Mosquito Control on MDNR Wildlife Division Administered Lands

The Wildlife Division manages over 400,000 acres as state game and wildlife areas. Funding for the acquisition, operation, and management of these areas comes in large part from the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (P-R Act). Compliance with the P-R Act mandates that the funds (and land acquired with them) be used for wildlife restoration. Activities that are not compatible with wildlife restoration must be thoroughly reviewed and approved by both the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Mosquito control is not considered compatible with wildlife restoration.

Mosquito larvae are an important food for many aquatic organisms. Large numbers of larvae provide food for phantom gnats, damselflies, dragonflies, fish, other water insects, larval salamanders, and spiders. Adult mosquitoes are also fed upon by birds, bats, frogs, spiders, and terrestrial insects. Mosquito control conducted on wildlife areas in the spring will reduce food available to migratory birds returning to the breeding grounds. Insects are particularly important to female breeding birds because the high protein in the diet is used to produce albumin in eggs. Control of mosquitoes can be detrimental to state and/or federally listed threatened and endangered species and other wildlife.

Control of mosquitoes on Wildlife Division administered lands will be allowed only when there is a documented human health emergency and a written permit has been issued by the Management Unit Supervisor. Mosquito control to reduce nuisance mosquitoes will not be permitted.

State and/or County Health Officials working in cooperation with the Management Unit Supervisor may declare that a local human health emergency exists. Such declaration must be made in writing to the Management Unit Supervisor and must state which disease is present that is causing the emergency declaration, what vector species are present, the species in which the disease was found, the proposed method of treatment, and the expected duration of the emergency.

Mosquito control may be allowed on Wildlife Division administered land when:

• There is documented incidence of mosquito borne disease activity within published flight range(s) of vector species that have been documented to breed on the Wildlife land proposed for treatment. The disease may be identified in birds, mosquitoes, humans, and/or other mammals. Presence of the disease must be documented in the current or immediately preceding year; and

• Current surveillance data indicate that mosquitoes on Wildlife lands pose an imminent threat to human health. The term "imminent threat" used here would mean high larval and/or adult populations of known vectors of a particular disease having been found on Wildlife lands; and,

• The Wildlife Management Unit Supervisor, in consultation with recognized health care professionals (i.e. state, county, local public health offices), determines there is a high probability that disease carrying mosquitoes originating from Wildlife lands may infect humans.

Treatment of Wildlife Lands

The Wildlife Management Unit Supervisor, in consultation with state, county, or community human health care authorities, will respond appropriately to a mosquito borne disease threat when the above conditions have been met. The term "appropriately" means using the most effective agents practicable to address the specific human health risk, and would include larviciding or, in cases where infected mosquitoes have been found on Wildlife lands, adulticiding. The use of pesticides on Wildlife lands will only occur when: 1) there is evidence of an increasing risk for human infection; 2) this risk will be substantially lowered by the pesticide(s); 3) the application of pesticides to the Wildlife lands is superior to other available approaches to manage disease risk; 4) a permit for mosquito control has been issued by the Management Unit Supervisor, and 5) all other required permits and regulations are obtained and followed. Other permits may be required by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and/or other State or United States governmental agencies. Any emergency treatment lasting beyond 30 days will require renewal of the permit and consultation with the Wildlife Division Chief or designated representative. The Wildlife Division may identify specific no treatment areas to prevent take of state or federally listed threatened or endangered species.

Approved: 4/17/03