The Michigan departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development announced the finding of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in a Mecosta County deer farm in late January 2017.
As part of the CWD surveillance effort in the area, the DNR requests that road-killed deer within specific townships in Mecosta and Montcalm counties be reported to a wildlife disease hotline. Samples are being collected from road-killed white-tailed deer found within Mecosta, Austin, Morton, Hinton, Aetna and Deerfield townships in Mecosta County, and Cato, Winfield and Reynolds townships in Montcalm County. To report road-killed deer in these townships only, call 231-250-2537. Leave a voicemail (or text) with location information, and staff will collect the deer as soon as possible.
The DNR asks the public and hunters to continue reporting deer that appear ill or are exhibiting unusual behavior (e.g., excessively thin, drooling, stumbling, approachable, etc.). To report such a deer, call the DNR Wildlife Disease Lab at 517-336-5030 or fill out and submit the online observation report form, found on the DNR website at http://www.michigandnr.com/diseasedwildlifereporting/disease_obsreport.asp.
To date, there is no evidence that CWD presents any risk to humans or other animals outside the deer family. However, as a precaution, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend that infected animals not be consumed as food by either humans or domestic animals.
More information about CWD, including Michigan's CWD surveillance and response plan is available at www.michigan.gov/cwd.
Two burns will be in Fairplain Township. One is 160 acres and the other 41 acres. They will burn timber and grass for the Karner blue butterfly habitat, and grass for upland bird habitat.
The third burn is in Eureka Township (62 acres), also for Karner blue butterfly habitat enhancement.
The Karner blue butterfly is a federally listed endangered species in Michigan.
Other prescribed burns in the state are occurring in Arenac County (red pine management), Monroe County (upland bird habitat and native grasses), Oakland County (to stimulate oak regeneration), and Otsego (grass and shrubs for elk, deer and turkey.
Reduce the risk of wildfires.
Although prescribed burns are planned, they can be canceled at the last minute due to careful monitoring of weather and wind conditions.
A daytime breaking and entering complaint was handled in the Howard City area by the Michigan State Police Lakeview Post on September 1. A residence near Maple Hill Rd and M-82 was broken into and three flat screen TVs were taken. This incident is believed to have occurred between 11:00 a.m and 12:30 p.m.
Another complaint was handled on September 1, in reference to a larceny of vehicle tires. The tires were stolen off of a personal vehicle that was parked at Peasely Trucking, located at 15015 W. M-46 near Amble Rd.
Anybody with information on either of these thefts is requested to contact Trooper Rice at the Lakeview Post at (989) 352-8444.