Local Wildlife

Crawford County's forests are home to a variety of wildlife, including endangered and rare species whose histories show the effects of human activity and conservation on the natural landscape. Railroads and automobiles helped people travel farther to hunt and fish, often in excess, and today Michigan's Department of Natural Resources works with Michigan's federally recognized tribal nations and groups like Trout Unlimited to manage native wildlife. The Kirtland's warbler, one of America's rarest songbirds, nests in young jack pine forests and became endangered when efforts to prevent forest fires stopped the growth of new jack pine stands, but controlled fires have helped restore its habitat and it was removed from the endangered species list in 2019. The northern long-eared bat became threatened because of habitat loss and white-nose syndrome, while the Arctic grayling, once abundant in rivers of Michigan's lower peninsula, disappeared from the state by the 1930s because of overfishing, logging-related habitat loss, and competition from introduced species, though restoration work began in the early 2020s. The yellow-banded bumble bee is an early spring pollinator that can be harmed by mowing or raking near its nesting and hibernation places, Hungerford's crawling water beetle survives in clean, cool riffles of fast-flowing streams and signals healthy water, and the wood turtle, a long-lived reptile of woods near rivers and streams, has declined because of habitat destruction, traffic, and poaching for the illegal pet trade.

Michigan · United States