MARQUETTE – The Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Western Citizens Advisory Council will discuss a range of items when the panel meets Thursday at the Island Convention Center in Harris.

The meeting will be from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Central time in the Turtle Room at the convention center, located at W399 U.S. 2 in Harris.

New business items include a U.P. deer regulations update, a marketing video for the DNR’s Forest Resources Division and a Forest Development Fund review.

The public may participate in the meeting during two public comment sessions.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has two 20-member citizens’ advisory councils in the Upper Peninsula that were created in 2007 and first convened the following year.

The two councils are designed to provide local input to advise the DNR on regional programs and policies, identify areas in which the department can be more effective and responsive, and offer insight and guidance from members’ own experiences and constituencies. Members represent a wide spectrum of natural resource and recreation interests, from hunters, boaters and off-road vehicle riders to foresters, birders and skiers.

For more information on the councils, contact Stacy Haughey, DNR Upper Peninsula regional coordinator, at 906-226-1331.

The Western Upper Peninsula Advisory Council draws its membership from Marquette, Delta, Dickinson, Menominee, Baraga, Iron, Gogebic, Ontonagon, Houghton and Keweenaw counties.