Serving The Straits Area Sportsmen Since 1975
Serving The Straits Area Sportsmen Since 1975
Since 2013 The Straits Area Sportsmen's Club has applied for and completed over $50,000 worth of habitat work in Mackinac County's St. Martin Deer yards.
SASC has once again applied for a $15,000 grant to do work in the St. Martin Deer yard with the U.S. Forest Service and the Ruffed Grouse Society. Unfortunately, the current situation and Governor’s Executive Direction requires a temporary suspension of the grant program process. More to come soon.
Despite setbacks the Straits Area Sportsmen’s Club has completed the 2019 DRIP Grant Project. This project is in the St. Martin winter complex and will expand upon the ongoing work and partnership occurring between the Straits Area Sportsmen’s Club, Ruffed Grouse Society and Forest Service to provide high quality food to deer entering and leaving the St. Martin’s deer winter complex. The project will benefit a variety of wildlife species, including Ruffed Grouse and American Woodcock. Increasing the oak component on the landscape would enhance the hard mast production of acorns which provide forage for whitetail deer and black bear among many others.
Fifteen different wildlife openings have been opened by mechanical brushing and piling. The project included brushing all woody stems at least 2’ tall, except for reserve species soft mast species – cherry, service berry, and white pine. Each of the wildlife openings averaged approximately 1-2 acres in size, and totaling 30 acres. In addition the SASC purchased 50 – 10 foot in height red oak tree which were planted by volunteers in September.
Club President Gary Gorniak reported volunteers planted all 50 Oak trees over the weekend in different designated areas off of Gamble Rd. The masticator will be back grinding up areas designated by Forest Service Biologist this Friday clearing additional sites. This project will be completed by the end of September.
The Straits Area Sportsmen’s Club has been approved for a $15,000 grant. The SASC plans to partner with the U.S. Forest Service’s Hiawatha National Forest to brush approximately 30 acres of small opening habitats on Forest Service lands in Mackinac County. The brushing will remove encroaching woody vegetation so natural grasses and forbs can thrive. Plans also include planting multiple 8- to 10-foot-tall red oaks with protective fencing.
Proposal partners include the Forest Service contributing $10,000 in biologist and technician time to set up the project, and the Ruffed Grouse Society with $5,000 for early successional habitat creation of 10 acres, using a grinding head machine. The club will provide a match of $4,828 (administering the contractors etc.; $10,000 from the Forest Service for staff time, and $5,000 from the Ruffed Grouse Society for the cutting head machine. The total match is valued at $19,828 (132 percent). Total project value is $34,828. This is a long form text area designed for your content that you can fill up with as many words as your heart desires. You can write articles, long mission statements, company policies, executive profiles, company awards/distinctions, office locations, shareholder reports, whitepapers, media mentions and other pieces of content that don’t fit into a shorter, more succinct space.
It is always important to have parnters. Both the Hiawatha National Forest East and the Ruffed Grouse Society are our partners in this great project.
Is to improve the suitability of deer winter complexes in Mackinac County by mechanical (masticator) or hand brushing of wildlife openings on the St Ignace Ranger District. This project is needed to set back woody encroachment and improve cool season grasses as high quality food sources for deer entering or leaving deer winter complexes. This project would also improve habitat conditions for species such as ruffed grouse and area pollinators. Wildlife openings are adjacent to deer wintering complexes and accessible to the public for hunting.
This project is in St Martin deer winter complex and will expand upon the ongoing work and partnership occurring between the Straits Area Sportsmen Club, Ruffed Grouse Society, and the Hiawatha National Forest to provide high quality food to deer entering and leaving the St Martin’s deer winter complex. This project will benefit a variety of wildlife species, including ruffed grouse and American woodcock.
Additionally, increasing the oak component on the landscape would enhance the hard mast production of acorns which provide forage for white-tailed deer and black bear among many others. The location of these sites and diversity of wildlife species that use these areas make it a highly-used public area for hunting, berry picking, and other recreation activities.
Estimate of contract cost is approximately $300/acre -$500/acre over 30 acres. Total project estimate is $15,000. Extra monies available after contract cost would be used to purchase red oak trees to provide future hard mast on wildlife openings.
Straits Area Sportsmen's Club
P.O. Box 764, St. Ignace, MI 79781
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