LANSING – State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-West Branch) today introduced the Michigan Hunting Heritage Protection Act to ensure that Michigan's 4.5 million acres of state-managed hunting land are protected as the Department of Natural Resources continues to implement its land consolidation strategy, which includes the sale of some public land.
"Hunting is a long-standing tradition in Michigan, and must be protected for generations to come," said Sheltrown, who is an avid hunter. "We have many families in northern Michigan who get together every fall to go out into the woods year after year. We have families who rely on hunting to put food on the table. It's a part of our way of life in Michigan, and we should act to protect it."
Sheltrown's plan would require that there is no net loss of state-owned hunting land in Michigan. Any public hunting land that is sold by the state would have to be replaced with an equal amount of public hunting land.
Michigan boasts 8 million acres of public hunting land, with 4.5 million acres managed by the Department of Natural Resources. Michigan has more than 750,000 hunters, ranking the state third in the nation in licensed hunters, according to the DNR.
Hunting significantly bolsters Michigan's economy by $2.5 billion every year, the DNR reported. It contributes an estimated $1.3 billion directly to the state's economy every year. In addition, because many residents plan trips around the hunting seasons, peripheral spending at local hotels, restaurants and other businesses rakes in an additional $1.2 billion for Michigan's economy.
"This state can't afford to lose any of the billions of dollars of revenue that hunting generates," Sheltrown said. "It would be irresponsible to let anything like that happen as we work to get our economy back on track in these tough times."