The DNR’s visitor centers are buzzing with activity, offering hands-on programs, outdoor adventures and family-friendly events across the state.

Go a little off the beaten path with weekend adventures that range from old-growth forest and logging museum tours at Hartwick Pines State Park to fish hatchery tours showcasing Michigan’s conservation efforts at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery.

Weekend guests at Saginaw Bay Visitor Center can also enjoy the all-new Tobico Marsh exhibit hall, and during the week, K-12 teachers can take advantage of field trips at locations like Oden State Fish Hatchery and the DNR Pocket Park in Escanaba.

Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center offers an ongoing sustainable craft series for all ages, and will host a family-friendly foraging workshop May 24. On weekends, grab-and-go scavenger hunt kits are available at the visitor center and at Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery during operating hours. The Eddy Discovery Center’s schedule includes a forest hike (May 9), a mindfulness hike (May 16) and a birds of prey presentation (May 17).

Outdoor enthusiasts can also build their skills through clinics offered by the Outdoor Skills Academy and the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program at DNR visitor centers. Upcoming opportunities include walleye and steelhead fishing workshops, a women’s turkey hunting clinic and seasonal mushroom classes running from now through August.

Whether you’re looking to learn new skills, explore Michigan’s natural beauty with your students or simply spend time outdoors with family and friends, the state’s visitor centers offer something for everyone. Explore your options at Michigan.gov/DNRVisitorCenters.

Questions? Contact Tracy Page, DNR Education Services manager, at 989-277-0630.

Join law enforcement officers along the Detroit River for an evening of fishing, 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, at Milliken State Park. Members of our local, county and state law enforcement departments will be on hand to assist and enjoy fishing with you during this Outdoor Adventure Center offsite program.

Everyone must be age 8 or older to participate. All fishing equipment will be provided, but anyone 17 or older who plans to fish will need a fishing license (available at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses). Participants under 17 may fish without a license.

Even though the weather has been warming up a bit, be sure to dress for outdoor activities. And bring your questions for the officers. (They love to talk about the work they do!)

Preregistration is required. Cost is $5 per family. Register for Fish with an Officer by May 9.

For questions about this and other OAC programs, email DNR-OAC@Michigan.gov or call 844-622-6367.

Spring turkey hunting? New rider on a quad? Prepping to launch a boat? Spring is the time to consider earning a recreational safety certificate in hunting, off-road vehicle riding or boating.

Safety certificates are proof that you’ve completed a program and understand the basic safety fundamentals for your chosen activity.

Hunter safety

Some 2026 spring turkey hunt periods began Saturday, April 18. If you still need to take a hunter safety class, sign up soon. These classes are commonly offered ahead of the spring turkey season or in the fall before the start of firearm deer season.

To purchase a hunting license in Michigan, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1960, is required to successfully complete an approved hunter safety education course.

Marine safety

In Michigan, people born before July 1, 1996, may legally operate a boat without restrictions. Those born on or after that date may legally operate a motorized boat over 6 horsepower only if they have been issued a boating safety certificate and have it in their possession. Anyone born on or after Dec. 31, 1978, must have a boater safety certificate to legally operate a personal watercraft (such as a Jet Ski).

ORV safety

An ORV safety certificate is required for all operators under the age of 16 — a requirement that applies anywhere in Michigan, including on private property. Learn more about ORV age restrictions and safety certificates.

Misplaced any of your safety certificates? No worries, you can request a duplicate.

Questions? Email DNR-LED-RecSafety@Michigan.gov.

On city paths and wooded trails, with four-legged companions and friends and family, participants in this spring’s Run for the Trees: Happy Little (Virtual) 5K showed up to run, walk and roll in support of tree-planting and forest-protection efforts.

More than 13,000 people, in Michigan and across 17 other states, took part in this DNR virtual event that honors iconic art instructor and television host Bob Ross. The annual event took place the week of Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 24).

In 2026, five additional states – Illinois, Kansas, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Vermont – joined the program that began in Michigan in 2019 as a collaboration between the DNR and Bob Ross Inc. Other participating states include Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Participants, who each received a Happy Little T-shirt, sticker, commemorative bib and finisher’s medal, selected their preferred state to support with their registration.

The 2026 event brought in a total of $257,000 for tree-planting and forest-protection efforts, with each state receiving a portion based on their participant numbers. Event proceeds included nearly $50,000 in donations; when signing up, registrants could elect to donate beyond the price of their race entry, with these funds also going toward forest-health protection efforts.

“One of the most meaningful parts of Happy Little Trees 5K is seeing families and friends come together for this event,” said Michelle O’Kelly, race director and fund and resource developer for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. “They’re sharing miles and laughter, and they’re creating traditions that grow year after year.”

In Michigan, funds raised support the purchase of native trees and shrubs, seed collection and forest canopy protection within state parks. Visitors to state parks where trees have been planted will see bright green "Happy Little Trees Ahead" signs to note the program’s important contributions.

This year’s funds specifically will help forest health technicians in the DNR Parks and Recreation Division continue to protect hemlock forest in state parks from hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive insect that attacks hemlock trees, causing significant ecological damage and tree mortality.

“Our aim is to treat and protect an additional 18,000 trees in Michigan state parks and approximately 400 acres of sensitive landscapes,” said Heidi Frei, forest health specialist with the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. “Without management, trees infected with hemlock woolly adelgid will die, forever altering sensitive ecological landscapes and public recreation lands and potentially creating dangerous conditions in the parks.”

Happy Little 5K is part of the DNR’s tree-planting program, which has produced more than 100,000 native plants, shrubs and trees since its start in 2004. With support from the Bob Ross partnership, more than 2,100 trees have been planted in 20 Michigan state parks. (Note: The departmentwide impact, which includes growing and planting efforts across the DNR’s parks and recreation, forestry and wildlife divisions, is even bigger: In 2025 alone, the DNR planted more than 6 million trees!)

Registration for the 2027 Run for the Trees: Happy Little (Virtual) 5K will open this fall. Watch the registration site for more details.

Questions? Contact Michelle O’Kelly at 517-899-5211.