Our new findings indicate that harvests of timber on state-owned land have generally increased--even during the recent recession--and are at or near sustainable levels. Any push for higher harvest and looser state regulation must be evaluated in light of reliable information about timber harvest on state land and the factors driving those harvests. This includes recognition of the multiple and emerging demands being placed on state forestlands, including forest sustainability, emerging timber demand and market shifts, and important recreational demands.

The Upper Peninsula’s unique identity could be changing as commercial forest ownership changes signal a break with the past, according to a report released today by university researchers and conservation groups in Michigan. The region’s constants – wide open spaces accessible to the public, sustainably managed forests and an economic foundation of forest industries and tourism – need better incentives to remain in place for future generations, the report concludes.

This application to the state seeks to build a road through a township dune sanctuary as part of a driveway project. The driveway is allowed "by right," even through a Critical Dunes area, under changes to a state law approved in 2012.

The historic Morgan B. Hungerford House at 602 W. Ionia Street just blocks from the Capitol building is the Michigan Environmental Council’s new home.

Dick Genthe Chevrolet, a 90-year-old, family-owned car dealership located in Wyandotte, has reduced energy costs 30% annually and saves close to $40,000 each year as a result of implementing Keen Technical Solutions efficiency plans.

Significant changes may be afoot for Michigan’s state parks, following the recommendations of the Michigan State Parks and Outdoor Recreation Blue Ribbon Panel sent to Gov. Rick Snyder in late 2012.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Builders would have an easier time gaining approval for houses, driveways and other projects in sensitive seaside areas under proposed legislation that would make the first significant changes in Michigan's sand dune protection law in nearly a quarter-century.

From the Grand Canyon to Michigan’s outstanding wilderness areas, tangible results of the Sierra Club’s successes are everywhere as the organization celebrates big anniversaries in 2012.

If you've wandered a Waterloo trail or hung your snow shoes in the cozy warmth of a Porcupine Mountains cabin, you've probably suspected what a national recreation group has confirmed: Michigan has the best state parks system in the country.

The Stewardship Network, an MEC member group, invites participants to their fifth annual conference, " The Science, Practice & Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems," January 20-21 2012, at Michigan State University's Kellogg Center in East Landing.

Until a year and a half ago, I had no idea there was a type of rice that grows natively in Michigan. That’s when Roger Labine, a member of the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, responded to our request for grant partnerships for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Occasionally, it takes an outsider to remind us how unique and spectacular our natural resources are in the Mitten State. Such was the case with Cleveland Plain Dealer travel writer Susan Glaser’s July 16 column sharing her awe and reverence during a family trip to Michigan’s West Coast sand dunes.

Michigan has the best fly fishing in the nation. Better than legendary Western destinations like Idaho, Wyoming and Montana according, to the “Best 12 States for Fly Fishing” rankings from Fly Talk, the fly fishing blog of Field & Stream magazine.

Glen Sheppard, the legendary editor of the North Woods Call, passed away in early January at the age of 74. The Call, his fiercely independent conservation newspaper, has ceased publication.

As a boy Dan Wyant used to stop traffic on U.S. 131 near Schoolcraft to let his grandfather’s 20 head of dairy cows march across the highway to be milked. Times and technology changed. Today Wyant directs the state agency that oversees enforcement of pollution laws – including laws regulating huge factory farms that house thousands of cattle and produce waste equivalent to a medium-sized city.

A ten dollar bill barely covers the cost of a movie ticket. But ten bucks now gets you an entire year of access to Michigan’s boundless outdoor recreation opportunities, from hiking the rugged Porcupine Mountains to cross-country skiing in Metro Detroit and sunbathing on a Lake Michigan beach

You’ll find a story on page 8 about the new State Parks Passport system that replaces the old state park windshield stickers. We hope it helps restore some of the funding for the parks. And it’s also reason enough for us to devote this issue’s Trivia Time to our state’s great park system!

The Michigan Environmental Council has filed an amicus brief in a key Michigan Supreme Court case involving the right of citizens of Michigan to take legal action to protect the state’s natural resources. An amicus brief is a “friend of the court” argument filed by a party with an interest—but no direct involvement—in the court case.

A collection of recent quotes from MEC that appeared in the news.

Google “Asian carp,” and you’ll return 348,000 hits. Not as many as Lindsay Lohan (21.3 million) but still plenty of choices from which to glean information on the voracious fish knocking on the door of the Great Lakes.

In August, I spent time exploring parts of Michigan I had never really visited until now. Walking along the Lake Michigan shoreline at Ludington I couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of our state and the natural assets that we too often take for granted.

The second in a series of environmental historical markers sponsored by the Michigan Environmental Council was dedicated in June at the junction of two major Michigan freeways.

For Legacy Land Conservancy, 2009 ended with a bang—six projects completed in 2009, all during the month of December!

New director combines leadership, administrative experience and passion for state's natural resources

Dowagiac Woods Nature Sanctuary in Southwest Michigan is a living example of how forests were when the early settlers beheld them—and with the recent addition of 149 acres, it’s growing!

While bureaucratic boundaries are important for politics, they are not heeded by ecosystems, landscapes, rivers or wildlife. Taking its cue from the landscape, the Washtenaw Land Trust has worked beyond the borders of Washtenaw County for years.

“Michigan’s Magnificent Birds” is the theme for Michigan Audubon’s 105th annual conference March 6-7 at the Kellogg Center on Michigan State University’s campus.

Michigan has a new natural area on state land for the first time in 20 years—and members of the MEC member group Michigan Natural Areas Council (MNAC), among others, are delighted with the good news.

Three Michigan land conservancies—Chikaming Open Lands, Leelanau Conservancy, and MEC member group Washtenaw Land Trust—have the distinction of being among the first conservancies in the country to be awarded the Seal of Accreditation.

The second historical marker for a Michigan Environmental Council-sponsored Michigan Conservation Trail was approved by the Michigan Historical Commission this spring. Efforts by communities, scientists and governmental agencies to restore the endangered Kirtland’s warbler are the theme of the marker, which will be installed in the Mio area.

Barely one percent of DNR lands get natural area designations. The following is an opinion column from former Gov. William Milliken regarding natural areas protection, printed on March 2, 2008 in the Lansing State Journal.

Aggressive lobbying and public education by MEC member group Environment Michigan helped convince Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create the state’s first wilderness designation in 20 years, permanently protecting part of Algonac State Park.

Garlic mustard—an invasive plant that can overwhelm the natural habitat of Michigan’s wildflowers and native flora within a few years—was in the crosshairs of the Stewardship Network this spring. Network volunteers aimed to pull an estimated 100,000 pounds of the invader during April and May.

The incredible story of the Detroit River’s decline and resurgence was commemorated Sept. 1 with the placement of the first historical marker on Michigan’s Conservation Trail at the gateway to the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge in Trenton.

Michigan boasts some of the most productive agricultural soils in the world. The diversity of our farm production is second only to California, and farming contributes more than $60 billion each year to Michigan’s economy.

This meandering creek and adjacent farmland was protected by a conservation-minded Washtenaw County family last year through a conservation agreement. And 2007 could be an especially attractive year for tax savings and land protection through such agreements.