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