Michigan regulation changes

[Joby]

Barry:

Thanks for the input. MHC, and other falconers in Michigan, are not needed for the DNR to do its job in managing piping plovers (this is, at its heart, a plover management issue). We did, however, see this as an opportunity to partner with the falconry community in a way that would benefit the resource and Michigan's sportsmen. We will not be expanding the list of individuals who are authorized to trap merlins in this program to all falconers statewide (it took 2 years to clear the paperwork hurdles with our federal partners on this program to allow the current take - much of which is dependent on having a predefined list of agents who will trap). The DNR does not take lightly the naming of agents since we take on a level of responsibility and liability for their actions; MHC's involvement in naming these agents was to provide the DNR with recommendations of falconers who would be capable of performing the tasks necessary, available and willing to perform the tasks necessary, and would hold themselves to a high standard of professional conduct while acting on behalf of the DNR. That being said, I can certainly discuss with the MHC how decisions are made as to who will receive the trapped birds; we do have the ability to determine what our agents can do under our authority, including transferring caught birds. If you have specific suggestions on an allocation process, please email them to me at clevelandk1@michigan.gov so that I can share them with our Endangered Species Coordinator and other staff working on this project.

Karen

Does this mean that there are only "some" MI falconers who will be allowed to trap or take depredation merlins in MI.? What criteria did it take to get on that list?