The Michigan Natural Resources Commission will host its annual Upper Peninsula wildlife and fisheries regulations meeting on Saturday, April 9, in Marquette.

The 3 p.m. meeting will take place at the Northwoods Supper Club, 26 Northwoods Road, Marquette. The meeting is an opportunity for the public to share thoughts and issues about deer management, fisheries management and other issues with members of the NRC and Wildlife and Fisheries Divisions of the Department of Natural Resources to assist in future policy-making decisions.

This meeting is set for the spring of each year, prior to the annual wildlife regulation review process. The NRC and DNR will be discussing wildlife issues and setting regulations in the next few weeks which will be designed to take effect during the 2005 hunting seasons.

"The NRC hosts meetings in various regions of the state each year to encourage local participation," said NRC member John Madigan of Munising. "This annual meeting in Marquette is the ideal opportunity for sportspeople and concerned residents to share their thoughts with the NRC and the DNR."

All attendees are allowed three minutes for their public comments. Written comments are also welcome and can be submitted at the meeting or sent to Teresa Gloden, Assistant to the NRC, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 30028, Lansing, MI 48909. Comments can also be e-mailed to glodent@michigan.gov.

In addition, a meeting of the U.P. Habitat Workgroup, a sub-committee of the NRC Policy Committee on Wildlife and Fisheries, will take place at 12 p.m. also at the Northwoods Supper Club. The public is welcome to attend this meeting, which will focus on acquisition and habitat improvement of deer range in the Upper Peninsula.

For more information, contact Ann Wilson or Penny Bacon at the Marquette DNR Office at (906) 228-6561.