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NRC APPROVES SPRING TURKEY REGULATIONS FOR 2002 LANSING--The Michigan Natural Resources Commission at its
regular monthly meeting today in Lansing authorized bonding
dollars ensuring up to $15 million in structural
improvements to Sterling State Park in Monroe.
The funding is additional to the state's $50 million Clean
Michigan Initiative. Improvements at Sterling Park include
relocating and upgrading the campground site, repairing
bathroom facilities, and raising the access road throughout
the park to address historical flooding problems.
In other news, Department of Natural Resources Director K.L.
Cool presented to the Commission a letter from David
Johnson, proposing a limited exchange of lands on South Fox
Island in Lake Michigan. Johnson, who owns nearly two-thirds
of the island, has worked with the DNR and federal
authorities for more than a decade in an effort to resolve
the patchwork of public and private ownership there.
Johnson's letter to the DNR announced he has terminated
negotiations with federal authorities and now proposes a
substantially reduced land exchange proposal limited to
state-owned land parcels.
Cool said Johnson's proposal helps to consolidate state land
holdings in the north end of the island, which is good news
for recreational users, particularly hunters. Further, the
proposal provides an even trade of shoreline footage and
marginally favors the state in overall acreage. Department
staff will review the proposal and offer a recommendation
for the Director's action at the December NRC meeting.
The Commission approved Spring Wild Turkey Regulations for
2002, and Director Cool approved the season dates and
license quotas for the hunt. The next meeting of the
Michigan Natural Resources Commission is Dec. 6-7 in
Lansing.
Source: MDNR
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