We’re currently seeking support from partners and sponsors for 2016 outdoor recreation events and initiatives. Opportunities include sponsoring statewide event campaigns, creating co-promotional products for distribution, and donating to projects such as the Iron Belle Trail, the Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit and the upcoming 2019 Centennial Celebration of Michigan State Parks. Also available are opportunities to sponsor or host events for a variety of statewide campaigns, start or join a Friends group, donate to park projects and much more.

During the warmer summer and fall months, hundreds of volunteers spend time camping for free at Michigan state parks and state forest campgrounds in exchange for their service as campground hosts. The DNR is accepting 2016 campground host applications, with opportunities available from April through late October. Campground hosts must be able to answer questions about the park, plan campground activities and perform light maintenance duties. Hosts are responsible for 30 hours of service per week (including weekends and holidays), with a minimum commitment of four consecutive weeks.

Volunteers from the DNR and from the tourism industry spent a full day at Fayette Historic State Park last month for the "Michigan Cares for Tourism" cleanup event. This effort resulted in more than $25,000 in volunteer labor and $30,000 in materials and supplies to restore a natural and historic treasure.

Michigan state parks marked an attendance milestone in October by celebrating the 1 millionth camp night of the 2015 camping season. The campers who made the 1 millionth camp night reservation, at Proud Lake Recreation Area, got a Pure Michigan prize package, including five nights of camping at Proud Lake and Pure Michigan merchandise. Michigan’s state parks have reported a strong surge in campground visitors this year, with nearly a 9-percent increase in reservations over the 2014 season.

Firearm deer season is fast approaching, and other hunting seasons – including archery deer, turkey, waterfowl, pheasant and grouse – are already under way. Do you have your license yet? Save a trip this year and buy your license online!

The Office of the Great Lakes recently received a $205,000 federal grant to fund the purchase of 6.3 acres of land adjacent to Petoskey State Park in Emmet County. The DNR will serve as the landowner and manager to preserve the natural coastal habitat while providing additional public access for recreation. The land addition is just south of the current park, and includes 1,400 feet of undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline, extending the park’s uninterrupted natural shoreline to 7,300 feet.