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By KATIE GERVASI
Law Enforcement Division
Michigan DNR

Michigan TimberMichigan Timber

George Berkeley, an Anglo-Irish philosopher, originally posed the question: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

Considering there are about 20 million acres of forest land in Michigan, a lot of tree falls go unheard.

What else happens in the depths of the forest?

How are forests and other remote locations – home to Michigan’s finest natural resources – monitored?

What happens when someone steals those valuable resources?

A group of career officers is responsible for patrolling and protecting Michigan’s natural resources.

In addition to policing hunting and fishing violations and performing a wide range of other duties, Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers investigate crimes of natural resource theft that occur in these remote locations, where many people believe they will leave no trace.

Forest resources

“You don’t know something is missing until it’s gone,” said Doug Heym, DNR Forest Resources Division unit manager for timber sales and utilization. “If you have forested property of any kind – keep your eye on it because timber rustling (theft) does occur.”

Michigan’s traditional forest industry generated an estimated $22 billion in 2019. That’s a significant source of income and jobs to local economies, especially in the northern two-thirds of the state, where most of the forest land is located.

MDNR Report

Thomas Steele III, 23, of Chelsea is serving a 60-day sentence in the Marquette County Jail after pleading guilty to intentionally sabotaging a hunter’s tree stand.

Steele recently pleaded guilty in Marquette County Circuit Court to misdemeanors of aggravated assault and hunter harassment under a plea agreement.

Additionally, Steele must reimburse the victim’s medical expenses for injuries sustained in a fall from his tree stand. He must also serve a one-year probation term.

Steele’s hunting privileges were revoked for an undetermined amount of time. With Michigan a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator’s Compact, Steele’s right to hunt will also be revoked in nearly all 50 states.

“Hunter harassment is real and taken very seriously,” said Dave Shaw, chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division. “Most hunters respect the land and each other and take pride in an ethical hunt.

“The DNR hopes that by sharing the details of this case, we can bring awareness to the consequences of this person’s unethical and dangerous behavior and know that it will not be tolerated.”

Incident details

The harassment began in October 2020 on state hunting land in Marquette County.

MDNR Report

Scott MeisterheimScott Meisterheim

Scott Meisterheim, 55, Kalamazoo faced a pretrial in Kalamazoo County earlier this week on 10 counts of illegal deer hunting, on which he was arraigned for earlier this month. He is currently serving 18 months’ probation for aggravated domestic assault in and is due back in court on the DNR charges in February.

A Kalamazoo man who admits that he’s “not the most ethical hunter,” was in court Wednesday for a pretrial hearing related to illegal deer hunting.
Scott Kevin Meisterheim, 55, was arraigned earlier this month in the 8th District Court of Kalamazoo County for the following 10 charges, sought by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources:

  • Taking white-tailed deer outside of lawful hunting hours (one count).
  • Hunting white-tailed deer with no license (two counts).
  • Uses the deer hunting licenses of another (two counts).
  • Taking an overlimit of antlered white-tailed deer (two counts).
  • Transporting/possessing untagged antlered white-tailed deer (three counts).

The DNR requested additional charges for illegal bait, failing to immediately validate/attach kill tags and using another’s (hunting) license.

 

MDNR Report

Michigan WolfMichigan Wolf

Wildlife biologists from the Michigan DNR released their findings of the latest Michigan gray wolf survey.

The survey, conducted in early 2022, shows the wolf population in the Upper Peninsula remains stable, as it has for more than a decade.

“These results show a continued trend of statistical stability, indicating that gray wolves may have reached their biological carrying capacity within the Upper Peninsula,” said Cody Norton, the DNR’s wolf specialist. “Wolf presence has only been confirmed twice genetically in the Lower Peninsula in recent times; in 2004 and 2014.”

The survey, which is conducted every other winter, covers the U.P., including Drummond, Neebish and Sugar islands, with Isle Royale excluded. The wolves on Isle Royale are managed by the National Park Service.

Completing analysis of the field data collected during the DNR’s 2022 wolf survey was delayed during the past year as wildlife biologists focused on updating the state’s Wolf Management Plan.

The plan was updated using all pertinent social and biological scientific knowledge on wolves to date.

MDNR Report

Michigan Stocked 7.8 Tons of Fish Last FallMichigan Stocked 7.8 Tons of Fish Last Fall

Anglers will soon benefit from the 624,205 fish - which collectively weighed 7.8 tons - that were stocked by the Michigan DNR at 85 locations across the state.

“It was another outstanding fall fish stocking season that will provide enhanced fishing opportunities throughout Michigan,” said DNR fish production manager Ed Eisch. “When added to our successful spring and summer stocking efforts, that brings the total for 2022 to more than 17 million fish stocked in Michigan’s waters.”

The number and type of fish stocked vary by hatchery, as each facility’s ability to rear fish differs because of water supplies and temperature. In Michigan, there are six state and three cooperative hatcheries that work together to produce the species, strain and size of fish needed by fisheries managers. These fish must then be delivered at a specific time and location for stocking to ensure their success. Most fish in Michigan are stocked in the spring.

Fall 2022 fish stocking consisted of four species of fish: brook trout, Eagle Lake and steelhead strain rainbow trout, walleye and muskellunge.