DNR accepting deer habitat improvement grants

With the snow falling, now is the perfect time to think about enhancing your property to attract more deer. Developing a way to deliver food at a time when it is scarce, so local populations thrive could be the subject of a grant proposal for the Department of Natural Resources’ Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership program.

Applications will be accepted until March 12th. A total pot of $100,000 is available to aid projects. Successful proposals will each receive a grant between two and 15-thousand dollars. There are few limits as to what projects are eligible outside of their ability to satisfy three criteria. Each winner must produce tangible improvements in deer habitats, foster a new relationship between the DNR and an outside organization, and have the worth of the project be readily understood by the public.

The full press release is below.

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The application period for the Upper Peninsula’s Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative competitive grant program opened Jan 28.

The initiative is a cooperative grant program designed to enhance deer habitat on private lands in the U.P.

“There are three primary goals applicants should strive to meet,” said Bill Scullon, DNR field operations manager and administrator for the grant initiative. “The projects should produce tangible deer habitat improvements, build long-term partnerships between the DNR and outside organizations and showcase the benefits of the project to the public.”

Now in its 13th year, the initiative is supported by the state’s Deer Range Improvement Program, which is funded by a portion of deer hunting license revenue. The program has invested over $750,000 in hunter license dollars on U.P. deer habitat enhancements.

More than 90 projects, distributed over nearly all UP counties, have improved thousands of acres of deer habitat. Partners have contributed nearly half a million dollars in matching funds to expand the scope of these project enhancements for wildlife.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has announced a March 12 deadline to apply for a total of $100,000 in deer habitat improvement grant funding in the Upper Peninsula for 2021. Scullon said the maximum amount of individual grants is $15,000 and the minimum is $2,000.

“These projects are prime examples of how partner groups can come together to enhance deer habitat all across the U.P.,” Scullon said.

Project applications must be postmarked by Friday, March 12 and successful applicants will be notified by Thursday, April 1. The complete grant application package is available on the DNR website.

For more information or questions regarding eligibility, please contact Bill Scullon at 906-250-6781 or scullonh@michigan.gov.