July is Michigan Wildlife Conservation Month

LANSING – July is officially “Michigan Wildlife Conservation Month,” and conservationists and other Michiganders have a lot to celebrate.

“Michigan forests, waters and wildlife are part of our DNA,” said Michigan Wildlife Council Chair Nick Buggia. “Our state has worked hard to become a national leader in wildlife and natural resource management. It’s nice to take a moment and reflect on our many conservation successes and what they mean for our environment, economy and overall quality of life.”

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a proclamation and the Michigan Senate passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by state Sens. Jon Bumstead, R-Newaygo, and Rosemary Bayer, D-Beverly Hills, designating July as “Michigan Wildlife Conservation Month.”

The aim is to promote awareness of the nationally heralded efforts the state is making to protect Michigan’s wildlife and natural resources and the important role hunting and fishing play in conservation.

“On behalf of the council, I want to thank the leadership of Gov. Whitmer and Sens. Bumstead and Bayer and their fellow lawmakers for bringing the importance of conservation and its benefits to the forefront,” Buggia said.

Among the wildlife success stories that the Michigan Wildlife Council is encouraging Michiganders to celebrate are:

• Recognition of the successful reintroduction of Rocky Mountain elk to Michigan over 100 years ago after near extinction.
• The restoration of Michigan’s wild turkey population from 2,000 in 1960 to 200,000 today.
• The comeback of species such as the peregrine falcon, Kirtland’s warbler and lake sturgeon, which were nearly wiped from Michigan’s landscape in the last century.

The declaration of July as “Michigan Wildlife Conservation Month” reflects that July 1 marks the 83rd anniversary of the effective date for the Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, which ensured hunting equipment purchases would fund wildlife management projects nationwide.

The declaration also coincides with the eight-year anniversary of the creation of the Michigan Wildlife Council, which is a bipartisan-approved panel tasked by the Legislature with conducting a public education campaign emphasizing the importance of wildlife management and the role hunting and fishing play in protecting and enhancing Michigan’s wildlife and natural resources. Bumstead, then a state representative, sponsored the legislation that created the council in late 2013.

Buggia said those efforts are being backed by a record number of fishing and first-time hunting licenses sold in 2020. Proceeds from hunting and fishing license and equipment sales – not taxes – fund the state’s conservation activities.

Michiganders and visitors purchased a record 1.5 million state fishing licenses in 2020 – a jump from 1.3 million sold in 2019 as the pandemic brought an influx of people outdoors looking for socially distanced recreation.

The DNR reports that the 1.5 million fishing licenses sold last year was an 8% increase from 2019. First-time license purchasers totaled 321,835 – 68,000 more new customers than 2019.

Fishing license sales to young adults ages 17-24 saw a 20% increase to 155,196 from 128,387. The number of women purchasing fishing licenses jumped 22% to 272,070 from 221,995.

In addition, 674,776 people purchased a hunting license in 2020 – with a record 88,416 of those being first-time hunters. That’s 19,943 more first-time hunting licenses than in 2019.

Licenses purchased by anglers and hunters generated an estimated $65.5 million for the Michigan Game and Fish Protection Fund in 2020. The fund is the DNR’s largest revenue source and is critical to its conservation work. The sale of hunting and fishing equipment raised an additional $29.4 million to support wildlife and natural resource management.

Buggia said the money spent every year on hunting and fishing in Michigan has huge financial benefits across all regions of the state.

Hunting and fishing have a combined $11.2 billion economic impact on Michigan and provide an estimated 171,000 jobs, according to a 2019 study released by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs in partnership with Michigan State University.

The Michigan Wildlife Council is dedicated to increasing public understanding of the important role hunting and fishing play in the conservation and management of the state’s natural resources. More information is available at www.HereForMiOutdoors.org.