Eastern Great Lakes Projects

Agreement Narrative: Hiawatha Early Successional ProjectPrimary Funder: Hiawatha National Forest (Challenge Cost Share)Location: Hiawatha National Forest, MichiganInnovation: This project leverages a mutual interest in working together to enhance early successional species habitat across the landscape. By creating a patchwork of various age classes of aspen and alder, this project aims to provide habitat diversity for ruffed grouse and American woodcock nesting, brood rearing, and winter habitat components in close proximity to each other.Impact: This project directly impacts 195 acres within the St. Ignace Township region of the Hiawatha National Forest. One hundred acres of mature and over-mature aspen will be...

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Agreement Narrative: Huron-Manistee Stewardship Agreement Primary Funder: Huron-Manistee National Forest (Stewardship Agreement) Location: Cadillac-White Cloud Ranger District, Huron-Manistee National Forest, Michigan Innovation: Utilizing the USFS goods-for-service Stewardship program, will contract to establish and administer commercial timber projects.  The timber harvest activity itself will contribute to forest age-class diversification within the region, while proceeds from the sale will be used to fund additional acres of commercial timber harvest as well as habitat and access projects within the Cadillac-White Cloud Ranger District of the Huron-Manistee National Forest. Impact: The initial phase of this project will see the sale and contract administration of a 99-acre aspen timber...

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Agreement Narrative: Pere Marquette Forest Habitat Collective  Primary Funder: Michigan Wildlife Habitat Grant Program Location: Baldwin Ranger District, Huron-Manistee National Forest, Michigan  Innovation: A landscape-level forest habitat enhancement project focused within the Pere-Marquette River watershed.  By leveraging the specialties of partner organizations, it aims to manage a variety of cover types by employing multiple strategies.  Service work items target forest structural and age class diversity, an increase in native plant diversity, thermal cover, forage, pollinator plantings, and edge habitat for wildlife.  Impact: This project directly impacts 320 acres of habitat and is part of a larger strategy that includes over 14,000 acres of NEPA...

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Agreement Narrative: Southern Michigan Woodcock HabitatPrimary Funder: Michigan Wildlife Habitat Grant Program Chapter Funding: Robert J. Lytle Chapter, Roger Moore Chapter, Saginaw Valley, Chapter, Southwest Michigan ChapterAdditional Funding: Uplanderlifestyle.com, The Michigan Upland ExperienceLocation: Deford SGA, Lapeer SGA, Port Huron SGA, Portland SGA, Michigan Innovation: Collaborate with Michigan DNR’s Wildlife Management Division to identify areas within State Game Areas that would benefit from targeted management.  Four sites were selected for work to improve site accessibility and wildlife habitat with a focus of providing quality roosting, feeding, and breeding habitat for American woodcock.  RGS & AWS then managed contracts to clear overgrown openings and...

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