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Open houses to focus on Gaylord forests
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources will host informal open houses June 3-4 to provide information and receive public comment on forest management treatments proposed for 2005 in the Gaylord Management Unit.
The June 3 open house will be held from 3-7 p.m. at the Indian River Field Office for Cheboygan, Emmet and Mackinac counties; while the June 4 open house will be held from 3-7 p.m. at the Gaylord Field Office for Antrim, Charlevoix and Otsego counties.
Each year DNR personnel inventory and evaluate one-tenth of the state forest. The information gathered includes the health, quality and quantity of all vegetation; wildlife and fisheries habitat and needs; archaeological sites; mineral, oil and gas activities; recreational use; wildfire potential and social factors, including proximity to roads and neighborhoods; and use on adjacent lands, public or private. Proposed treatments are then designed to insure the sustainability of the resources and ecosystems.
The open houses are an opportunity for the public to review proposed treatments and provide input toward final decisions on those treatments. They also provide the public an opportunity to talk with foresters and biologists about issues of interest. Maps and information regarding the proposed treatments will be available at each open house, can be accessed at www.michigan.gov/dnr, or by contacting Joyce Angel-Ling, Gaylord Unit Manager, at 989-732-3541, Ext. 5440.
Each forest management unit is divided into smaller units or compartments to facilitate better administration of the resources. The Gaylord open house and compartment review will focus on the following townships: Chestonia and Warner townships, in Antrim County; Boyne and Peaine (Beaver Island) townships, in Charlevoix County; and Bagley, Chester and Charlton townships, in Otsgeo County. The Indian River open house and South compartment review will focus on: Hebron, Tuscarora, Wilmot, Ellis and Waverly townships, in Cheboygan County; Friendship, Maple River, and Carp Lake townships, in Emmet County; and Bois Blanc Island townships, in Mackinac County.
Formal compartment reviews to finalize prescriptions for these areas are scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. on June 10, at the Tuscarora Township Hall, Indian River, for the Gaylord North compartments, and June 11 at BJ’s Restaurant in Gaylord, for the Gaylord South compartments. Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for these meetings should contact Joyce Angel-Ling at 989-732-3541, Ext. 5440. Source: MDNR |