Fellow MWTHA member Dave Bearden was considering a plan to raise funds to create habitat on the Brighton Recreation Area and the Pinckney State Game Area. He could not receive any answers or commitment locally so we brought it up at the meeting. We still have no answers or commitment.We inquired what action will be taken to deal with the decline in turkey numbers in northern Michigan. Apparently nothing. Why was a fall sea- son continued after we had requested that one not be held because of a declining turkey population. One was held anyway. Why? Just because. We had requested that the fall season not be moved up three weeks early. It went through anyway. Why? Someone in the Saginaw Field and Stream Club wanted it. We questioned their reported 200,000 Wild Turkeys in Michigan. They have nothing to back this up. Although we assured them that we would have ample time the meeting concluded. We had intended on addressing the use of the restricted Turkey Fund, where it is not going and how many turkeys benefited. We were going to inquire why the DNR was op- posed to Senate Bill 412 that we had introduced.
The State Chapter meeting was held at Clare on 8/19/12. Among the many items discussed was Senate Bill 412, the meeting with Russ Mason as described above. Pending winter survival program and the high price of corn and 2011 spring turkey hunter survey by the DNR.
On 9/19/12 participated at Outdoor Day at the Pine River High School. Four presentations of our Wild Turkey program were given. On 9/29/12 attended the Deer Advisory Team meeting for the Northern Lower Peninsula at the RAM Center at Higgins Lake. Gave a presentation on required deer habitat as written in the 1971 DNR Deer Range Improvement Plan.
On 10/17/12 attended a meeting at DNR headquarters in Lansing with DNR director Keith Creigh and deputy Bill Moritz and with Bob Jacobson, president of the Michigan Conservation Foundation. Highlights of our meeting included: the loss of hunters and the loss of game within our state forests, the lack of wildlife management on our state forests, the misuse of OUR restricted Wild Turkey Fund, the 23006 Huron-Manistee National Forest Plan as it related to our state forest and discussed problems that we see with antler point restrictions. Result of the 250 mile round trip and the meeting thus far? We are still waiting.
On 11/4/12 attended the MUCC District 13 meeting at the Harrison Sportsman Club. On 12/4/12 attended the DBR State Forests compartment reviews for the Cadillac district that includes Osceola, Lake Missauke and Wexford counties. Pressed to manage for woodcock, grouse, hare, rabbits, deer and turkeys. Related that the continuing loss of hunters is directly related to the loss of game on our state forests.
On 12/5/12 attended the day dong Michigan Resource Stewards meeting at Clare. At the meeting there are more conservation experts than found anywhere in our country. On 12/8/12 attended the MUCC board of directors meeting at the Cadillac sportsman club. A DNR forester gave a presentation on state forest management. This gave us an opportunity to add critical comment. A Pere Marquette Chapter meeting was held at Baldwin on
12/18/12. Pending conservation issues, pending winter program and the March Rendezvous were among the items discussed. On 1/10/13 attended the Michigan Resource Stewards board of directors meeting at the MUCC headquarters in Lansing. The agenda was to discuss priorities and future direction. On 1/13/13 attended the MUCC District 13 meeting at Cadillac. Among the items discussed was the MWTHA response to the Northern Lower Peninsula Regional State Forest Plan.