Other districts in southwest and southeast Michigan and the Upper Peninsula also will consolidate. The Otsego district is the only one in northern Michigan to be affected. The move is part of a cooperative program between the state agriculture and natural resource departments to boost soil conservation budgets. The funds will be used to train foresters in wildlife biology and wildlife biologists in forestry. Thirty percent of Otsego County is public land, compared to 66 percent in Crawford and 61 percent in Roscommon.
Public land is management by DNR foresters and wildlife biologists.
Kasmer, who will schedule days in each county, will report to a board of DNR wildlife biologists, Department of Agriculture officials and representatives from the three counties. The Traverse City Record-Eagle. All rights reserved.