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Showcasing the DNR

Showcasing the DNR

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Topics range from fishing and hunting to history and outdoor recreation. This is a weekly feature story sent on Thursday.

Recent stories

Northern Michigan pathways named Pure Michigan Trails

Two trails in the northern Lower Peninsula are recipients of the 2025 Pure Michigan Trail designation, an annual recognition that spotlights some of the state’s best trail experiences. The Betsie Valley Trail, a 22-mile pathway extending from Frankfort through Elberta and Beulah to Thompsonville in Benzie County, and Chain of Lakes Water Trail, a 100-plus-mile inland water trail made up of 12 lakes and interconnected rivers in northwest Michigan, are this year’s Pure Michigan Trail recipients.
Northern Michigan pathways named Pure Michigan Trails
bicyclist on Betsie Valley Trail

Come along as teams hunt a tiny bug that threatens Michigan’s hemlock trees

Surveying trees near Ludington for an invasive insect known as hemlock woolly adelgid with a crew from the West Michigan Conservation Network.
Come along as teams hunt a tiny bug that threatens Michigan’s hemlock trees
A a hemlock woolly adelgid on a hemlock branch

The good times are now: Smallmouth bass fishing has never been better in Lake St. Clair

Now is the best time to be a bass angler on Lake St. Clair in at least the last 50 years. A new research study from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station looked at the smallmouth bass population to explore what might contribute to its success. What they found might surprise even the most avid Lake St. Clair anglers.
The good times are now: Smallmouth bass fishing has never been better in Lake St. Clair
researcher holds a big smallmouth bass from Lake St. Clair

The moose are loose – collaborative study tracks collared moose in western UP

To better understand why Michigan's population has faltered, researchers recently embarked on an exciting study to investigate the movements and mortality of moose in the western Upper Peninsula. Wildlife researchers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and Northern Michigan University recently fitted 20 moose with GPS collars to track their location.
The moose are loose – collaborative study tracks collared moose in western UP
aerial view from helicopter window of snowy forest with moose

Wandering, wondering: A winter walk in the woods

A reflection on time spent in nature and its ability to clear the mind.
Wandering, wondering: A winter walk in the woods
a tree-lined river with snowy banks

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