; and more on the DNR’s ice storm response page [ [link removed] ]."


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This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Department of Natural Resources · Constitution Hall, 525 W. Allegan St., PO Box 30028 Lansing MI 48909 · 1-800-439-1420