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State parks stewardship
State parks are more than just scenic escapes, they provide vital infrastructure that purifies our air, protects diverse wildlife habitat and connects people with the natural world and outdoor recreation. Through dedicated stewardship efforts, the DNR works to protect and sustain these natural resources for years to come.
In-progress natural resources stewardship plans
Wilderness State Park
Later this spring, an opportunity to review Wilderness State Park's natural resource stewardship plan draft will be announced.
Volunteer for a stewardship workday
Volunteer stewardship workdays engage volunteers through hands-on restoration and education as they help remove invasive plants threatening high-quality ecosystems in state parks across southern lower Michigan. Volunteers learn plant identification, see rare ecosystems, connect with others and more. No experience is necessary and equipment and instruction are provided.
A moment in time: Inside our photo monitoring efforts
Volunteers and stewardship staff play important roles in photo monitoring, which provides critical data that assist in identifying proper management approaches. These time-lapse videos reveal the ways natural areas change over time.
Protecting animal and plant species, and the natural areas in which they live, is at the heart of photo monitoring efforts in our state parks. It’s a longstanding project – starting in the 1990s – that reveals how dunes, forests, marshes and other landscapes change over time.