Under the bills, the U.P. NRC would have exclusive authority to regulate the taking of game and sport fish in the region. The commissioners would be appointed by the governor from a list compiled by U.P. legislators.

In a news release Wednesday, the four lawmakers said the Michigan NRC often issues broad-stroke rulings that don’t respect the unique nature of U.P. wildlife and natural resources.

“There are numerous distinct differences between the upper and lower peninsulas, and the list keeps growing,” said state Rep. David Prestin, R-Cedar River. “It truly is a tale of two peninsulas. The U.P. has wolves and cougar, the Lower Peninsula does not. Moose in our peninsula, elk in theirs. We have far too few whitetail deer due to out-of-control predation, and they have far too many. Yet, the NRC continues to clamor about how their statewide decisions are what’s best for everyone, when those same decisions are clearly putting the U.P. in jeopardy.”

Also announcing the plan were state Reps. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock; Karl Bohnak, R-Deerton; and Parker Fairbairn, R-Harbor Springs, whose district includes the eastern end of the U.P.

KARL BOHNAK

“The imbalance between the Upper and Lower Peninsula wildlife proves how ridiculous it is to try to make rules that apply to everyone simultaneously,” Markkanen said. “If a parent has a teenager and an infant, you don’t just feed everyone mashed peas and carrots. You make a plan that suits the unique needs of each child. Similarly, we need our own NRC that will recognize the unique needs of the U.P. wildlife, not one that just forces more mashed peas down our throats.”

The lawmakers said the Michigan NRC has scheduled only one meeting in the Upper Peninsula this year.

“The U.P. deserves honest representation when it comes to decisions over its natural resources,” Fairbairn said. “The fact that the current NRC only decided to meet in the U.P. once this year is glaring proof of where its priorities lie. The NRC cannot simultaneously say they can handle and understand U.P. wildlife and then choose to ignore us all the same. It’s not right and proves exactly why we need our own NRC.”

House Bills 4783-4786 “recognize the people best suited to make decisions about our natural resources are those who live in the U.P.,” said Bohnak.

The bills have been referred to the 17-member House Committee on Natural Resources and Tourism, chaired by state Rep. David Martin, R-Davison. Prestin, Bohnak and Fairbairn are all members of the committee.

Markkanen backed similar legislation in 2022 but it failed to make it out of the House Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Committee.