“The crux of this issue is the simple fact that officials based in Michigan are better suited to manage our natural resources than career bureaucrats in Washington D.C.,” said Fairbairn, R-Harbor Springs. “For years, we’ve seen wolf populations skyrocket while whitetail the deer population dwindles. Yet, some suits who live over 700 miles away have the audacity to tell us our wolves are endangered when that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Wolf management must be returned to the states, and Michigan must authorize a wolf hunt. Without it, our unique ecosystem and generations of hunting traditions are going to disappear right alongside our deer.”

“Our Northern Michigan communities are doing everything they can to address historic damages, but funding is running short, and they need help,” said Fairbairn, R-Harbor Springs. “Folks up north pride themselves in having a strong work ethic. We get to work early and do what needs to be done to put food on the table. But after a once-in-a-generation storm, we need a lot more than calloused hands and work boots to get things back to normal. We’re talking about Michiganders who have dutifully paid their taxes for generations; the least the state can do is return some of those dollars in our hour of need.”