FIELD NOTES: Giving Back to the Places That Give Us So Much

Flyer for Tip of the Spear Stewardship Day

When most people think about conservation, they picture planting trees, restoring wetlands, or conducting wildlife research.

Those efforts are incredibly important, but conservation can also begin with something much simpler.

Picking up trash.

Construction debris and plastic dumped in the parking area of a Michigan State Game Area.

Clearing a trail or access area.

Trimming brush around a parking lot.

Making public land just a little better than you found it.

As wildlife biologists, hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts, we spend countless hours enjoying Michigan's public lands. We scout them, hunt them, fish them, photograph wildlife on them, and introduce our children to the outdoors on them.

Those experiences are only possible because these lands exist and because people continue caring for them.

Stewardship Is Conservation

It's easy to overlook a discarded bottle, an abandoned tire, or brush growing over a parking area.

Individually they seem small.

Collectively they affect access, visitor experience, and how people perceive our public lands.

Good stewardship isn't always glamorous. Most of the time it isn't.

Sometimes conservation looks like a garbage bag instead of a trail camera.

Sometimes it looks like gloves instead of binoculars.

Sometimes it simply means showing up.

A food plot on Michigan public land. Stewardship helps ensure places like this remain accessible for outdoor recreation and productive for wildlife.

Building Community

One of my goals with Tip of the Spear Outdoors has always been building a stronger outdoor community.

That means more than teaching wildlife biology, scouting, habitat management, or hunting skills.

It also means creating opportunities for people to give something back.

Whether someone is an experienced hunter, a first-time volunteer, a student looking for experience, or simply someone who enjoys spending time outdoors, stewardship gives everyone an opportunity to make a difference.

Building the next generation of conservationists often starts with simply spending time together in the field.

Our First Stewardship Day

On Saturday, August 8, Tip of the Spear Outdoors and Lake Effect Junk Removal will be hosting our first volunteer stewardship day at Oak Grove State Game Area, with approval from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Our goal is simple:

Leave the area better than we found it.

Whether you can volunteer for an hour or stay the entire day, every bit of help matters.

Looking Ahead

I hope this is only the beginning.

Michigan's public lands have given me countless memories, opportunities, and experiences throughout my life and career.

This is one small way to begin giving something back.

I hope you'll join us.

If you're interested in attending, an RSVP is always appreciated so we can get a rough idea of attendance and make sure we have enough supplies and lunch for everyone. That said, please don't let not RSVPing keep you from coming. If you wake up that morning and decide you'd like to lend a hand, just show up. Whether you can stay for an hour or the entire day, every volunteer makes a difference, and we'd love to have you. To RSVP use the contact us on this website.

Forged by Service, Dedicated to the Outdoors.