Celebrate the wonders of Michigan mammals with a week of programming in many state parks July 8-14. The annual Michigan Mammals Week will feature mammal hikes, animal tracking programs, games and many other fun, educational activities for the whole family.

Michigan Mammals Week programs are offered at more than 40 state parks and recreation areas. To find a program near you, visit the Michigan Mammals Week webpage.

You can find current information about all state park nature programs throughout the summer at Michigan.gov/NaturePrograms. Explorer guides, in the parks from Memorial Day through the end of August, host a variety of programs featuring each location’s rich and varied natural resources.

Registration is now open for the Michigan Iron Industry Museum's popular Iron Ore Heritage Trail bike tours. Offered on July 12, 19, and 26, the tours take cyclists on an approximately five-hour, 16-mile journey to explore historic sites and discover stories of the Marquette iron range.

Led by museum historian Troy Henderson, the tour pedals to the Jackson Mine, and then continues into Ishpeming, making several stops along the way, including Old Towne Negaunee and the site of the Pioneer Furnace.

Tours start at 9 a.m.; preregistration is required. A $25 fee includes the guided tour and lunch. Learn more and register.

Experience Civil War Army life during the Battery D Civil War Encampment at Fort Wilkins Historic State Park July 26-28 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday). Recreating the volunteer artillery unit organized in 1861 at White Pigeon, Michigan, the group interprets Army life of the period, demonstrating artillery drills, period cooking and soldiers' pastimes. The encampment features costumed interpreters, tents, a depiction of army barracks life and full-scale artillery pieces, as well as authentically reproduced mess gear, small arms and other period artifacts such as clothing and flags.

Demonstrations throughout the weekend include Civil War medical and undertaking procedures, Sunday morning church service, and cannon and small-arms firing drills.

Know kids who love to go fishing but hate waiting to see if their mom, dad or another adult wants to go? Why not have them plan the outing themselves?

Kids can initiate their next fishing trip by finding their gear, locating a place to fish and asking an adult to go with them. Maybe they’d like to locate a spot nearby by searching through the Family Friendly Fishing Waters website? Or visit one of several state parks or visitor centers that offer instruction on how to fish through the Hook, Line and Sinker program? The options are almost endless!

Or plan to head out on Saturday, Aug. 3 – the third annual Take an Adult Fishing Day in Michigan. On that day, we'll ask anybody who takes an adult fishing to share their picture with us using the hashtag #TakeAnAdultFishing. We'll randomly select a few winners to receive a fishing gear prize.

Summer is the perfect time to prepare for fall hunting seasons. Take the time now to complete a hunter safety education course before school resumes. We offer hunter safety education in a traditional classroom setting and as a self-paced, online course (with one required field day). Don’t fall behind by waiting until the fall – earn your hunter safety certificate today!

In addition to being available online, hunter safety education will be offered in the traditional classroom setting in 25 counties during July.

Find a class near you and register at Michigan.gov/RecreationalSafety.