LANSING – State Representative Mary Valentine (D-Norton Shores) today announced that the House has passed the Hunting Heritage Protection Act, ensuring that any hunting land sold by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) must be replaced by new hunting land. The bill will ensure that Michigan continues to be a top destination in the country for outdoors enthusiasts.
"Hunting in Michigan is proud tradition that must be protected," Valentine said. "Hunting is not only part of our culture and heritage here in Michigan; it plays a large role in our state's economy. Michigan's hunters contribute nearly $2 billion each year. And tourism also is crucial to our state's economy and our bountiful woods draw visitors from all over the country. This plan will protect our rich heritage of hunting."
The 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 DNR. 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, according to the DNR. It contributes an estimated $1.3 billion directly to the state's economy, plus an additional $1.2 billion from peripheral spending at hotels, restaurants and other local businesses.