Several state parks in southern Michigan will host volunteer stewardship workdays in June. 

The workdays support the first PlayCleanGo Awareness Week, taking place June 1–8, with events across North America encouraging outdoor enthusiasts to take action to avoid spreading invasive plants and pests while enjoying the activities they love.

Volunteers are needed to remove garlic mustard, an invasive plant that threatens native habitats. Workdays are an enjoyable way to spend time outdoors getting to know Michigan’s state parks and their unique ecosystems.  

“Garlic mustard is a good example of an invasive plant easily spread through outdoor activities,” said Heidi Frei, DNR natural resources steward. “The PlayCleanGo campaign is a simple reminder to clean shoes, clothing and gear before moving on to a new location. This can include brushing off mud, seeds and plant fragments and hosing down bikes and ORVs to ensure invasive species aren’t carried to the next destination.” 

Workdays are scheduled for:

• Saturday, June 1: Highland Recreation Area (Oakland County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, June 1: Warren Dunes State Park (Berrien County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, June 1: Van Buren State Park (Van Buren County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, June 5: Saugatuck Dunes State Park (Allegan County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, June 8: Bald Mountain Recreation Area (Oakland County), 9 a.m. to noon
• Saturday, June 8: Warren Dunes State Park (Berrien County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, June 15: Hoffmaster State Park (Muskegon County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, June 15: Warren Dunes State Park (Berrien County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, June 22: Ludington State Park (Mason County), 10 a.m. to noon.
• Saturday, June 22: Warren Dunes State Park (Berrien County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, June 22: Waterloo Recreation Area (Washtenaw County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, June 29: Highland Recreation Area (Oakland County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, June 29: Hoffmaster State Park (Muskegon County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Saturday, June 29: Warren Dunes State Park (Berrien County), 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For information on meeting locations and directions to parks and to complete the stewardship volunteer registration form, visit Michigan.gov/DNRVolunteers. See the Volunteer Calendar for event specifics.

Learn more about preventing the spread of invasive species by following the Take Action tab at Michigan.gov/Invasives.

It takes careful planning to keep Michigan’s 4 million acres of state forest healthy and thriving.

That’s why the DNR finalizes plans for each forest management unit two years in advance of when any management activities – prescribed burns, timber harvests or tree thinning, for example – take place.

This summer and fall, forest management recommendations for 2021 are being presented at open houses within those forest management units. The open houses give people the opportunity to speak with foresters, wildlife biologists and other resource professionals regarding the DNR’s plans.

Open houses coming up in June include:

• Baraga Forest Management Unit – Wednesday, June 19, at the Baraga DNR Customer Service Center.
• Gaylord Forest Management Unit – Wednesday, June 19, at the Gaylord Field Office and Thursday, June 20, at the Indian River Field Office.

See a full schedule of this year’s state forest management open houses.

About a month after each forest management unit’s open house, a public compartment review meeting also will take place. That’s where the foresters will present their final decisions on management activities for that unit. Compartment review meetings begin in July. The first month’s meetings include:

• Baraga Forest Management Unit – Friday, July 10, at the Baraga Customer Service Center.
• Gaylord Forest Management Unit – Friday, July 17, at Jay’s Sporting Goods, Gaylord.
• Pigeon River Forest Management Unit – Tuesday, July 16, at the Pigeon River Discovery Center, Vanderbilt.
• Gladwin Forest Management Unit – Wednesday, July 17, at the Gladwin Field Office.

See a full compartment review meeting schedule.

For more information – including a link to the interactive forest map showing details of forest management activities, and the forest open house and compartment review schedules – visit the public input section of the DNR’s Michigan.gov/Forestry webpage.

Hunters, anglers, trappers and other outdoor enthusiasts can help improve habitat for fish and wildlife on public lands as part of a volunteer program called On the Ground.

Administered by Michigan United Conservation Clubs through funding from the DNR, On the Ground has made a positive difference on more than 1,600 acres of public land throughout Michigan since the program began in 2013.

Volunteers improve fish and game habitat through weekend projects like building brush piles and removing invasive trees, installing fish spawning structures, hinge-cutting trees for deer and snowshoe hare, installing wood duck boxes, regenerating aspen stands and planting a variety of trees for wildlife food and cover.

On the Ground has projects planned throughout the summer months, ranging from river cleanups to tree plantings. Upcoming events include:

• June 21: Backus Creek State Game Area in Roscommon County.
• July 6: Clinton River cleanup.
• July 20: Manistee River cleanup.
• July 20: Gladwin State Game Area in Clare County.
• Aug. 4: Rose Lake State Wildlife Area in Clinton County.

For more information or to register for an On the Ground event, visit MUCC.org/On-the-Ground.