Waterfowl hunting advocates in Michigan have raised $80,000 to temporarily restore operations at four state-managed hunting areas after the Department of Natural Resources faced budget constraints. The funding will restore two daily hunting draws at Fish Point in Tuscola County, Nayanquing Point in Bay County, Shiawassee River in Saginaw County, and Harsens Island Unit in St. Clair County for the fall season. The donations will support two part-time staff positions at each area from two weeks before the waterfowl opener through Thanksgiving weekend.
The funds came from five sources: Ducks Unlimited ($20,000), Shiawassee Flats Citizens and Hunters Association ($20,000), St. Clair Flats Waterfowlers and Harsens Island Waterfowl Hunters Association ($20,000), Michigan Duck Hunters Association ($10,000), and Delta Waterfowl ($10,000). Kyle Green of The Green Way Outdoors organized the fundraising campaign. The DNR announced in July that budget constraints would reduce hunting opportunities at multiple managed waterfowl areas during the 2026 season.
Deputy Director Shannon Lott said the solution "is a one-time fix and does not solve our root problem." She cited declining revenues, inflation-driven cost increases, and deferred maintenance as ongoing challenges. The DNR Wildlife Division has lost $12.5 million in annual purchasing power over the past seven years—equivalent to 21 percent of its total budget.
The four managed waterfowl areas are among the division's most intensively managed public lands, encompassing 32,000 acres of Michigan's 450,000 acres of public land managed as state game and wildlife areas. Each area includes hundreds of miles of earthen levees, dozens of large pumps, culverts, bridges, and boat launches, with estimated annual operating costs of $400,000 to $1 million.