Founded in 1921 amid growing concerns about logging, wildlife depletion, and access to public lands, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources continues today as a natural resource conservator and one of the state’s largest property managers. It oversees more than 100 state parks, thousands of buildings and structures, hundreds of dams and fish hatcheries, and miles of trails, bridges and culverts from the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula. It is one of the agencies with the most infrastructure in Michigan.
The DNR Customer Service Center is the state’s first solid wood building constructed of red pine panels.
Photo courtesy of Walbridge
Managing these assets is a delicate balancing act that requires maintaining aging facilities while new construction begins, responding to changing visitor expectations and protecting sensitive ecosystems.
“In addition to all these structures, we have miles and miles of trails with culverts and bridges and about 200 dams that we have,” says Michelle Crook, senior project engineer for the DNR.
The Customer Service Center was constructed with cross laminated timber panels and glulam columns.
Photo courtesy of Walbridge
Asset management plan
“We wanted to help the lumber industry, and we’d love to have a massive lumber supplier in Michigan.”
—Michelle Crook, Senior Project Engineer, Michigan Department of Natural Resources
The dams represent a new way the department manages infrastructure priorities. Many were built with an average lifespan of 60 years and are now meeting or exceeding that mark. In response, the DNR recently developed a formal asset management plan for dams and is working to expand similar systems to parks and buildings. The change is part of a larger effort to move away from a more fragmented approach in which individual DNR divisions championed projects independently and, as a result, success sometimes depended on which department made the best sales pitch.
“We’ve gone to a more structured asset management system to track the age and condition of structures and prioritize funding as it becomes available,” says Crook.
The department’s responsibilities are divided among several divisions, including parks and recreation, forest resources, fisheries, wildlife, finance and operations, marketing and outreach, and an executive division, each with different infrastructure needs. Fish farms require specialized water systems and energy-intensive pumps. Wildlife offices are often located in remote locations. Meanwhile, the parks have to accommodate millions of annual visitors whose expectations have increased over time.
Campsites are a good example.
“It’s not the tents and little pop-ups like it was 20 years ago,” says Crook. “Now you have big RVs. Our electrical systems were outdated and couldn’t keep up.”
As a result, the DNR has invested in improving electricity, water and sewer connections to meet modern demands.
The DNR Customer Service Center was also built to serve as a command center during emergencies.
Photo courtesy of Walbridge
Mass Timber Support
In recent years, an increase in federal pandemic relief funds accelerated construction. By mid-2025, the department had identified more than 150 improvement and construction projects in state parks, most of them ongoing or complete. Annual spending on infrastructure has expanded from about $50 million a year to hundreds of millions of dollars during the years of peak investment.
Among the most visible recent projects is the DNR Customer Service Center in Newberry, located in the heart of Upper Peninsula timber country. The building, which was named a 2025 ENR Midwest Project of the Year, is Michigan’s first all-solid wood state building constructed from Michigan-harvested red pine.
The project was designed not only to replace an aging and obsolete leased facility, but also to serve as a demonstration of the environmental and economic potential of wood.
Detroit’s Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory earned an ENR Midwest Award of Merit in the 2025 Renovation/Restoration category.
Photo of Ideal Contracting
“We wanted to help the lumber industry, and we’d love to have a massive lumber supplier in Michigan,” Crook says. “This was a way to show her value and beauty.”
The wood used in the project was harvested in Michigan, but had to be shipped to the Pacific Northwest for processing before returning for installation, a logistical challenge that nevertheless provided environmental benefits.
“Our architect did the math and showed it was still a carbon benefit compared to concrete and steel,” says Crook. “It clings to that carbon.”
“This initiative was the first use of Michigan red pine for mass timber construction in the state.”
—Jason Kuckuk, Project Manager, Walbridge
Jason Kuckuk, project manager for Walbridge, the project’s general contractor, praised the DNR for its efforts in obtaining the wood.
“MDNR worked with the design and construction team to identify Michigan red pine as the right wood fiber for the project,” he says. “They traveled with the team to a local sawmill and mass lumber manufacturer’s plant to review the materials and ensure their goal met their standards. This initiative was the first use of Michigan red pine for mass lumber construction in the state.”
The new “building demonstrates their commitment to advancing the massive use of wood in Michigan,” he adds, “and they’ve proven that it can be done with Michigan wood fiber.”
In addition to housing DNR staff, the Newberry Center includes a community space that can serve as a command center during emergencies such as wildfires, a practical addition in a wildfire risk region.
The DNR oversees the maintenance of more than 2,000 buildings, including the Tawas Point Lighthouse in East Tawas, Michigan.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Environmental sensitivity
The DNR also contributed to the renovation of the historic Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory on Belle Isle in Detroit, which earned an Award of Merit in the renovation/restoration category in ENR Midwest’s 2025 Best Projects competition.
Although the conservatory operates in partnership with local groups, the DNR helped fund improvements to the century-old greenhouse, one of the oldest continuously operating conservatories in the US. The project required careful coordination given the age of the building and its role as a botanical landmark.
Environmental sensitivity is a constant thread in the construction of DNR. At Tahquamenon Falls State Park in the state’s Upper Peninsula, a recent renovation included the installation of an aluminum truss bridge in a remote and ecologically sensitive area. Rather than suffer damage from heavy ground equipment, the department used a helicopter to place the bridge components, a more expensive but less disruptive solution.
“When we have these unique situations, that always increases the cost,” says Crook. “But we have archaeologists and resource groups that review every project.”
Crews assess risks to threatened and endangered species, plant communities, and habitat concerns before work begins. On dam projects, for example, crews avoid certain erosion control materials that could trap snakes or amphibians, and construction time is adjusted to protect wildlife.
The DNR is working to install renewable energy technologies such as solar panels.
Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Public engagement
Zane Hyrkas, a project engineer with OHM Advisors, worked on the Tahquamenon Falls project and says the DNR provides contractors with clear guidelines.
“Each project is structured with a DNR team that is responsible for that project,” Hyrkas says. “Expectations are delivered and set during design, bidding and construction. Templates for how each project is managed and contracted are standardized so professional service contractors and construction contractors know what to expect.
“Along with project construction management, the DNR is also proactively engaging with the public,” he notes. “Many of their projects are for public use and within areas of our public lands. Their advanced public communications staff care about listening and listening to what the public wants, while balancing those desires and uses with conservation and protection. It’s often a fine line that requires care and consideration in every project.”
“Along with public construction management, the DNR also proactively engages with the public.”
—Zane Hyrkas, Project Engineer, OHM Advisors
Recent climate trends are also shaping the projects. At fish hatcheries in the Upper Peninsula and Kalamazoo, the DNR has added or renovated outdoor ponds and hatchery buildings to transition from cold-water species to cold-water species to accommodate rising temperatures. In addition, five of the state’s six breeders now have solar panels, offsetting about 17% of their energy use.
“We’re not going to get 100 percent,” Crook says of solar generation. “But it helps.”
The DNR employs about 1,200 full-time workers, supplemented by seasonal staff who support parks and wildlife operations during peak months. For Crook, who has worked in four state departments, the variety of his DNR job is appealing.
“No two days are the same,” he says. “We do a lot of clean projects. Our project teams are big, but everyone is invested and excited. I’m continually amazed at how dedicated and passionate everyone is about the work.”
