Michigan

Songbird Protection Coalition

Permanent Court Ordered Injuction

The mourning dove is property held in trust for the people of the State of Michigan.  In 1985 the Natural Resource Commission illegally voted to establish a mourning dove hunting season in Michigan.

The court ruled that only the legislature can designate a species as game.  The court also issued a permanent injunction against the DNR and the NRC with regard to promoting the hunting of mourning doves.

September 25, 1985, the Honorable James T. Kallman, Circuit Judge of Ingham County issued the following Permanent Court Order:

"IT IS ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that Defendants (NRC/DNR) are hereby enjoined and restrained from holding, administering, overseeing or promoting an open hunting season on mourning doves."

Permanent Court Ordered Injunction

Special Note: According to concerned citizens in the chamber, representatives of the Department of Natural Resources testified at the Michigan House Dove Bill Hearing in Lansing December 2000.  Additionally, the DNR Legislative Liaison stated that the Natural Resource Commission is anticipating to revisit the mourning dove hunting issue during 2001.

The NRC/DNR actively violated the injunction several times.  Are they technically skating the law or violating the law?  Not withstanding anything to the contrary, this is nonetheless an ethical violation of the public trust.  The courts may need to be brought into the situation again.

Source, including but not limited to: Thirtieth Judicial Circuit of Michigan, NRC meeting minutes, citizens of Michigan.