The Michigan DNR's Roscommon Equipment Center is hosting an in-depth equipment workshop October 5-9 at the Forest Fire Experiment Station. The event features equipment demonstrations, facility tours, field days, and networking opportunities for fire department chiefs and wildland fire professionals. Registration closes August 31 with space limited to 16 attendees.
The Utah Wildlife Board approved introducing white sturgeon into Hobbs Reservoir and Grantsville Reservoir, updated wildlife management area access rules to allow free digital permits after watching an educational video, and approved multiple upland game and turkey hunting rule changes including mandatory harvest reporting and increased control permits.
Vermont Fish and Wildlife is offering a one-week Wildlife Management and Outdoor Education Techniques course July 19-24 at Buck Lake Conservation Camp in Woodbury. The course, taught by Vermont Fish and Wildlife and Agency of Natural Resources staff through Vermont State University, helps educators integrate wildlife and habitat information into their curriculum. Tuition is $710, including three graduate credits, meals, and lodging.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Fish Math program, created by education specialist Ryan Schmaltz and former coordinator Dave Hagengruber, teaches students about fish population estimation through a mark-recapture simulation. The activity has been added to Project Wild's curriculum, allowing educators worldwide to incorporate it into classrooms.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission meetings scheduled for June 11 and 12 in North Platte will be held at Mid-Plains Community College North Campus in the W.W. Wood Building. Meeting agendas and proposed regulation changes are available on OutdoorNebraska.gov.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources' Eastern Upper Peninsula Citizens' Advisory Council will meet June 18 in St. Ignace to discuss wolf abundance trail camera surveys, moose research, and parks and recreation projects. Contact Kristi Dahlstrom at dahlstromk@michigan.gov or 906-226-1331 for virtual meeting details.
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission provides essential water safety tips for summer recreation, including swimming with a friend, wearing U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, avoiding alcohol, and monitoring weather conditions to prevent drowning and boating accidents.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' Region 6 Citizen Advisory Committee will meet July 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at FWP Region 6 Headquarters in Glasgow. The public is welcome to attend the meeting featuring regional updates and CAC roundtable discussions.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking public comment on environmental assessments including recovering northern leopard frogs in western Montana and a Foys to Blacktail conservation easement project with the Flathead Land Trust. The Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting on June 12 also accepts in-person and virtual comments.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the city of Jeffersonville celebrated the opening of a 0.35-mile Ohio River Greenway extension, funded by a $2,359,832 grant. The trail connects Jeffersonville to Clarksville, New Albany, and Louisville, supporting Governor Mike Braun's outdoor recreation initiatives.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will host a free bear awareness event on June 24 at their Missoula office from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Participants can practice using bear spray and learn safety information from FWP staff.
The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and Michigan Department of Natural Resources celebrate 50 years of impact by highlighting over $45 million in Detroit Riverfront improvements, including Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park, William G. Milliken State Park, and the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center, made possible through partnerships with the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has selected Malia Freeman as the new communication and education program manager for Region 1 in northwest Montana. Freeman joins FWP from the Flathead City-County Health Department, where she served as public information officer and population health supervisor for six years.
Michigan's Department of Natural Resources is hosting multiple June meetings for advisory boards and commissions including the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, Michigan Trails Advisory Council, State Parks Advisory Committee, Timber and Forest Products Advisory Council, and Waterways Commission to discuss natural resource management and outdoor recreation opportunities.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the town of Otterbein celebrated completion of the 0.9-mile Dirk Studebaker Trail on May 29, funded by a $718,720 DNR grant. The multi-use asphalt trail connects the town, Otterbein Commons, and Otterbein Foods, providing safe pedestrian and bicycle access along Oxford Street in Tippecanoe County.
An Indianapolis woman survived a near-drowning on Sugar Creek after bystander Cole Riggleman pulled her from the water. Dr. James Malenkos led CPR efforts that restored her pulse after 12 minutes. She was airlifted to IU Methodist Hospital with assistance from Bloomingdale EMT Casey Bault and multiple emergency agencies.
The Michigan DNR will remove the aging Roberts Lake Dam in Cheboygan County in August and replace it with a 16-foot-span bottomless box culvert. The project, funded by America's Ecosystem Restoration Initiative, involves the DNR, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, Cheboygan County Road Commission, Huron Pines, J.E. Tiffany & Sons LLC, and Team Elmers.
Southeast Michigan students can participate in free outdoor learning programs this summer through the DNR's Stepping Stones program and Detroit Outdoors partnerships. Programs include the Harsens Island Research Adventure at Algonac State Park, Pigeon River State Forest Camping Trip supported by B.O.A.T., and the Outdoor Adventure Center Teen City Explorers Day Camp featuring collaborations with Detroit Riverfront Conservancy and Detroit Parks and Recreation.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is accepting public comment on multiple environmental assessments and proposals, including the East End Colony Private Pond License Review, Whitebird Creek Bridge Replacement, Thompson Chain of Lakes Fuels Reduction, North Shore WMA Annual Crop Production, Stimson Lumber Co Conservation Easement, and Sportsman's Bridge Fishing Access Site Disposal, with comment deadlines ranging from May 31 to June 7.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks added four items to the June 12 Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting agenda, including Elk Hunting Access Agreements, MaltEurop water lease renewal, beaver translocations, and mountain lion regulations for Charles M. Russell and UL Bend National Wildlife Refuges. Public comment deadline is June 7.