Michigan guitarist and avid sportsman Ted Nugent will testify on Wednesday at a joint committee hearing of the Natural Resources & Tourism Committee, chaired by Rep. David Martin (R-Davison), the Agriculture and Rural Development and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Ken Borton (R-Gaylord), and the Weaponization of State Government Oversight Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Caledonia). The three committees will hear testimony from Nugent regarding accountability for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and a presentation on recent abuses.

Rep. Borton, a friend of Nugent, believes these overreaches and abuses have been going on for years. Borton himself was cited by the DNR in 2010 for a birdfeeder livestream he operated with his wife, dubbed ‘The Snowman Cam’, which the DNR falsely claimed was actually an illegal bait pile for hunting deer. Borton contested the overreach in court and eventually won. Since then, Borton has advocated for decreasing the scope of the DNR’s regulatory enforcement and decriminalization of recreational bird and wildlife feeding. Borton, who oversees the DNR’s budget, urged that there will be consequences if the DNR continues to harass Michigan families.

“Michigan residents entrust their government with their tax dollars, hoping they’ll be used in good faith to govern responsibly and keep them safe,” Borton said. “Instead, the state and the DNR collude to weaponize their enforcement power on their own citizens. Our state has beautiful natural resources and wildlife like no other. It’s a public embarrassment that we fund an institution that openly targets Michigan families for simply trying to find joy in the great outdoors that we’ve been blessed with. Every ridiculous fine, fee, and charge they issue to Michiganders should be another line item slashed in their budget.”

Two weeks ago, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Weaponization of State Government heard testimony from multiple witnesses centered around the DNR’s controversial Invasive Species Order and its enforcement against pig farmers and game ranch owners. Testimony revealed that the DNR was using deception and undercover enforcement agents to infiltrate farms, capture privately owned pigs, and kill them without properly compensating the owners. Other farmers were forced to slaughter all or many of their pigs under order from the DNR if it was determined their pig breeds looked similar to Russian boar. A presentation at the subcommittee also revealed that the number of pig ranches in Michigan has gone from dozens to less than 10 since the DNR’s order went into effect in 2012.

Last month, Rigas’ subcommittee also heard testimony from the Detroit Animal Welfare Group who were engaged in a legal battle with the DNR for attempting to rescue and rehabilitate starving deer. Rigas found the DNR’s actions disturbing.

“It’s baffling to me that this is what our government is doing with our tax dollars,” Rigas said. “The DNR made up vague definitions of what they thought a wild boar looked like in order to kill off valuable pigs privately owned by hardworking farmers. They persecuted and criminally charged an animal rehabilitation group for rehabilitating animals. These unpopular and abusive policies forced by the DNR need to end right now. I’m greatly looking forward to hearing what Ted Nugent has to say about all this. He is deeply respected in this field and a well-known boar hunter. I hope he can shed light on this tyrannical behavior.”

“The recent actions and behavior perpetrated by the DNR are inexcusable,” Martin said. “As chair of the Natural Resources and Tourism Committee, I want everyone, visitors and Michigan residents alike, to want to explore our state. I’d like them to see our famous waterways, vast forests, and incredible wildlife. But visitors are deterred from coming to our state when they see the way the DNR treats our own residents. Michigan families don’t want to take trips up north knowing they’ll be burdened with fees on top of fees or fined for engaging with the wildlife.”

Martin, a veteran with a long history of public service, thought the DNR’s behavior directly contradicts American values.

“Our founders intended for government to be a government of, by, and for the people,” Martin said. “Our government should be providing essential services and helpful resources for our citizens, not nickel-and-diming them and hitting them with their enforcement power. I’m looking forward to Mr. Nugent’s presentation and I urge concerned citizens to tune in.”

Nugent is set to give testimony beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The joint meeting can be watched online or in-person in Room 352 of the State Capitol Building.

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