For Friday, Dec. 15, 2017
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1 – The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has completed final recommendations to open thousands of miles of state forest roads to off-road vehicles in the northern Lower Peninsula.
DNR Director Keith Creagh is to take action on the recommendations at a Dec. 14 Natural Resources Commission meeting in Lansing.
The expanded access, if approved by the director, will take effect Jan. 1, 2018, as required under a 2016 law.
The DNR received nearly 2,000 comments on the change.
The agency says that beginning in 2018, all state forest roads in the region will be open to off-road-vehicle use. That is, unless they’re designated as closed by the DNR. Reasons for closures include ensuring user safety, preventing user conflicts and protecting environmentally sensitive areas.
For more information about the state forest road inventory and recommendation process, visit www.michigan.gov/forestroads.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2018, ORV users in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula will have increased access to thousands of miles of state forest roads. Credit: Michigan DNR
2 – Area grants will provide initial funding for stormwater assessment in the city of Au Gres on Saginaw Bay.
A total of $17,500 will be used by Huron Pines, a nonprofit in Gaylord. The funding comes from the Bay Area Community Foundation and Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network.
Saginaw Bay is a designated Area of Concern under the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. That’s due in part to excess sediment, nutrients and bacteria that enter the water through stormwater runoff.
A stormwater assessment by Huron Pines will evaluate existing stormwater drainage in Au Gres, including a component to educate community leaders on stormwater management practices. There also will be formal recommendations for next steps.
This project will include student participation in the study and a volunteer-built rain garden to help filter pollutants out of stormwater runoff.
– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 9:30 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM NPR. Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes
Mr Great Lakes 