Browse Ambrook’s collection of funding programs by Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR)

Interested in enrolling in HAP? Email DNR-Wildlife@Michigan.gov or call 517-284-9453.

Deadline text on the page: eligible to apply during open enrollment periods. Please see map below for eligible counties and contact DNR to determine if enrollment is open in your county.

General office

HAP enrollment

DNR leases hunting access on private land in the Lower Peninsula and part of the Eastern U.P. Landowners get an annual per-acre payment based on habitat quality, type of hunting allowed and acres. Enrolled landowners can also apply for wildlife habitat improvement funds.



- Landowners in the Northern and Southern Lower Peninsula and a section of the Eastern Upper Peninsula
- Owning 20 or more acres
- Forest, wetland, grassland and cropland can be enrolled; minimum habitat requirements vary by region

Payment per unit of land to do or avoid certain practices related to land management.

Easement

One-year leases, paid at the end of each hunting season; landowner chooses all hunting, youth/apprentice only, small game, deer or turkey only; liability protection under P.A. 451 of 1994.

Published amounts: HAP can pay up to $30 per acre for high-quality habitat enrolled into a Farm Bill program such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) or for land devoted to a wildlife food plot. ... landowners in southern Michigan ... can receive an extra $10 per acre from Pheasants Forever

Mail the Application to List Land to Cashiers Office, P.O. Box 30451, Lansing, MI 48909 between Jan. 1 and April 1.

Deadline text on the page: Applications may be submitted beginning Jan. 1 and must be postmarked or delivered no later than April 1.

Jennifer Eyde

Program Leader (general questions and program enrollment or withdrawal)

Chad Fortin

Western U.P. Service Forester

Jason Caron

Central/East U.P. Service Forester

Mike Hanley

Lower Peninsula Service Forester

Private forest owners who manage for long-term timber production pay a flat per-acre specific tax instead of regular property taxes. In return the land must stay open to public foot access for hunting, trapping and fishing, and follow a forest management plan written by a registered forester.



- Submit a recorded deed to prove ownership
- Forest management plan written by a registered forester, copy submitted to DNR
- Notify DNR before cutting, harvesting or removing forest products
- Ensure public foot access for hunting, trapping and fishing
- Commercial activity limited to forestry or oil and gas extraction

A reduction or waiving of fees for meeting a certain criteria.

Discount

Landowners can withdraw at any time but pay a withdrawal penalty; tax bill comes from the township treasurer (billed December, due February); Part 512 applications also due April 1.

Published amounts: Tax years 2022 – 2026 – $1.35 per acre per year (commercial forest specific tax in place of ad valorem property tax; rate increases 5 cents every 5 years). Part 512: additional 15 cent per acre tax incentive for land under a sustainable forest conservation easement.

Submit a nomination application to DNR by the annual deadline (May 8 in 2026).

Deadline text on the page: Project nominations can now be submitted through Friday, May 8. Nomination applications must be submitted by the deadline to be considered for the next round of funding.

Kerry Heckman

Forest Legacy Program Coordinator

Buys permanent conservation easements or land from owners of important private forests to keep them from being developed. Projects compete nationally, and approval can take several years; non-motorized public access must be conveyed to the state.



- The rights of public access (non-motorized access at a minimum) must be conveyed to the state on all projects
- Easement landowners must prepare and implement a resource management plan
- 25% non-federal match
- An endowment for long-term monitoring and stewardship for easement projects

Fee purchase or perpetual conservation easement.

Published amounts: The federal government funds up to 75 percent of project costs, 25 percent of the costs must come from private, state or local sources.

List of Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Funding Opportunities