Endangered beetle featured on Michigan wildlife fund patch

  LANSING, Mich. (AP) — State officials have selected Michigan's "Living Resources" patch for this year — and it's available for purchase.
The patch was created from the winning entry in a design contest. It was submitted by fourth-grade student Kennedy Thelen of Portland. Pupils statewide took part in the contest after learning in class about Michigan's threatened and endangered species.
The patch features the American burying beetle, the largest carrion-eating insect in North America. The state Department of Natural Resources says it probably has died out in Michigan. But the endangered beetle can be found in a few Great Plains states.
Proceeds from Living Resources patch sales go to a fund that supports habitat improvement and monitoring projects for threatened, endangered and nongame species in Michigan.