Michigan Wildlife Conservancy

From Great Lakes Wiki

Since 1982, the mission of the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy (MWC), a 501 (c)3, non-profit, charitable organization, has been to restore, conserve and preserve fish, wildlife and habitat throughout Michigan. The MWC works in a variety of ways to help wildlife. Among them are:

Habitat Restoration

We help put nature back the way it was. Millions of acres of wetlands were drained in Michigan. Prairies were plowed up, streams straightened and filled with silt, woodlands cleared. Since it's inception the MWC has been Michigan’s leader in recreating wetlands, planting prairies, restoring streams, and working with property owners to create the conditions wildlife needs to thrive.

Education

Sometimes people hurt wildlife because they don’t realize their impact. We teach people how to help. We provide training to drain commissioners, landowners, land managers, and others so they can make choices that help wildlife. Whether you manage your backyard, thousands of miles of utility right-of-way, or school property, there are steps you can take to help wildlife. At the Bengel Wildlife Center, we teach cost-effective, cutting-edge techniques to make human lifestyles compatible with wildlife.

Rare Animal Recovery

Cougars never disappeared from Michigan, but people thought they did. The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy has documented that cougars still live and breed in Michigan. You may never personally see a cougar, but knowing this predator is fulfilling its traditional role in the balance of nature gives the peace of mind that comes from knowing that a natural system is still working right.

Citizen Science

Thousands of citizens across Michigan are tracking the health of wildlife and natural areas. Your involvement in bird, frog, and toad counts, native seed collection, exotic species control, cougar tracking and many other activities is essential to conserving nature. The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy can help you get involved!

Connect with the Beauty of Our Great Lakes State

The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy is headquartered at the Bengel Wildlife Center (BWC) in Bath, just 10 minutes northeast of Lansing. Deer, turkeys, fox, raccoon, sandhill cranes, bluebirds, wood ducks and many more are at home here on the 259-acres that comprises the BWC.

In summer, relax in one of the gazebos on the grounds, hike or jog the trails, picnic on the observation deck and maybe you'll catch a view of a sandhill crane family feeding.

In fall, the wildflower plantings dotting the landscape are at their peak, while in the winter months you can track many kinds of wildlife native to the BWC as you cross-country ski or walk the trails.

In spring, you can enjoy an abundance of woodland wildflowers, explore our urban, suburan and rural backyard habitat demonstration gardens and pick up some ideas for your own backyard on how to encourage wildlife to visit and thrive.

A Natural Place to Meet

Get away from phones, faxes, and traffic, and focus on your group's agenda when your organization holds its next meeting at the Bengel Wildlife Center. Choose from three different conference rooms, the dramatic Anderson Great Hall featuring a floor-to-ceiling fieldstone fireplace, or the DeVlieg Conservation Hall which can accomodate up to 140 people theatre-style. There is space to suit your group and their needs while enjoying the beauty of Michigan's natural world, and special rates are available for non-profit organizations.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Phone: (517) 641-7677 FAX: (517) 641-7877

Address: 6380 Drumheller Rd., PO Box 393, Bath, MI 48808

Email: wildlife@miwildlife.org Web Site: http://www.miwildlife.org

BWC Building Hours: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Trail Hours: Jan 3-Sept 30 -- Dawn to Dusk; Oct 1-Jan 2 -- 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

The grounds and trails at the BWC Center are free and open to the public to enjoy. Visit the Dancing Crane Gift Shop inside the Bengel Wildlife Center during regular business hours for unique and beautiful wildlife-related gifts that help support our work.

Directions: Take Webster Road north from I-69 to Drumheller Road (0.6 miles), turn east to gate (0.6 miles) on the right.