With more than 5 million visits to Belle Isle last year, the Detroit island park is among the most-visited state parks in the country! 

People come for a variety of reasons – cooling off at the beach, grilling with family and friends, a giant slide, access to hiking trails and paddling, food trucks, outdoor gardens, exotic and rare plant collections, and historic architecture. Whether guests get there on foot or by bike, vehicle or Detroit Department of Transportation bus, that’s an incredible amount of traffic and activity to accommodate. 

While public interest in Belle Isle is good news, increased visitation and use come with new challenges, such as traffic and parking demands. The DNR wants to hear your observations and suggestions about traffic flow, parking and movement around the island via a public survey open through Feb. 19. This survey is part of a comprehensive mobility study to make movement on the island easier, and your input is critical to making this effort a success.

Neary 2,500 people already have completed the survey, but park managers and study coordinators are hoping that number reaches 5,000 in order to get feedback and ideas from a broad cross-section of Belle Isle visitors – the people who use, love and know the park best.

Find more information on the survey and the multimodal mobility study at Michigan.gov/BelleIsle.

Questions? Contact Amanda Treadwell at 313-269-7430.

If you or someone you know is seeking valuable experience working in wildlife conservation – or just an interesting job that gets you outdoors – apply now for one of 100 spring and summer positions with the DNR Wildlife Division.

The division regularly hires staff to work at DNR field offices, customer service centers and state game areas. Seasonal staff helps in several areas, such as:

• Assisting with wildlife habitat maintenance and improvement, which may include farming, planting trees, cutting forest clearings and using water control structures to adjust water levels in wetland areas.
• Mowing, landscaping and other facility maintenance duties.
• Helping with wildlife surveys, wildlife sample collection, crop damage inspections, nuisance animal control, and equipment operation and maintenance.

“These positions are perfect for college students, entry-level wildlife professionals, those looking to re-enter the workforce, and seniors or retirees who want to be involved in the outdoors,” said Jennifer Schafer, human resources liaison with the Wildlife Division.

Sound like you? Apply for seasonal wildlife job openings by Feb. 26.

Learn more about seasonal positions with the Wildlife Division – and other opportunities throughout the department – at Michigan.gov/DNRJobs.

Questions? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 or DNR-Wildlife-HR-and-Development@Michigan.gov.

Tune in for another great year of all things habitat, feathers, fur and beyond, with the DNR's "Wildtalk" podcast.

In February's episode, hosts Rachel Leightner and Hannah Schauer talk with John Niewoonder, field operations manager for the DNR Wildlife Division's southwest region, about habitat in southwest Michigan, how to help forest birds, and tips for preventing conflicts with foxes and coyotes this spring.

Learn more about wildlife and habitat in Michigan on the first of every month, when new episodes of “Wildtalk” release. Find the newest episode and listen to past episodes at Michigan.gov/DNRWildtalk, or on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.

Questions or comments about the show? Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453 or DNR-Wildlife@Michigan.gov.

Munching through the canopy, choking out seedlings or wilting backyard trees – invasive insects and diseases that target plants and trees threaten the health of Michigan’s forests.

Forest health experts at the DNR work to protect our trees and forests. Their work is summarized in an annual report covering the status of key forest health issues.

The 2022 Forest Health Highlights report shares details on the first detections of beech leaf disease and spotted lanternfly in Michigan. It also showcases university research that reveals progress on some of our toughest battles, collaborative work to protect forests and techniques to guide landowners in caring for their trees.

“Thanks to the collaboration of partners across the state, we are learning new techniques to protect trees and keeping watch for invasive plants and forest pests and diseases,” said DNR Forest Health Program manager Sue Tangora. 

Questions? Contact the forest health team at DNR-FRD-Forest-Health@Michigan.gov.