LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has come under scrutiny from some Lansing legislators after they reached out to expand the rights of the public to remove roadkill from roads. 

MORE NEWS: Elissa Slotkin Secures Victory in Tight Michigan Senate Race

In a letter with legislators from both sides of the aisle, Representative John Roth (R-Green Lake Township) submitted a letter to the DNR Director, Shannon Lott, about permitting the County Road Commissions to dispose of roadkill or provide greater clarity for how it should be handled. 

“Throughout the year, Michiganders often see roadkill during their travels, their commutes, and even when out for leisurely drives,” the letter said. “Roadkill creates traffic hazards, draws in and threatens additional predatory and carnivorous animals, and is unpleasant to all. It is a common sight for states as biodiverse as ours, and although there is little we can do to prevent this, there are measures we can take to reduce the effects of roadkill.”

The letter calls for an expansion of those who can handle roadkill outside of the current authorities. 

“It is our belief that this will create a system in which roadkill is properly disposed of

quickly and efficiently,” the letter said. “Furthermore, I would like to propose the establishment of a list of procedures between the County Road Commissions and a locally based Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer to establish disposal sites and to ensure that roadkill carcasses are not the result of bad actors, poachers, and so on.”

Roth also spoke on behalf of a constituent who has struggled with clarity for how to address the problem. 

MORE NEWS: Michigan Has More Teachers and Fewer Students During Teacher Shortage

“An elderly woman in my district had a roadkill deer land on her property,” Roth said in a statement. “After contacting her county road commission, she was told that the road commission was not allowed to move the deer, and to contact the DNR. After contacting the DNR, she was told to bury the deer in her yard or put it in a trash receptacle. As you can imagine, these tasks were nearly impossible for a woman in her 80s.”

The letter comes after a DNR response to a previous board meeting in Grand Traverse County wherein it came to light that roadkill was being disposed of without a DNR permit.