Senate Resolution 30, introduced by Sen. Dale Zorn (R-Ida) on April 9, 2019, and House Resolution 61, introduced by Rep. James Lower (R-Cedar Lake) on April 10, 2019, encourage the Michigan Natural Resources Commission to add Sandhill Cranes to the game species list and seeks U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approval to establish a hunting season for these birds.

Sandhill Crane by Scott Helfrich

Unfortunately, we’ve been here before. The Michigan House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on October 4, 2017, regarding HR154. This resolution sought 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 annual recreational Sandhill crane hunting seasons in Michigan. This resolution did not ultimately pass and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has repeatedly not approved the Michigan population of Sandhill Cranes as a game species.

As Michigan’s…