Ask Michigan residents what careers there are at the DNR and most would respond with some of the more well-known jobs such as park ranger or conservation officer. Important positions, yes, but there are many other people who do a variety of work for the department in roles you might not ever have considered!

To highlight some of these career paths and opportunities, we've put together two new videos so you can hear from the employees themselves about the work they do, what it means and how they got started. Earlier this year, we shared the first batch (fisheries research biologist, park interpreter and deputy public information officer).

In the new installments:

• Harbormaster Derrick Horn talks about his work at Mackinac Island State Harbor. Horn and his crew run the day-to-day operations, help dock boats, assign slips, ensure visitors have a safe, welcoming space, and maintain this Clean Marina-certified spot that is the destination harbor of northern Michigan.
• Forest fire officers Jake Burton, Jen Hansen (pictured), Brendt Sheridan and Nick Wheeler discuss the diversity of their work – responding to wildland fires, assisting local fire departments and managing prescribed burns – and its direct influence on outdoor recreation, a thriving timber industry and healthy fish and wildlife.

Inspired? Check out the full Michigan DNR Careers YouTube playlist to see all five showcased positions. We’ll continue to add new videos as they’re completed. In the meantime, learn about DNR career pathways and job opportunities at Michigan.gov/DNRJobs.

Each winter, Michigan’s landscapes transition from bustling migration activity and bursts of color to leafless trees and frozen ground. This quiet season allows us to hear and see large feathered visitors from the north, such as snowy owls (pictured), boreal owls, great gray owls and northern hawk owls. Surprisingly, these owls spend the winter in Michigan each year for its warmer, balmier weather, which is considerably warmer than the northern boreal forests and Arctic tundra they left behind!

January and February are the best time of year for an owling trip, and Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula is one of the best areas to view winter owls. The Shore to Shore Birding Trail can help guide you. Birding trails are driving routes with specific stops identified that offer bird viewing opportunities and can highlight natural and cultural features of local communities.

Learn how to identify these rare visitors, as well as our year-round resident owls including great horned, eastern screech and barred owls (pictured). These vocal flyers will start to hoot and holler at dusk and dawn in January and February to establish their nesting territories and find a mate.

If you manage to encounter one of Michigan’s wise birds, please follow these best practices:

• Give owls space. View owls from a distance with binoculars or a scope.
• Don’t lure owls with audio recordings. Hearing another owl’s call can be stressful.
• Leave “live baiting” to the pros. Owls can learn to associate food with people and be drawn to dangerous areas like roads or airports.
• Submit your eBird observation to scientists, but keep them hidden from the general public. Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Happy owling!

MI Birds is a public outreach and education program presented by Audubon Great Lakes and the Michigan DNR that works to build and bring together wildlife enthusiasts across the state to engage with and conserve Michigan's birds, wildlife and public lands.

Questions? Contact Erin Rowan Ford at 313-820-0809.

Starting Friday, Dec. 15, fat-tire biking at Silver Lake State Park in Oceana County is back, with cyclists invited to climb snow-capped dunes and cruise the sandy Lake Michigan shoreline all winter long. It’s a heart-pumping adventure, thanks to the low-impact cardio and the awe-inspiring views.

The park is home to 450 acres of motorized dune riding. Each summer, thousands of motorcycles, quads, four-wheelers and other off-road vehicles descend on these sugar-sand dunes, the only sand dune riding opportunity east of the Mississippi River. Come winter, the recreation options switch to shoreline horseback riding (Nov. 1-30) and then to fat-tire biking (Dec. 15-March 15).

The shoreline and dune opportunities are part of the DNR's ongoing efforts to expand off-season outdoor recreation in the Silver Lake ORV Area.

“Fat-tire biking at Silver Lake draws cyclists of varying ages and experience levels,” said Jody Johnston, Silver Lake State Park manager. “It’s a one-of-a-kind outdoor activity that capitalizes on the area’s natural features and beauty, and we’re excited to bring it back for a second season.”

During the fat-tire biking season, cyclists on the sand dunes enjoy rolling through elevation changes of 80-100 feet, access to Lake Michigan and sunsets over the lake from the top of the dunes. There is no cost or registration.

For season information, including rules, maps, tips and other details, visit Michigan.gov/SilverLake. A Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks. A Recreation Passport self-pay station is available at the lot entrance.

For general questions about the park and season, call the park's main office at 231-873-3083. For media inquiries, email park manager Jody Johnston at JohnstonJ3@Michigan.gov.

The next meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission – Thursday, Dec. 14, in Lansing – leads off with a Fisheries Committee agenda that includes a discussion of the DNR’s lake sturgeon management plan. The Wildlife Committee follows with a deer season update from DNR deer, elk and moose management specialist Chad Stewart.

The meeting also will include presentations of a Lifesaving Award from the DNR Law Enforcement Division and the Shikar Safari Officer of the Year Award, along with several land use orders, land transactions and a legislative update.

The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. in West Campus Rooms M119-121 of Lansing Community College, 5708 Cornerstone Drive, in Lansing.

See the draft meeting agenda at Michigan.gov/NRC. For more information, email NRC@Michigan.gov.