[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6308255,"mediaKeyId","2424012-d82e8a40524a281c45bb5e230bedfa56","parentId",2424012,"title","DNR briefs House Natural Resources and Tourism committee on parks, fisheries, wildlife, staffing and programs","audioSeconds",572,"startMs",1500000,"endMs",2072000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2424012-d82e8a40524a281c45bb5e230bedfa56&start=1500&end=2072","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2424012-d82e8a40524a281c45bb5e230bedfa56/thumbnail_1500000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6308255/Michigan/DNR-briefs-House-Natural-Resources-and-Tourism-committee-on-parks-fisheries-wildlife-staffing-and-programs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308255-d35f36181a9f3ed12da553f0ec5e73ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1771052064&Signature=N6S82mih4HwJAWzjZ6r2JHHSGNfaOvQe96s97EtFo2cgUZnD1nOvhJka-6jpZ9fV72c31ur9-fU3qySgh61GjP0T47z8hGm7nOGWIpXSzobInGTj6i3DqP0TeUa0ZhGIBnrDE-NFYLC6SsHnuvW48tRtUegej6SmTrHKSDPSfq5uzjkjiDG9mYl6jPbMcIvJQ9fRqYZzY6RTXx5aAQBBWT6~LGwiGgFQssmS~6eqZ6vza9wbtYCXihA8raA0d-a6mTtc-W7NF0nYaWJTEQZBa7D9aZ6qqhsCWZFErJ9HdnmsV-WCeRc1Fkehbs3An5WKi1hU96CwjbpIV4K7B9LnEA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee","date","2025-02-19T00:00:00Z","article","Department of Natural Resources deputy director Shannon Lott and legislative liaison Chris Semerneck gave an overview of the DNR’s operations, highlighting park visitation, fisheries and wildlife programs, public lands, conservation officers and outreach efforts.

Lott told the committee the DNR employs about 1,800 permanent staff and roughly 1,200 seasonal workers and oversees about 103 state parks (nearly 104 with Flint coming on board). She said the department recorded a sustained increase in park visitors after 2020, rising from a pre-2020 high of about 25 million to roughly 36 million annual visits; Belle Isle receives roughly 4.6 million visits per year.

On fisheries, Lott said Michigan’s water resources — including Great Lakes shoreline and thousands of inland lakes — support a fishing economy the department estimates contributes about $3.9 billion annually. DNR hatcheries produce about 30 million fish annually for roughly 1,000 stocking locations, she said. Fisheries staff also lead efforts to prevent aquatic invasive species, including work connected to the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project cited as part of preventing Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes.

On wildlife, Lott said the department manages about 200 state game and wildlife areas totaling approximately 450,000 acres and has added three new wildlife areas in the last five years. She described habitat-grant programs available to local communities and noted outreach work aimed at a broad range of users, including bird watchers and other nonconsumptive recreational users.

Committee members asked how license revenue is split between wildlife and fisheries; Fisheries Chief Randy Claremont said about 55–60% of fishing license sales are reinvested directly in fisheries programs. Representative McFaul asked what the department is doing to promote hunting and fishing; Lott described the Wildlife Council and a marketing and education approach funded in statute that supports recruitment, hunter education and related outreach.

On conservation officers, Lott said the department seeks a field complement of about 250 officers. She described staffing and recruitment challenges, noting retirements and transfers to other agencies, the use of a hybrid academy, and a recent pay increase that increased applicants from under 200 to about 1,200 in the most recent cycle. Lott said a current full academy started with 22 recruits and the hybrid academy intake is smaller.

Other topics raised included boat-registration funding (a small portion flows to the DNR as waterways funding), the department’s role on wolves should federal status change (tribal consultation and an updated wolf plan would be required), and ongoing discussions about whether the recreation passport should be changed to an opt-out model in cooperation with the Secretary of State.

The department provided no formal motions; the briefing was informational.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee 02/19/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Deputy DNR Director Shannon Lott told the House Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism that the department manages roughly 103 state parks, saw annual park visits rise to about 36 million after 2020, and runs fisheries and wildlife programs that together contribute billions to Michigan’s economy.","taxTitle","Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation, House of Representative, Committees\t\t\t\t\t, Legislative, Michigan","taxId",27593,"location","Michigan","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6308260,"House Natural Resources and Tourism committee adopts rules, sets regular meeting time and place",120,282000,402000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2424012-d82e8a40524a281c45bb5e230bedfa56&start=282&end=402","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2424012-d82e8a40524a281c45bb5e230bedfa56/thumbnail_282000.jpg","/articles/6308260/Michigan/House-Natural-Resources-and-Tourism-committee-adopts-rules-sets-regular-meeting-time-and-place","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308260-f31fc269824730865ee67779e8b7e552/orig.mp4?Expires=1771052064&Signature=MaF66vUX7DTKMp1J68JZAP2d1iSs6bKliNVmSGTeRFTMZKrA834ztxew9HoRrBj0KrbL39SBXQt8lvNMRjqBDzBQf3qlwxSHnjP-b1F1pa81lZ8quNOcdlYQ1tAzytfLHjEav2lizWUYPoNhnz9ar~Dy6HLJg~LPDtoDC0JpxTI7kUmELEgbvIxGPToeRwpJqGvcOw7Po0nNY8vkiJvydF7lTzvpaGYfGA9qUhS-~pZA2OjQlmFw4zJQIKs2v9D5qPDFN66Oqx21iQJ-gvX~Vr4OU4w3ArXxs~ru6nl0etSREPRd5LUQu-5XvmKCOMsMaCJaEKFdwXRVBJsd7iFtnQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism formally adopted a proposed committee rule giving the chair discretion over testimony and set Wednesdays at noon in Room 519 of the Anderson House Building as the committee's regular meeting time and location.

The motions were introduced and approved on roll call during the committee's organizational meeting. Representative Saint Germain moved to adopt the committee rule; the clerk announced the outcome as 16 yays, no nays and no passes. Representative McFaul then moved to adopt Room 519, Anderson House Building, at noon on Wednesdays as the committee's normal meeting time and location; that motion carried on a subsequent roll call announced as 17 yays, no nays and no passes.

The adopted rule references Chapter 4 of the House rules and specifies that testimony before the committee is at the discretion of the committee chair. Committee members were introduced afterward and members gave brief personal remarks about their backgrounds and priorities for the session.

Clerk announcements recorded the official roll-call counts for each motion and confirmed both motions prevailed. No additional policy votes were taken during the organizational items.

The committee then heard informational presentations from the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy before adjourning.","The House Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism adopted a committee rule giving the chair discretion over testimony and set Wednesdays at noon in Room 519 of the Anderson House Building as its regular meeting time and place after roll-call votes were held.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6308251,"EGLE director briefs House committee on agency structure, permits, clean‑water work and brownfield redevelopment",0,4560000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2424012-d82e8a40524a281c45bb5e230bedfa56&start=4560&end=4560","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2424012-d82e8a40524a281c45bb5e230bedfa56/thumbnail_4560000.jpg","/articles/6308251/Michigan/EGLE-director-briefs-House-committee-on-agency-structure-permits-cleanwater-work-and-brownfield-redevelopment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6308251-8b3e9f5e793a182eec5d5319d1ae19f5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771052064&Signature=SvNjYZc-0l~HdGY2uhabtbbQ-y0rLjSmn8B-jvBz1M2QPZ7q7~dgaROkgd2B0V5WgiF~dnTwigBAHUFQc99Og-Bk8LWbGFnd44DpjPV8g8jBPnvU1GFLR-QsUiSQ6vJX-dnzPb0JYfMkzfo2UqT49sDckv6h5fjgTzoS2elWTMKgSU475TH8lAM5Dc26efuBHquO-lpXBm8oDHG1RpioN~hE8lsvjaFFJwvNBQuEMNuAsa1FVIJ9z2sEfHqGZg2vOm~01N9qvvWvY~VCguSSVKnj7tc0YXa71p-SpILCYUtQfsDcxnbRUdUZITdJlVoO1uu9QLVCP8qgmxQHFLcZUA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Director Phil Roos and legislative liaison Sydney Hart briefed the House Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism on EGLE’s mission, organization and major program areas, including air quality, water resources, drinking water, materials management, remediation and redevelopment, geological resources and several offices that coordinate policy and public engagement.

Roos said EGLE employs more than 1,500 scientists, engineers and other staff and that more than half the agency’s budget flows back to communities in the form of grants for infrastructure, brownfield redevelopment and related projects. He described the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART), the Office of the Great Lakes and the Office of Environmental Justice and Public Advocate as coordinating programs that draw participation from other agencies when contamination or community issues arise.

Roos highlighted a new MyEnviroPortal intended to centralize permits and related documents and said the Air Quality Division completed roughly 500 permit actions, received about 1,700 emissions reports, and operates about 200 air quality monitors. The Water Resources Division oversees permits for discharges and wetland regulation and had, Roos said, about 8,300 permits issued as of 2024; the Drinking Water and Environmental Health Division oversees more than 11,000 public water supplies and reviewed roughly 250,000 public water supply samples in the most recent reporting year.

On remediation and redevelopment, Roos described work to clean up contaminated sites and noted the brownfield program has issued more than 400 grants that Roos said spurred about $7 billion in private investment and supported about 34,000 jobs. He said the department has increased the pace of cleanup through process improvements and digitization.

Members asked about EGLE’s Upper Peninsula presence and staffing, and Roos said there is an office in Marquette and he offered to follow up with exact employee counts. Representative Johnson asked for a concrete example of the Office of Environmental Justice; Roos said the office coordinates engagement on permits and has administered grants that have had measurable local impacts.

The presentation was informational; members did not take formal committee action on EGLE matters during the session.","Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Director Phil Roos summarized EGLE’s organization, permitting initiatives, drinking‑water and wastewater oversight, remediation and brownfield redevelopment programs, and new digital tools such as a permitting portal; he highlighted grant work that supports local water infrastructure projects.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

DNR briefs House Natural Resources and Tourism committee on parks, fisheries, wildlife, staffing and programs

House Natural Resources and Tourism committee adopts rules, sets regular meeting time and place

EGLE director briefs House committee on agency structure, permits, clean‑water work and brownfield redevelopment