The Department of Natural Resources will have certain facilities open for business with the public on the six days that state employees will be furloughed as part of state budget cuts, while other facilities will be closed.

"While the employees of the DNR will be doing their part to help ease the state's budget situation by taking six days off without pay, we will keep certain facilities open to the public on those days by arranging for minimal staff and furloughing staff on other days to accommodate scheduling," said DNR Director Rebecca Humphries. "Other facilities will be closed, like other state department offices around the state."

Most state employees will be subject to six days off without pay over the next four months as part of state budget reductions. Those days are all Fridays, with the exception of Monday, July 6. The Fridays that are furlough days are: June 19, July 24, Aug. 7 and 21 and Sept. 4.

DNR facilities and services that will be available to the public those days include:

-- All state parks, state recreation areas and state forest campgrounds (with the exception of forest campgrounds that were closed earlier this year) will be open with minimal staff for operations.

-- Conservation officers will work on the furlough days and be furloughed instead on staggered days throughout the same week to minimize impact on statewide coverage.

-- The DNR's Report All Poaching (RAP) Room will be minimally staffed to ensure public access to the DNR's 24-hour law enforcement hotline.

-- State fire officers will work in skeleton crews to ensure statewide coverage.

-- The state's six fish hatcheries will be closed to the public, but will each have one person working on the furlough days to ensure operations are not jeopardized by an unforeseen event, such as a power failure.

-- The Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center, a DNR conference and event center near Roscommon, will be open on furlough days to accommodate previously scheduled events.

-- DNR-owned boating access sites and boat harbors will be open, some with minimal staff.

-- The Retail Sales System to purchase hunting and fishing licenses and the Campground Reservation System to make reservations at state parks and recreation areas will be operational.

DNR facilities and services that will not be available to the public on the state furlough days include:

-- All DNR divisional offices in Lansing, and field offices and Operations Service Centers across the state will be closed.

-- The 10 DNR visitor centers around the state will be closed.

-- Five of the DNR's six shooting ranges will be closed on furlough days. Island Lake Shooting Range at Island Lake State Recreation Area in Livingston County will be open because it is operated by a private concessionaire, and not DNR employees.

-- The DNR Wildlife Disease Lab at the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health at Michigan State University will be closed.

-- No DNR volunteers will be working on furlough days.

-- DNR creel clerks will not be doing survey work at harbors and ports around the state on furlough days.

Humphries noted that the department does have an emergency call-back plan that will be activated in the event of an emergency, such as a wildfire, on furlough days.

"We hope that the public will not be greatly inconvenienced by this unfortunate, but necessary, occurrence," Humphries said. "DNR employees will do their best to make sure that our guests and customers are not impacted as they enjoy Michigan's great outdoors."

For more information on the DNR, visit the DNR online at www.michigan.gov/dnr.