DNR Get Involved: state park volunteer opportunities, input on state forests

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DNR Get Involved - July 2019

scenic photo of a forest road with tree canopy

Here are a few ways to get involved in taking care of Michigan’s natural resources in July. For more opportunities to volunteer, contribute and provide input, visit Michigan.gov/DNRVolunteers.


Volunteer for state park stewardship workdays

group of volunteers with invasive knapweed they pulled

Volunteers are needed to remove invasive plants that threaten native habitats during stewardship workdays, taking place at several state parks in southern Michigan throughout July.

Workdays are an enjoyable way to spend time outdoors while restoring Michigan's ecosystems and learning about its inhabitants.

Workday details (including meeting locations, the stewardship volunteer registration form and links to individual park maps and directions) are available on the DNR website at Michigan.gov/DNRVolunteers. Volunteers are asked to register either by using the form or by emailing freih@michigan.gov.

July stewardship workdays:

  • Saturday, July 13: Grand Mere State Park (Berrien County): 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 13: Yankee Springs Recreation Area (Barry County): 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 14: Island Lake Recreation Area (Livingston County): 9 a.m. to noon
  • Saturday, July 20: Warren Dunes State Park (Berrien County): 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 27: Grand Mere State Park (Berrien County): 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Saturday, July 27: Yankee Springs Recreation Area (Barry County): 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Sunday, July 28: Pinckney Recreation Area (Washtenaw County): 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Have a say in how your state forests are managed

wildflowers by stream through forest

The DNR finalizes plans for management activities – prescribed burns, timber harvests or tree thinning, for example – two years before they are scheduled take place.

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

Open houses this year include, in July:

  • Traverse City Forest Management Unit – Wednesday, July 10 at the Traverse City Customer Service Center; Thursday, July 11 at the Kalkaska Field Office 
  • Atlanta Forest Management Unit – Wednesday, July 10 at the Atlanta Field Office 
  • 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 

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 coming up include:

  • Baraga Forest Management Unit – Wednesday, July 10 at the Baraga Customer Service Center
  • Gaylord Forest Management Unit – Wednesday, July 17 at Jay’s Sporting Goods, Gaylord
  • Traverse City Forest Management Unit – Tuesday, July 23 at the Traverse City Customer Service Center
  • Gladwin Forest Management Unit – Wednesday, July 31 at the Harrison Field Office

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.


Help restore grassland habitat at game areas

With Adopt-a-Game-Area, you can support grassland restoration projects on public lands you use and enjoy. These efforts benefit pheasants, deer, turkeys, waterfowl, songbirds and native pollinators and provide opportunities for hunting, birding and wildlife photography.

Share your thoughts at public meetings

One way you can share input and ideas on policy decisions, programs and other aspects of natural resource management and outdoor recreation opportunities is at meetings of the public bodies that advise the DNR. Find out more about upcoming meetings.