The rifle and pistol ranges at Island Lake State Recreation Area near Brighton will be closed for repairs starting Thursday, July 17, the Department of Natural Resources announced today. The ranges will reopen on Thursday, July 31.

Earthen berms at the ranges will be repaired for the first time in nearly 10 years, according to Dennis Fox, DNR supervisor for Recruitment and Retention Programs. Due to safety needs for work crews who will be operating heavy equipment in the area, the ranges will be closed temporarily during the repair work. The sporting clays, trap and skeet shooting services at the range will remain available to the public.

The repairs are necessary to ensure that more costly work on the berms does not have to be done in the future. Berms are used at the ranges to stop and contain shot. The repairs are being funded by the Game and Fish Protection Fund, a restricted fund comprised of hunting and fishing license fees, and federal funding, Fox said.

For more information on shooting sports programs at Island Lake or any of the other five DNR-operated shooting ranges in southern Michigan, visit the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr. In addition to Island Lake, the DNR operates shooting ranges at Ortonville State Recreation Area in Lapeer County, Sharonville Shooting Range at Grass Lake in Jackson County, Rose Lake Shooting Range near Bath in Clinton County, and Pontiac Lake and Bald Mountain in Oakland County. DNR-operated shooting ranges are open Thursday through Monday from Nov. 16 through Sept. 30, Wednesday through Monday during the month of October and seven days a week from Nov. 1-15. Operating hours for Rose Lake and Sharonville are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Operating hours for Island Lake, Ortonville, Pontiac Lake and Bald Mountain are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.