Friday, January 23, 2015

Conservation officers seeking information on ducks killed during Houghton Lake Tip-Up Town

Conservation officers seeking information on ducks killed during
Houghton Lake Tip-Up Town

Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers are seeking information from the public about an incident that killed seven mallards on Houghton Lake during the annual Tip-Up Town celebration.

On Sunday, Jan. 18, conservation officer Chuck McPherson and Sgt. Jeremy Payne received information about seven dead mallards discovered near the Iroquois Street bridge in the East Bay area of Houghton Lake. When they arrived to investigate, the officers also discovered an injured mallard that they collected and took to a wildlife rehabilitator in the area for care.

According to Sgt. Payne, the incident happened near open water where a canal enters the lake. The area is known as a place that ducks congregate because of the open water at the canal entrance. There was a single set of snowmobile tracks near the open water, and officers surmise a snowmobiler struck a large group of ducks sometime on Jan. 17. The dead ducks collected at the scene had injuries consistent with blunt force trauma.

Payne said there is another injured duck that appears to have a broken wing that the officers will continue to look out for in hopes of taking it to a wildlife rehabilitator for care.

Anyone with information about this incident can call the DNR's Report All Poaching (RAP) Line at 1-800-292-7800. Information may be left anonymously. Information also can be sent to the DNR via the online reporting form available on the DNR website www.michigan.gov/conservationofficers.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.


Contact: Lt. Glenn Gutierrez, 989-275-5151, ext. 7100 or Ed Golder, 517-284-5815