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Last November I had the opportunity to catch up with John Huff, a biologist from Wisconsin, and compare notes regarding deer harvest assessment between his State and Michigan.

At the conclusion of our discussion, I came away with a typical Yooper observation: that we do the same things only different.

Wisconsin utilizes mandatory registration of deer taken during hunting season, where Michigan uses a volunteer format. Both have issues with compliance and have to project summaries based on adjusted numbers.

Both states use other indicators that are overlapped to achieve a constant, or trend analysis. One common denominator used by both states is a mail survey at the end of the year which samples a percentage of all hunters in the state to see how many deer were taken.

I told John that I periodically hear from some sportsmen and women that they wished Michigan would follow Wisconsin’s way of collecting data. He laughed and replied that he hears folks from his territory say that they should follow that which is done in Michigan.

He felt it important to emphasize his belief that everyone who is sincere about conservation wants to do the right thing when it involves natural resources management. Even though methods may seem different, they can still have similar outcome.

In looking at the bigger picture and wondering how close we are in citizen involvement of natural resources management, I went on to compare other structures between the two states and found the following:

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan has two bodies of citizens to represent the public on natural resources issues, one from the east side and the other from the west, each called the Citizens Advisory Council (CAC). Citizen advisers can help the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) operate more efficiently and effectively within the constraints of state and federal law, Natural /Resources Commission rules, Department policy, and other legally binding documents (court rulings, etc.). The primary role of the CAC is to offer informed advice to the DNR to be used in establishing work priorities at the local level and to participate in honest, open and respectful dialogue.

Wisconsin has a single Conservation Congress made up of citizens delegates to represent their interests in natural resources, both local and statewide, by working with the Natural Resources Board and their DNR to effectively manage Wisconsin’s greatest asset, their abundant natural resources, for present and future generations to enjoy.

The UP/Michigan CAC representatives are nominated by interested groups and individuals for consideration by a panel of citizen volunteers from core constituent groups, Department representatives, and Natural Resources Commission (NRC) representatives. Each CAC consist of no more than 20 members who volunteer to serve terms ranging from 2-4 years. Members are appointed by the UP DNR Coordinator (a.k.a. Regional Director), with the concurrence of the Department Director.

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) delegates are elected. Their history goes back as far as 1934. Their purpose was to provide Wisconsin citizens a local avenue for input and exchange concerning conservation issues. In 1972, Wisconsin Governor Patrick Lucy signed a law that made the WCC a sanctioned government entity. Contained within their organizational structure is an Executive Committee, District Map and Executive Councilors, Local Delegates and Study Committees.

Michigan has recently divided the state into four regions. The UP is a region in an of itself. The UP DNR Wildlife Division has developed seven Conservation Coalitions made up of open participants, most often representing specific natural resources users or organizations, in specific areas. The groups bring problematic situations back to the managers or offer suggestions on projects intended to enhance the quality of wildlife and habitat. Like the larger CAC, the Coalition advisers will help identify emerging trends and resolve conflicts before they become intractable.

Subordinate to the CAC and their organizational structure are other work groups that include a Regional Deer Advisory Team (RDAT) and a Wolf Management Roundtable.

There are other full-fledged volunteer boards and commissions that work on statewide issues and disciplines involving camping, trails, forestry, and water resources and advise the NRC on policies and regulations.

The Executive Committee of the WCC is made up of 24 delegates from across the state.

The east and west UP CAC each has a maximum roster of twenty members.

Considering that there many individual members on the other various boards and commissions for the rest of the State of Michigan, one can assume we have pretty good citizen involvement in the process of natural resources management, perhaps even a little stronger than Wisconsin.

The common tie is that everyone involved has a passion for their interest and commit great amounts of time and effort for the good of everyone and everything that deals with conservation in both states.