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Michigan Department of Natural Resources

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Top News

Young boy baiting the hook on his fishing pole.

Join the DNR for Hook, Line and Sinker, a weekly fishing program taught by DNR staff at over 30 state parks and hatcheries throughout the state! Learn casting and fishing basics; and we'll even provide the equipment and bait! Programs begin mid-June and continue throughout the summer. Check back often—we're adding new events daily!

Educators in the woods learning about logging

Scholarships Help Connect Early Education Teachers to Nature Children aged three to eight may not be able to explain the biology of a turtle, but they can experience its shape, movement and color. This summer at the DNR's Academy of Natural Resources (ANR), a new class will prepare and train educators to connect early learners with nature.
Find out more at www.michigan.gov/anr.

Come on out and play! Help your favorite park earn a $100,000 recreation grant from Coca-Cola. Learn more at coke.com/parks

State Parks and Recreation Areas Offer Birding Hotspots Birders can keep busy with 421 species of birds to look for in Michigan, one being the popularly sought after Kirtland's Warbler. One of the best kept secrets about bird watching in Michigan is that state parks and recreation areas offer some of the best bird watching spots in the state.

Wolverine in his natural Michigan habitat.

Michigan's "lone" wolverine touring the state Discovered in the thumb area in 2004, the wolverine roamed the Minden City State Game Area until its natural death in 2010. Originally displayed for nearly a year at the Saginaw Bay Visitor Center at the Bay City Recreation Area, the wolverine exhibit is now touring the state. Check the listing for exhibit locations in 2013. >>

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, Mackinaw City

Journey to Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse Look around. Ask questions. Immerse yourself. Inside this stately structure, it's always 1910, so welcome and discover.

Visitors to Colonial Michilimackinac gather outside the newly built rowhouse.

New programs, exhibits illustrate attack on Fort Michilimackinac 250 years ago Most Michigan school children have heard the story of when the Ojibwa tribe attacked Fort Michilimackinac. Now, 250 years later, the Department of Natural Resources is commemorating the attack with new a building and new programming at Fort Michilimackinac. A new rowhouse, which has been under construction since October 2011, has recently been completed and is now open to the public.

State Park Camping Reservations Make all of your campground and harbor reservations any time of the day. You can reserve your site up to 6 months in advance of the date you'd like to camp. Come out and enjoy the outdoors by reserving a destination everyone can enjoy.

Learn about the restructuring of hunting/fishing licenses

The 2013-14 Executive Budget for the DNR includes a proposal to raise the cost of hunting and fishing license fees as part of a plan to improve the state's fish and game habitat and hire additional conservation officers. License fees have not increased since 1997. Learn how this additional investment will aid the DNR in delivering better outdoor recreation experiences to Michigan residents and visitors.

Press Releases

• Hoist Basin boating access site to temporarily close July 22 for improvements The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today that on Monday July 22, the Hoist Basin boating access site in Marquette County will begin a temporary closure for installation of a new concrete boat ramp.

• Mann House in Concord becomes EMU classroom this week This week, Eastern Michigan University graduate students are making an 1883 Victorian house their classroom. The EMU graduate program in historic preservation will conduct its Documenting Collections course at the historic Mann House in Concord.

• Upgrade to DNR's license sales system to create better customer experience The Department of Natural Resources will be upgrading its license sales system, both in the stores and online, effective Thursday, June 20. These upgrades will streamline the buying process; customers will be able to make their purchases in fewer clicks, and new safeguards will be in place to prevent mistakes.