DNR doubles deer habitat grant funding in UP
Project in Baraga County included
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Conservation groups, K-12 students and landowners across the Upper Peninsula will improve hundreds of acres of white-tailed deer habitat this year after receiving state grants generated from deer hunting license revenue.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is funding 14 projects totaling nearly $200,000 in grants in 2026. That's double the per-year amount of funding from past years through the Deer Habitat Improvement Partnership Initiative.
Now in its 18th year, the U.P. initiative has awarded nearly $1.5 million across 176 grants, with partners contributing more than $1 million in matching funds or in-kind contributions.
"The initiative has created a collaborative approach to improving deer habitat on private lands across the Upper Peninsula," said Bill Scullon, grant program coordinator and field operations manager for the DNR. "As we know, deer know no boundaries. Creating suitable habitat across both public and private lands is crucial to helping deer survive the often-challenging U.P. winters."
Funding for the initiative comes from the Deer Range Improvement Program, or DRIP, a state appropriation created in 1971. Through DRIP, $1.50 from every deer hunting license goes toward improving deer habitat.
This year, $199,711 in habitat improvement projects were awarded in nine counties: Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Iron, Mackinac and Marquette.
Grant-funded work includes mass plantings of trees, plants and grasses favored by deer, turning abandoned logging roads into hunter walking trails and several projects involving public school students.
Among projects receiving funding:
Iron-Baraga Conservation District:
Iron Baraga Conservation District (IBCD) has been approved for $25,000.00 for the "Iron Baraga Conservation District 2026 Deer Habitat Project." This project enhances deer wintering habitat across Private Lands and School Forests
and lands in Iron and Baraga Counties. This grant will provide seedlings and trees to landowners at a significantly reduced cost, allowing them to implement habitat improvement immediately.
The KBIC Ojibway Community College and Forest are also eager to plant this year. The Iron Baraga
Conservation District (IBCD) will continue its efforts to reach out to all schools with
forest properties in Iron and Baraga County, encouraging their participation as well. The
IBCD has included the Tap Root Community Farm and Food Forest in their proposal, as
they assisted with completing the 2024 and 2025 grants and are eager to continue
collaborating.