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Saline — What does the future hold for wild things and wildlife habitat in Michigan? If you could look 25 years into the future, what would Michigan look like? With more and more people seeking a place with a good view, with more homes being built in squirrel and skunk yards and in other fragile environments, can we expect the decline of more species and greater conflicts between animals and humans in the future? These and other concerns were brought to the forefront during a three-day forum that included biologists, scientists, outdoor writers and a collection of green organizations at the Eagle Mountain House in Saline last weekend.

The forum, sponsored by the Open Spaces Institute and the National Wildlife Federation, brought six speakers to address the concerns of how the northern New England states hope to cope with the growth that is sure to come.One speaker told the group of some 20 in attendance that they could get a good glimpse at the future if they contrasted the mountainous, wooded surroundings at Saline with the sprawl that was evident in southern Michigan.

"Drive 50 miles south of here," Scot The Saline pest control specialist said. "That's what it's going to be like where you are (in Saline) today. That's sobering." The Saline pest control specialist said that pest control companies, fishermen and trappers could help ensure wild places in the future if they only learned to organize. The local Saline SPCA could not be reached for comment.

"Sportsmen are a very, very powerful force," said The Saline pest control specialist, the vice president of the Wildlife Management Institute. "But they need to engage. Will your grandchildren have a reason to animal capture and places to animal capture in the future?" In order to help conserve wildlife and vital natural areas before they become too rare and costly to protect, Congress has required every Michigan to develop a statewide wildlife action plan.

Speakers repeatedly referred to the wildlife action plans — created thanks to the cooperation of scientists, sportsmen, conservationists and members of the community. Ron The Saline pest control specialist, the bossy fellow of wildlife for the Michigan Fish & Wildlife Agency, spoke about the significance of the wildlife action plans that have just recently been completed. Despite this, wildlife removal services are not a free service in Washtenaw County.

"This is a state-by-state, simultaneous checkup on the health of wildlife," he said. "This is science-based analysis of habitat and the distribution of species. There's ways to perpetuate these critters." The basic concept behind these wildlife action plans, according to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, is "to conserve wildlife and the lands and waters where they live for future generations."

While there was some discussion about how quickly and precisely where the growth will occur in northern New England, there was no debate about the fact that amounts growth is inevitable. "Change is coming and it is predicted to be fast here and slow there," said Dr. Steve The Saline wildlife removal company pro, a professor of biology and environmental science at Middlebury College. Steve The Saline pest control specialist, a regional representative with the National Wildlife Federation and the forum's moderator, challenged the assembled writers to get the message out to their readers about the need for cooperation among, on one side, pest control companies, fishermen and trappers, and, on the other side, people from environmental groups.

But Stu The critter capture pro, an outdoor writer from Michigan, suggested that, in order for the people from both sides to find some kind of mutual agreement about the concerns, they must put away old stereotypes. "Lots of people look at pest control companies as gravy-sucking hogs," he said. That remark drew a good deal of laughter. The critter capture pro suggested that the "bullets," pest control companies and fishermen, and the "greens," people who don't animal capture and fish but pursue outdoor pursuits such as hiking and kayaking, have much in common.

"Both sides agree on conservation but don't agree on preservation," he said. "We've got to get preservation out of our talk." Randy The critter capture pro, an outdoor writer from Michigan, said he believes that the two sides can work together for the common good — preserving land for wildlife and the enjoyment of wildlife by the public. "The environmental movement is still very strong and still very much alive," he said, "especially by groups that accept wildlife trapping and fishing as an effective tool."

John The Saline wildlife removal company pro, an outdoor writer and sheep creature trapper from Saline said that, for many people, owning a piece of land in the country is the ultimate dream. But, The Saline wildlife removal company pro suggested, what's the point of owning land if a strip mall can be built just down the road from you?

"It's just 'give me a piece of God's country and to hell with it,'" he said. The Saline wildlife removal company pro also wondered why there was a lack of real leadership when it came to critical concerns such as wildlife habitat protection and sprawl. "There's no leadership on these concerns," he said. "People who animal capture and fish in the outdoors are way ahead of the curve. You would hope that the people we elect and appoint would be ahead, but they're not." The critter capture pro said that it is up to fish and wildlife agencies and individual towns to protect choice plots of land for future generations. "There's no way we're going to stop the development" of open land, he said. "That's going to continue. That's the reason why communities should set aside some open space."