Michigan Mixed Bag: Freshwater Fishing Hall offers youth writing contest with cash prizes

Hayward, Wis. — The Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame reminds young people to submit entries to the Lindsay Sale-Youth Writing Contest by Jan. 10, 2026. The Hall encourages stories about your most memorable fishing trip. Prizes are available for 1st place ($300), 2nd ($200) and 3rd ($100.)

Winners will be announced by May 15 and winning stories will be published in the Spring issue of the Hall’s “Splash” newsletter.

The contest is open to youth between the ages of 12 and 15 (parental consent required). Limit one entry per person. All stories must be the work of the entrant, without the use of AI. Stories need to be between 200 and 500 words long, and entries will be judged by qualified outdoor journalists, photographers, and educators.

Complete contest details are available online.

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Winter is the Best Time to Check Trees for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid

Lansing — The Michigan departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development encourage those who have eastern hemlock trees on their property to take time this winter to inspect the trees for signs of hemlock woolly adelgid – tiny, soft-bodied insects that consume the trees’ stored nutrients, slowly sucking the life from the trees.

Anyone taking to the woods also can help by looking for signs while hunting, hiking or enjoying other outdoor activities.

Winter is the best time to look for evidence of an infestation, according to Robert Miller, MDARD’s invasive species prevention and response specialist.

“Cooler temperatures trigger feeding activity,” Miller said. “As the hemlock woolly adelgid feeds, it secretes a white, waxy material that creates ovisacs. The presence of these small, round, white masses makes it possible to identify infested trees.”

Infestations of hemlock woolly adelgid have been confirmed in Allegan, Antrim, Benzie, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Muskegon, Oceana, Ottawa, Van Buren and Washtenaw counties.

For more information on identification, reporting or treatment, visit Michigan.gov/HWA.

Need Firewood on a Budget? Fuelwood Permits are Good Through Dec. 31

Lansing — If you’re feeling a budget pinch this fall, consider “shopping” for firewood from dead or downed trees in a state forest near you.

Fuelwood permits cost $20 and allow collection of fuelwood for personal use from select state-managed land in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula.

Permit holders may collect up to five standard cords of wood, a stack measuring 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. In the 12-county area affected by the severe ice storm in March, the limit is raised to 10 cords. Collected wood must be from already dead and downed trees within 200 feet of the road.

Purchase a permit in person at DNR customer service centers in the northern Lower Peninsula or Upper Peninsula. A few forestry field offices also will sell permits in person

For more information visit Michigan.gov/Fuelwood.

Help Remove Invasive Species at Bald Mountain and Warren Dunes

Lansing — Volunteer are needed on Dec. 13 to remove invasive species at the Bald Mountain Recreation Area in Lake Orion and the Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer.

The Graham Lake Fen Complex at Bald Mountain needs your help for cutting and removing glossy buckthorn and other invasive shrubs.

Activities will take place between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Volunteers should meet at the East Graham boat launch parking lot on the north side of Predmore Road in the park’s north unit.

To register and for more call (517) 551-4969

Also beginning at 10 a.m. volunteers are needed to help remove resprouting woody invasive species at Warren Dunes State Park. Volunteers should meet at the trailhead parking lot by the park headquarters.

To register and for more info call (517) 388-8517.