Showcasing the DNR

Partnerships between the DNR and student programs across the state aren’t new, but they are growing, particularly within the Parks and Recreation Division, where such collaborations provide hands-on, real-world experience to youth while assisting the DNR in important ways that positively impact communities throughout Michigan.

The tiny, gray-and-yellow bird known as the Kirtland’s warbler is a lot of things: extremely rare, a conservation success story and a life-list must for birdwatchers who flock to Michigan to see or hear the bird each season.

A reflection on changing populations of birds and other wildlife and appreciating what is here to enjoy today.

On May 14, 2003, an earthen dam burst on the Silver Lake Basin at the head of the Dead River in Marquette County, setting loose an estimated 9 billion gallons of water. What has followed in the two decades since the devastating Dead River flood has been a concerted effort to restore the river course in the upper reaches near the Silver Lake Dam and to direct compensation for damages toward worthwhile projects benefitting natural resources and public outdoor recreation.