Several state parks in southern Michigan will host volunteer stewardship workdays in July. Volunteers are needed to help with removing invasive plants that threaten high-quality ecosystems.

Please note that registration is required for all volunteer workdays.

Workdays will take place:

• Friday, July 8, and Sunday, July 24, 9 a.m. to noon at Fort Custer Recreation Area (Kalamazoo County).
• Saturday, July 9, and Saturday, July 30, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Island Lake Recreation Area (Livingston County).
• Saturday, July 9, and Saturday, July 23, 10 a.m. to noon at Muskegon State Park (Muskegon County).
• Saturday, July 16, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Waterloo Recreation Area (Washtenaw County).
• Sunday, July 17, 10 a.m. to noon at Hoffmaster State Park (Muskegon County).
• Saturday, July 23, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Pinckney Recreation Area (Washtenaw County).

More details about each workday can be found on the DNR volunteer events calendar.

It?s time to talk about your state forests.

Prescribed burns, timber harvests and other activities are carefully planned to keep Michigan?s nearly 4 million acres of state forest healthy and thriving.

Plans for these activities are currently being made for 2024, but public comment is welcome now, before those plans are finalized. In-person open houses were suspended during 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many forest management units are returning to in-person open houses this season; you may also comment online or in writing.

To find out what activities are planned for the forest, choose the geographic area you are interested in and take a look at the planned activities on the interactive map. Submit online comments through the map during designated 30-day periods. If you?d prefer to attend an open house in person, scheduled dates are listed below.

Once public comment has been received, a meeting called a compartment review is held. That?s where plans are finalized. Contact the unit manager for details on how to attend an in-person open house or compartment review. The DNR?s Forest Resources Division welcomes public comment on all forest activities.

Units with comment periods in July are:

• Atlanta: Comment period is June 12-July 12; open house is July 12; compartment review is Aug. 4. Contact?Cody Stevens, 989-785-4251.
• Cadillac: Comment period is July 4-Aug. 4; open house is Aug. 4; compartment review is Sept. 6. Contact?Dave Fisher, 231-745-4651, ext. 6946.
• Escanaba: Comment period is July 9-Aug. 9; open house is Aug. 9; compartment review is Aug. 30. Contact?Eric Thompson, 906-786-2354, ext. 142.
• Gladwin: Comment period is June 13-July 13; open house is July 13; compartment review is July 19. Contact?Patrick Mohney, 989-426-9205, ext. 7640.
• Pigeon River: Comment period is June 20-July 20; open house is July 20; compartment review is Aug. 16. Contact?Mark Monroe, 989-983-4101.
• Roscommon: Comment period is July 17-Aug. 17; open house is Aug. 17; compartment review is Sept. 13. Contact?Doug Bates, 989-275-4622.
• Traverse City: Comment period June 6-July 7; open house is 3-7 p.m. July 6 in Traverse City and 3-7 p.m. July 7 in Kalkaska; compartment review is July 12. Contact?Dave Lemmien, 231-922-5280.

See all scheduled comment periods, open houses and compartment review meetings for the 2022 season.

Volunteers are needed to help clean up the Mainstee River as part of On the Ground, Michigan United Conservation Clubs? volunteer wildlife habitat improvement program in partnership with the DNR.

Saturday, July 16, On the Ground will partner with Steelhead Manifesto for the annual cleanup of the Manistee River in Manistee County.

The event will begin at 9 a.m., and volunteers will meet at the High Bridge Boat Launch in Brethren and then head out on the water by boat to clean up large stretches of the river and remove garbage to improve the aquatic ecosystem.?All equipment will be provided, including gloves, trash bags and grabbers.

The Manistee River is one of Michigan?s National Wild and Scenic Rivers and a very popular location for anglers, paddlers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

All registered volunteers will receive lunch and a volunteer gift.

Register for a fun day of volunteering on the Manistee River.

If you have any questions, please reach out to MUCC habitat volunteer coordinator Kristina Kennedy.

If you're fishing for muskellunge this year, we want to hear from you. We?re asking people who fish for muskie to help with our ongoing efforts to investigate these fish by reporting through the DNR's online muskellunge angler survey.

Since 2014, this survey has gathered information about muskie angler demographics and catch data, such as length of fish caught, angler effort, body of water fished and methods used. Fisheries managers have used this data to recommend fishing regulation changes to the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, evaluate the muskellunge stocking program and understand more about self-sustaining populations.

The reports we get from anglers are essential because muskellunge are so elusive in the DNR?s sampling efforts. The reports help us make future fisheries management decisions and understand more about their populations.

Whether or not your trip resulted in a catch, you can offer valuable information about your fishing experience. You fill out one survey per person, per trip and are encouraged to complete a survey for each muskellunge fishing trip you make.

View the current survey and past survey data.

As a reminder, anglers are limited to taking only one muskellunge per license year and are required to register their harvest by calling 888-636-7778 or online at Michigan.gov/RegisterFish.