The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reopening customer service centers and field offices at least a couple of days each week.  It’s the latest step in the state’s attempts to return operations to normal following the COVID-19 outbreak. Even with this new change, thousands of state workers remain out of their normal work settings and remotely doing their work.

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Starting today, Department of Natural Resources field offices and customer service centers will be open Tuesday through Thursday, at least until the Labor Day holiday weekend. For Battle Creek area residents, the closest field office is about 30 miles away in Plainwell (15 miles from Kalamazoo). Or take the approximately 50-mile drive to Lansing. Past Labor Day - the department plans to fully reopen.  There may still be DNR and other state department employees working remotely. Some may never return. It’s still too early to see how all that will come together.

Main offices at state parks and recreation areas, harbors maintained by the DNR, and shooting ranges, have all been open for a while now. The hugely popular DNR Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit reopened this past weekend.

Fish hatchery buildings are closed to the public but outdoor areas and trails at most hatcheries are open, including at Wolf Lake Hatchery just west of Kalamazoo

The DNR’s reopening announcement offers the following reminder about  COVID-19 safety precautions: “The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services still recommends that people not yet fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should wear face masks when in crowded outdoor settings. Additionally, visitors at DNR facilities and sites may see some DNR employees wearing face masks as an added precaution for the comfort and safety of visitors, volunteers and staff.”

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