MARENISCO TOWNSHIP, MI (AP)-- State officials are hosting a meeting in Gogebic County for people interested in helping maintain or improve deer habitat in the Upper Peninsula.
The gathering is scheduled for Thursday at the township hall in Marenisco.
U.P. deer typically spend winters among dense canopies of conifer trees, especially cedar and hemlock. Snow is less deep there, and the areas provide links to trails with access to food and routes for evading predators.
The Department of Natural Resources says it needs help from private landowners to improve conditions for deer in those places. Biologists say severe winters and falling deer numbers are raising concerns about the quality of shelter that the tree complexes provide.
Officials say if the habitat improvement effort succeeds in the western U.P., it will be tried elsewhere.