Michigan’s Top Ten Wildlife Conservation Success Stories
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Wildlife Council (MWC) today unveiled its inaugural “Top 10” list of wildlife management success stories to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the law that established the organization and in conjunction with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proclaiming July as Michigan Wildlife Conservation Month.
The “Top 10” list coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the passage of legislation that established the Michigan Wildlife Council. The MWC is a bipartisan-approved panel tasked by the Legislature with educating the public on the importance of wildlife management and the role hunting and fishing play in protecting and enhancing Michigan’s wildlife and natural resources.
In addition, Whitmer’s declaration of July as “Michigan Wildlife Conservation Month” reflects that July 1 marks the 85th anniversary of the effective date for the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, which ensured a percentage of money from hunting equipment purchases would go to wildlife management projects nationwide.
“We developed our Top 10 list as part of our ongoing educational campaign to raise public awareness about the prominent role hunting and fishing play in conservation and wildlife management,” said MWC Chairman Nick Buggia. “Some of the species on our list and still others not on it might have disappeared completely from the Michigan landscape had it not been for the funding resulting from the sale of fishing and hunting licenses.”
Hunting and fishing license sales are the state’s primary funding source for conservation and wildlife management. The revenue has allowed dedicated professionals and volunteers to make habitat improvements, take measures to prevent diseases and work to restore wildlife populations to sustainable levels.
While hunting and fishing enthusiasts pick up most of the tab for wildlife management, the benefits extend to all Michiganders and visitors by preserving and protecting our waters, forests, lands and trails and all the wonderful natural resources that make our state so special.
“It is so important to understand that fishing and hunting license sales are the main state funding source for public efforts to be good stewards of the environment that we all cherish,” said Amy Trotter, executive director of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs. “That’s why hunting and fishing is great for Michigan, great for the environment and great for our economy.”
A 2019 study released by the MUCC in partnership with Michigan State University showed hunting and fishing have a combined $11.2 billion economic impact on Michigan and provide an estimated 171,000 jobs.
Licenses purchased by more than 1.7 million anglers and hunters generated $66.1 million for the Michigan Game and Fish Protection Fund in 2022. The fund is the DNR’s largest revenue source and is critical to its conservation and wildlife management work. The sale of hunting and fishing equipment raised an additional $32 million to support wildlife and natural resource management.
The Top 10 represents only a sampling of the many wildlife management projects undertaken over the years and funded by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, Buggia said.
“Michigan has long been a national leader in wildlife management and conservation. It is important to reflect upon and celebrate our success stories and the added value they bring to our environment, economy and quality of life,” Buggia said.
The MWC Top 10
- Kirtland’s warbler — Wildlife management practices have increased the population to over 2,000 nesting pairs, more than double the recovery goal.
- Moose — More than a century ago, moose no longer existed in the Lower Peninsula and only a handful remained in the Upper Peninsula. Today, the DNR estimates there are as many as 500 or so in the U.P.
- Pheasant — The DNR has partnered with Michigan Pheasants Forever and other conservation organizations to conserve and increase the population of pheasants.
- Osprey — After toxic insecticides, loss of breeding grounds and poaching threatened the osprey population’s survival, few wildlife restoration programs have been as successful.
- Lake Sturgeon — The fish are thriving after man-made spawning reefs were constructed in the Detroit/St. Clair River system, where half of the state’s sturgeon population lives.
- Wild Turkey — Careful habitat management and strategic relocation efforts have led to population increases in Michigan from 2,000 in 1960 to over 200,000 today.
- Ruffed Grouse — The DNR and the Ruffed Grouse Society of Michigan have partnered to restore thousands of acres of aspen forests and plant fruiting trees like crabapples and hawthorns to provide food sources.
- Elk — In 2019, the elk population in Michigan was estimated at nearly 1,200, exceeding population goals of 500-900.
- Muskellunge — From overfished to thriving, the muskie population in Michigan has risen substantially. In 2016, the DNR stocked more than 25,000 muskies in Michigan waters.
- Wood Duck — Conserving wooded wetlands, establishing appropriate hunting regulations and placing artificial nesting boxes in wetland habitats have brought the species back from near extinction.
For details on the Top 10 and other conservation and wildlife management success stories, see www.HereForMiOutdoors.org.
