senate resolution no.30

Senator Zorn offered the following resolution:

A resolution to encourage the Natural Resources Commission to add Sandhill cranes to the game species list and seek U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approval to establish a Sandhill crane hunting season.

Whereas, Michigan is home to an ever-increasing population of Sandhill cranes. The 2016 Michigan Breeding Waterfowl Survey estimates 48,900 spring breeding Sandhill cranes; and

Whereas, Sandhill cranes are already hunted in Minnesota, Tennessee, and Kentucky when they migrate beyond Michigan's borders. They are classified as a game species under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1916; and

Whereas, Hunting seasons are strictly regulated by the Mississippi Flyway Council and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that the Sandhill crane population remains robust. Under the Eastern Population Crane Management Plan, states may only receive approval for a hunting season after submitting pertinent information to the Mississippi Flyway Council, including an estimate of the peak number of Sandhill cranes and time of migration over a five-year period, proposed number of permits to be issued, and proposed season dates. States with hunting seasons are required to gather information from hunters and track the Sandhill crane population; and

Whereas, A hunting season will benefit hunters and the growing Sandhill crane population; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate, That we encourage the Natural Resources Commission to add Sandhill cranes to the game species list and seek U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approval to establish a Sandhill crane hunting season; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the members of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission, the Director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and the Governor of Michigan.