Bay County recommends Bay City State Park for ‘signature park’ designation from the DNR
Updated Feb 10, 2021;
Posted Feb 10, 2021
Beach toys are left in the sand for kids to play with at Bay City State Park beach in Bangor Township.
(Gavin McIntyre | The Bay City Times) The Bay City TimesThe Bay City Times
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BAY CITY, MI - Changes could be coming to Bay City State Park if it is selected as a part of the state’s public land strategy.
The Bay County Board of Commissioners made an official recommendation on Tuesday, Feb. 9 to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to consider the Bay City State Park in Bangor Township as a possible contender for a new special designation for urban outdoor recreation.
$100,000 in UP Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Grants
The application period for the Upper Peninsula’s Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative competitive grant program opened Jan 28.
The initiative is a cooperative grant program designed to enhance deer habitat on private lands in the U.P.
“There are three primary goals applicants should strive to meet,” said Bill Scullon, DNR field operations manager and administrator for the grant initiative. “The projects should produce tangible deer habitat improvements, build long-term partnerships between the DNR and outside organizations and showcase the benefits of the project to the public.”
Now in its 13th year, the initiative is supported by the state’s Deer Range Improvement Program, which is funded by a portion of deer hunting license revenue. The program has invested over $750,000 in hunter license dollars on U.P. deer habitat enhancements.
Michigan s Black Lake Sturgeon Season lasts 2 hours
BLACK LAKE Seven anglers were lucky enough to land a lake sturgeon during the Black Lake Sturgeon Season over the weekend, with the largest fish being a 63-inch, 61-pound female landed by Chris Wilson. The season opened at 8 a.m. and closed at 10:06 a.m., with a total of seven sturgeon harvested, said Brenda Archambo, president of Sturgeon for Tomorrow. All fish looked healthy.
This year, there were 596 anglers who had registered to take part in the sturgeon season on Black Lake, which was the most ever for this fishing season. The online only registration appears to have worked well, said Archambo. As part of the registration process, anglers were required to provide a cell phone number.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is responsible for managing the state’s natural resources and for balancing the interests of businesses, residents and visitors to the Great Lakes. The DNR’s recent decision to overhaul fishing regulations and delay the licenses for commercial fishers, however, appears to have tipped the scales against one interest without sufficient reason.
A 2019 report, published by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, claims recreational fishing in Michigan generates $2.3 billion in economic activity. The hundreds of thousands of people who fish for fun and sport represent the lion’s share of fishermen and the bulk of the economic activity associated with fishing in the state. Families hitting the nearest pond or river, fly fishers casting into their favorite pool and riffle, and competitors heading out for a local walleye tournament are collectively the “big fish” in terms of economic impact. But fishing’s overall economic value is sp