ESCANABA - After 26 years working for conservation issues under the umbrella of the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the Upper Peninsula Sportsmen's Alliance decided to break away this year.
The result has been soaring and greatly diversified alliance membership, according to alliance officials, with the group trying to gain a foothold across the local region as the "voice of the Upper Peninsula natural resource outdoor user."
"We felt MUCC, for a long time, has not represented the sportspeople of the U.P.," said Rory Mattson of Escanaba, UPSA secretary. "Originally, they used to stand up for the sporting community. Now they just go along with anything the (Michigan Department of Natural Resources) says, right on down the line."
Mattson and alliance President Dale McNamee said the group remains willing to work with MUCC, but not under it.
In the group's mission statement, the alliance states it wants to "promote, foster and advance outdoor recreational experiences and encourage conservation of the natural resources and environment to perpetuate the direction of management and use for the benefit of future generations by education of its members, the youth and the general public."
The organization states it will cooperate, when appropriate, with local, state and federal resource management agencies and will encourage communication with the DNR on policy and management issues and will respect landowner rights.
McNamee said the response has been wonderful, with a good deal of support garnered from traditional sportsmen interests.
"We cover every user group that is concerned with hunting, fishing and trapping," McNamee said.
But the group is also reaching out to other outdoor enthusiasts. McNamee joked the alliance would take "the international federation of blueberry pickers, if we could get them."
Norm Seppi, president of the U.P. Trailriders, said he was reluctant at first to join the alliance, not sure how the interests of equine and pack animal trail users would be accepted among the traditional hunting and fishing groups.
"We were welcomed with open arms. Everybody is welcomed," Seppi said. "They go out of their way to help anybody."
Seppi said the alliance helped him learn more about the workings of the DNR and other government groups. Seppi is involved in getting a bill through the state Legislature.
Darwin Dixon of Felch, a member of the Eastern Dickinson County Sportsmen's Club, said its a good idea to attract diverse interests to the alliance.
"As long as they have committees representing each interest," Dixon said. "The more voice the better."
Dixon said he believes the alliance is a useful forum to determine consensus for a unification voice on key U.P.-related issues.
"You hash your issues out in a group like this and take one answer to the DNR," Dixon said. "The DNR doesn't want to hear 85 different answers to one problem."
The alliance was formed in Dickinson County. In January, just after the MUCC split, the group had about 9,000 members, with 30 clubs involved. There are now more than 70 clubs and more than 34,000 members.
Mattson said his personal goal is to have 50,000 members by September.
There are individual and business association memberships (non-voting) and group membership for any group with at least 10 members and bylaws. Those groups get one vote at quarterly meetings and three votes at annual meetings.
For more information on the alliance, visit the group's Web site at: www.upsportsmensalliance.org.