DNR - DNR Stories and Photos

Department of Natural Resources staff had to race to put up timber sales to salvage resources during the May 2012 Duck Lake Fire in Newberry. Many trees, like the one shown here, were impacted by insects that moved into the area after the fire.

Duck Lake Fire: A year later A year later, the forest is naturally recovering. Bracken fern, blueberry bushes, mushrooms and grasses have started to regrow. Pine seedlings are once again growing in the areas that were previously forested. Thanks to Mother Nature, the green is returning. To give her a hand in the process, Bill O'Neill said the DNR has evaluated and prioritized areas that needed planting efforts.

Costumed interpreters help visitors step back in time to the 1840s at Fort Wilkins Historic State Park in Copper Harbor. The historic fort at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula features new exhibits in 2013 and has a planned archaeological dig this summer.

Exploring Michigan's Mining Heritage Mining, once the largest industry in the Upper Peninsula, continues to have a significant impact on Michigan's economy and local communities in the U.P. Its deep heritage is evident at three iconic Michigan Historical Center sites: Fort Wilkins Historic Site at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the Michigan Iron Industry Museum near Marquette, and Fayette Historic Townsite on the Garden Peninsula.

A worker builds a dike at Pointe Mouillee State Game Area in Rockwood.

DNR's managed waterfowl areas help prevent flooding in surrounding communities The same characteristic that makes the DNR's managed waterfowl areas so attractive to wildlife - standing water - is paying additional dividends to the state of Michigan this year by providing some relief from flooding in low-lying areas.

Most fawns, though by themselves, have not been abandoned. According to the DNR, people are more likely to see baby animals alone in the springtime, and it's best to leave them right where they are.

DNR advises leaving wildlife in the wild As springtime brings an increase in sightings of baby animals, the Department of Natural Resources reminds Michigan that it's best to leave baby animals in the wild. Fawns and other baby animals may seem to be abandoned, but usually they're not, and they are better off left alone.

View of cross vane and rapids at the former Jonesville Dam site (July 2012).

Restoring fish, flow in the St. Joseph River watershed It took more than a century for humans to construct all the barriers in the St. Joseph River watershed. With help from a wide range of partners, the DNR has begun the process of reconnecting stream reaches and restoring fish populations in this major river system. Over time, fish movement in the St. Joseph River system will return to a more natural state of affairs.

Along with volunteers, Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division employees take out an overgrown fence row between two grassy fields at Lake Hudson Recreation Area.

Volunteers make Lake Hudson Recreation Area a better home for pheasants, other wildlife Michigan's Pheasant Restoration Initiative got a boost recently as about a dozen volunteers from the Lake Hudson Pheasant Cooperative showed up to work with Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division employees to take out an overgrown fence row between two grassy fields at Lake Hudson Recreation Area. The goal is to create a large block of habitat that will be more hospitable to pheasants and other grasslands residents as well.