Wildlife managers in the Department of Natural Resources know that perception can become reality unless false conclusions are addressed promptly and effectively. They also know that when it comes to the practice of wildlife management public perceptions are shaped by many factors outside their control.

So even though wildlife professionals are in a position to influence sportsmen and sportswomen, their messages often are forced to compete with conflicting messages in the outdoor media.

One common message is instant gratification; new gadgets, for instance, seem guaranteed to produce immediate results. So the resource stewardship and conservation message often is lost in the relentless pursuit of the '30-point' buck as popularized in today's outdoor culture.

Wildlife managers, however, face a different problem: it sometimes takes many years for wildlife habitat projects to bear fruit.

Often, when the DNR works with sportsmen's groups on special projects, the wildlife professionals get the chance to illustrate to those involved the conservation principles at work. Unfortunately, only a handful of sportsmen get to view the work up close.

The vast majority, who may not be aware of these projects or who may not fully understand their significance, are left in the dark. As a result, many become disenfranchised with wildlife management and the DNR as a whole, even though both are committed to achieving the same outcome.

A good example of this is the DNR's Winter Deer Habitat Range Conservation Initiative, which includes the purchase of 13,000 acres of critical deer-yard habitat. The initiative enjoys solid public and political support because of concerted efforts to engage the sporting public in the U.P.

"We're reaching out to more sportsmen as we work to improve range conditions for white-tailed deer across the Upper Peninsula," said Bill Scullon, wildlife biologist at the DNR's Escanaba field office. "Although our range-improvement projects are always ongoing, especially for winter deer yards, they've taken on a much higher profile in recent years."

Building on that success, the DNR is embarking on a new public initiative in the U.P., known as the Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative (DHIPI), which is a natural extension of its long-standing deer range improvement program.

"The purpose of the Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative is to develop a cooperative approach to target habitat improvement across multiple ownerships," Scullon said.

The goal is to produce tangible habitat improvement in both summer and winter range while fostering public education and productive relationships between the DNR, other governmental entities, sportsmen's clubs, nongovernmental organizations, private individuals and other partners across the Upper Peninsula.

"The DNR hopes to showcase these collaborative habitat improvement projects across the region to improve relationships between local wildlife field staff and all of the stakeholders in the community," Scullon said. ""There will be a major emphasis on education, so the public is informed of the necessity and the benefits of the work being done."

The initiative involves two types of projects: those developed by DNR staff with external partners for implementation on state-owned lands and habitat improvement project proposals generated by external partners for a wide array of ownerships. Nomination of potential projects will come from DNR personnel as well as external partners.

"These projects will address real resource needs, not just public expectations," Scullon explained. "Projects will be implemented using ecosystem management principles so the benefits mesh with desired future conditions of the eco-regional plans."

The DNR has allocated money from its deer range improvement program to carry out the projects, with an allocation to be split between the Western U.P. and Eastern U.P. Wildlife Management Units.

While final development of the Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative continues, several collaboratively developed projects have been approved and will begin implementation this spring.

In the Eastern U.P., DNR biologist Terry Minzey is working on projects that include reestablishing beech and expanding oak types in the forest.

"We hope these projects will increase hard-mast production in areas heavily impacted by beech bark disease," Minzey said. "Plans call for improving grassy openings -- through prescribed burns or mechanical treatments -- adjacent to deer yards, in areas where deer emerge in the spring."

In the Western U.P., work will focus on replacing oaks lost to oak wilt disease by targeting oak recovery in the south-central U.P. Prescribed burns for spring "break-out areas" will enhance wildlife openings in the forest there, too.

"Several chapters of U.P. Whitetails are among the partners that have signed on to collaborate on this project," Scullon said.

Providing long-lasting wildlife habitat improvements take time, but state wildlife managers hope the efforts of the Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative will produce educational benefits, leaving a better-informed public that will trust the DNR and foster a stewardship ethic among participants that will last a lifetime.