Property Owners' Association
US Fish & Wildlife Service and the MI DNR Amend Gerrish Twp SI Permits to Disallow the Use of Nest Boxes
US Fish & Wildlife Service and the MI DNR Amend Gerrish Township SI Permits to Disallow the Use of Nest Boxes for the Depredation of Merganser Hens, Chicks and/or Eggs.
It has been confirmed today, March 27, 2017, that an amendment has been received this week addressed to Gerrish Township from the US Fish & Wildlife Service. The amendment reads as follows:
” K. Amended 3/20/2017 : Amended to clarify that nest/egg destruction is for natural nests only and not for artificial nest boxes. The intent of this permit was not to allow placement of nest boxes to attract more common mergansers to Higgins Lake.”
In addition, the MI DNR has also amended the permit issued to Gerrish Township to disallow the use of nest boxes. Efforts are currently underway this week by Gerrish Township to remove the two dozen or so artificial nest boxes they had erected in 2015. In other words, these nest boxes should be removed prior to the return of nesting common mergansers hens to our lake this spring. This is an action that the HLPOA, HLLC and HLEEC supported and publicly proposed at a March 14, 2017 meeting of the Gerrish Township Board. The amended permits are posted below: