[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",6252800,"mediaKeyId","3185912-f917e8ae94b42282b5c5ddc5660afa01","parentId",3185912,"title","Michigan conservation districts tell committee current funding limits their capacity; MEEP trust fund and reforestation singled out","audioSeconds",931,"startMs",1604000,"endMs",2535000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3185912-f917e8ae94b42282b5c5ddc5660afa01&start=1604&end=2535","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3185912-f917e8ae94b42282b5c5ddc5660afa01/thumbnail_1604000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6252800/Michigan/Michigan-conservation-districts-tell-committee-current-funding-limits-their-capacity-MEEP-trust-fund-and-reforestation-singled-out","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252800-e4b570dd68baa10f8313057e132f61d0/orig.mp4?Expires=1775013089&Signature=Z-sNQZsMo1XVZ5ExWh7rkqYiui7IOEhMhB3d6eXQvfdNpXGhy1WsoJeuTxkQhZRCt~Ru38TEJQWHR9jkeFdptYm81Pjkx-nqk-ajT-CAvaqSFCj97lE24dP994r1IHrvh3S6QOSdmFitB7UL8xRZOAsIlhadWd7qjB9kLnRNFEvAiQ0GkGx9Uo4SQHZ2NdJfCd8X38SbtLeushyV0~0Ky4Th0pZte8kyrVJdgjdW42upBPlrUGixPGtSNE-nsXiA0tU3xeiavwT74mC~QueMW9nJWZhcQuhI6~yerUiitrqi6wPLof~3kGopsD2eOnMnEVMtfZ4I-kKz2inC5vNCiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author"," Michigan House of Representatives","date","2025-04-30T00:00:00Z","article","Jerry Miller, president of the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts (MACD), and Rivkah (Rivka) Hutchinson, MACD executive director, presented an overview of the state's 75 conservation districts and asked the committee to consider higher, sustained operational funding.

Hutchinson said conservation districts are locally organized, non‑regulatory units that deliver technical assistance to private landowners for water quality, forest and wildlife management, invasive‑species control and similar practices. She said the districts are the primary vehicle for connecting private landowners with federal conservation programs and local education efforts.

MACD described the current state operational grant program administered through the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD): $3 million annually in operational grants, which the presenters said averages about $40,000 per district. MACD argued that increasing those operational funds would allow each district to hire full‑time district managers and conservation planners, enabling the districts to bring more federal farm‑bill program dollars into Michigan and expand services statewide.

Hutchinson highlighted recent program outputs and partnerships: in fiscal year 2022, conservation districts reported more than 1.79 million outreach contacts and planted more than 1 million trees (tree‑sale and reforestation activities), she said. MACD said investing in district operations generates leverage: each $1 in state operations funding, MACD reported, drew $5.10 from other sources; when federal funds are included, the ratio increases.

Committee members and MACD staff discussed the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MEEP). Hutchinson said MEEP funding comes from a trust fund financed by fertilizer and pesticide registration fees; she and other speakers said fees have not been increased in recent renewal cycles and inflation has reduced program capacity. As a result, MDARD eliminated two positions in FY 2025, the presentation said, and MACD urged support for fee adjustments and the Freshwater Protection Fund to sustain operations such as MEEP and MDARD staff who support districts.

Members asked about disaster and reforestation response after a recent severe ice storm and potential wildfire risk. MACD said operational capacity matters for emergency response and that a new reforestation cost‑share grant is being deployed to direct funding to hard‑hit areas. MACD and NRCS representatives also described long‑standing partnerships between conservation districts and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

At the close of the committee, a procedural motion to excuse absent members passed by unanimous consent and the panel scheduled another meeting for May 6, according to the record.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Natural Resources and Tourism | Wednesday, April 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Michigan Association of Conservation Districts (MACD) told lawmakers current state operational funding limits district capacity, highlighted programs that leverage federal dollars, and urged maintaining or increasing the MEEP trust fund and other state support to expand technical assistance statewide.","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},6252805,"House sponsor seeks official 'Boat Town USA' designation for Harrison Township; committee hears local support",420,545000,965000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3185912-f917e8ae94b42282b5c5ddc5660afa01&start=545&end=965","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3185912-f917e8ae94b42282b5c5ddc5660afa01/thumbnail_545000.jpg","/articles/6252805/Michigan/House-sponsor-seeks-official-Boat-Town-USA-designation-for-Harrison-Township-committee-hears-local-support","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252805-b846028a75096f948260c9074ff7c0a5/orig.mp4?Expires=1775013089&Signature=OZCdahxtVWc23rqrwD1yxKmUqriuMWOSyibb1O7bH0pFB8HeJJCGwb4Xykrob7b0EMehs76gsptaNEIlhTbiSwLPQPBwQ5QY66IdmKQMhsAGAd6qTKu4~L4yNOI31BYC~xEwtk8rGLanuVWqo7M7dTRAQVYqemtqG1Cyl9IfgDfzHrBL-pONTV1R6j7xc9HzwS6sE4-lyaYMxqjAWFg09lY~Fu3c2JwE12Rtw06vVtohF5FN11aEbs7rYAlFYDYZ9cvZxZAiTTV665iu9iXoM~agvwj2o0iSn7yujOmOS8k3KMDutawopiVY~1ev58GxKcIaItB1zjNNROKhAcmPqQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Representative Saint Germain presented House Bill 4010 to the committee, asking members to designate Macomb County’s Harrison Township as the state symbol \"Boat Town USA\" in order to promote boating, tourism and the marine economy.

\"Designating Harrison Township as the state symbol of Boat Town USA is long overdue,\" Saint Germain told the panel, citing local marine businesses, marinas and annual boating events on Lake St. Clair.

Saint Germain provided several figures in support of the designation, as presented to the committee record: more than 50 miles of coastline and canals within the township, four public boat launches, 26 marinas, about 8,000 boat slips, over 3,500 waterfront homes in Harrison Township and more than 53,000 boats registered in Macomb County. He said events such as the township’s large raft‑off and national bass tournaments bring tourism revenue.

Members asked procedural and policy questions. Vice Chair McFarlane asked why the sponsor chose a bill rather than a resolution; Saint Germain replied that the state maintains a number of official symbols and that a bill was an appropriate way to recognize the community and promote the industry. Representative Woodin asked whether other communities have state designations and whether the naming creates an uneven precedent; the sponsor said he was not aware of other local communities with similar official designations and suggested the measure is intended as promotional for the statewide boating industry.

Representative Wirtz asked whether the designation would offer legal protections for local marketing or paraphernalia; Saint Germain said he had not researched intellectual‑property implications and would look into it.

The committee clerk read supporting statements placed on file for the record from multiple local and industry figures, who did not wish to speak: Brett Meyer (listed as from Michigan Voting Industries Association in the record), Ken Verquette, Harrison Township supervisor; Candace Miller, Macomb County public works commissioner; Mark Hackel, Macomb County executive; Steven Debraf, Freedom Boat Club; Kelly Lavota (affiliation recorded as Macomb County Chamber presidency in the record); and Anthony Forlini, Macomb County clerk.

No final vote on House Bill 4010 was recorded in the transcript excerpt; the bill received an overview and questions and passed to additional committee business.","Representative Saint Germain presented House Bill 4010 to designate Harrison Township as the state’s 'Boat Town USA' symbol; supporters emphasized tourism and marine businesses, while colleagues questioned whether a bill or resolution is the correct vehicle and whether the designation sets a precedent.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6252809,"Testifier urges lawmakers to pass bill allowing limited backyard wildlife feeding; lawmakers press on pests and enforcement",214,81000,295000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3185912-f917e8ae94b42282b5c5ddc5660afa01&start=81&end=295","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3185912-f917e8ae94b42282b5c5ddc5660afa01/thumbnail_81000.jpg","/articles/6252809/Michigan/Testifier-urges-lawmakers-to-pass-bill-allowing-limited-backyard-wildlife-feeding-lawmakers-press-on-pests-and-enforcement","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252809-db0026e8b48f5a7f2dd4960fe2f2a463/orig.mp4?Expires=1775013090&Signature=PRmn6XMA5ktBZSgJqV1nxCNRV0RG7AtMxwkwtpW4byQRVaWrf3U0kts7Ch3Ds63b0gCK1WE7KPyNoMHkXYFjuhizKeUzhN6YkRXMb1ndR6kPlfokXNaTbDfgEN8r3nBe2kI0bSFoeG0~qrWX7ZUOBf8~0az5CI-HogjpOYpUbmxP18jGwKAIjbpTyEK9Aa95d1oukv3UvqGCj5SCgvQ9MyoIQtVNM2dVIuqp9NZHu3H7rhipgfjJCJYvHq5I77sJjr0OrXjxTerf4TcUQi8HzdpsY~o-deeS9NIJ6HnfGmZB1YF7OxdJ6xXpZ2qDwp8nCdgz3jv-1yGcJtYa3ZrAZg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A state representative urged a committee to pass legislation intended to stop enforcement actions against people who place small amounts of wildlife food near homes, saying continued conservation department citations had driven the speaker to run for office.

\"Please consider passing my bill and let grandma feed her wildlife in peace,\" the representative said during testimony, summarizing the measure as narrowly written to allow small, clearly residential feeding.

The bill as described would allow residents to provide up to 2 gallons of feed per day for birds and small mammals, and would limit the protected feeding to locations within 300 feet of a residence, the sponsor said. The draft includes no height restriction for feeders and permits food placed in feeders or scattered on the ground, so long as the daily total does not exceed 2 gallons.

Lawmakers pressed several enforcement and public‑health questions. Representative Weiss asked whether areas with documented pest problems, such as rat infestations, would be affected; the sponsor replied the bill is meant to prevent baiting prosecutions and is not intended to override local ordinances aimed at deterring pests.

Several members asked about measurement and enforcement when feed is scattered on the ground. The sponsor said conservation officers would use discretion and look for the difference between spilled seed from a feeder and large deliberate deposits, and that officers are typically able to distinguish the two without measuring every spill.

Representative Preston pointed to enforcement practice in the Upper Peninsula, where baiting allowances of up to 2 gallons spread over a specified area are already applied, and said conservation officers there use their investigative training to enforce rules.

The committee record included a resident question about whether scattering feed outside a container could be reliably measured; the sponsor acknowledged the concern and emphasized officer discretion and the bill’s modest numeric limit as safeguards.

No formal vote on the bill was recorded in the transcript excerpt. Testimony and question‑and‑answer took place before the committee moved on to other agenda items.","A state representative urged committee members to pass a proposal that would limit criminal baiting enforcement on residents who feed birds and small mammals near homes; lawmakers asked whether the measure would affect pest ordinances and how officers would measure scattered feed.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Michigan conservation districts tell committee current funding limits their capacity; MEEP trust fund and reforestation singled out

House sponsor seeks official 'Boat Town USA' designation for Harrison Township; committee hears local support

Testifier urges lawmakers to pass bill allowing limited backyard wildlife feeding; lawmakers press on pests and enforcement