The protected areas of Michigan come in an array of different types and levels of protection. Michigan has five units of the National Park Service system. There are 14 federal wilderness areas; the majority of these are also tribal-designated wildernesses. It has one of the largest state forest systems as well having four national forests. The state maintains a large state park system and there are also regional parks, and county, township and city parks. Still other parks on land and in the Great Lakes are maintained by other governmental bodies. Private protected areas also exist in the state, mainly lands owned by land conservancies.
The Cache River is a 92-mile-long (148 km) waterway in southernmost Illinois, in a region sometimes called Little Egypt. The basin spans 737 square miles (1,910 km2) and six counties: Alexander, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, and Union. Located at the convergence of four major physiographic regions, the river is part of the largest complex of wetlands in Illinois. The Cache River Wetlands is America's northernmost cypress/tupelo swamp and harbors 91 percent of the state's high quality swamp and wetland communities. It provides habitat for more than 100 threatened and endangered species in Illinois. In 1996, the Cache was designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan founded in 1921, charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor and accepted by the Natural Resources Commission. Since 2023, the Director is Scott Bowen. The DNR has about 1,400 permanent employees, and over 1,600 seasonal employees.
The Ray Norbut State Fish and Wildlife Area is a 1,140-acre (460 ha) state park located near Griggsville in Pike County, Illinois. It borders on the Illinois River and is primarily made of steeply sloped bluffland that is part of the river's valley. Heavily wooded, this region is managed for whitetail deer hunting. The Ray Norbut complex also includes Big Blue Island, a 100-acre (40 ha) riparian island in the Illinois River. The park is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR).
The Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area is a 1,448-acre (586 ha) state park in Tazewell County, Illinois. It is operated by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The Area dates to 1970, when a conservation group based in Bloomington, the Parklands Foundation, donated its acreage to the state.
Weldon Springs State Park is an Illinois state park; the primary 550-acre (220 ha) area is located near Clinton, Illinois, while a secondary area is located near Monticello, Illinois. The former centers on Salt Creek and the impoundment of a tributary, Weldon Springs, to form Weldon Spring Lake, a reservoir. It is supervised by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
The Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge is an American wildlife refuge. It is located in the Cache River watershed in southernmost Illinois, largely in Pulaski County, but with extensions into Union, Alexander, and Johnson counties. The refuge was established in 1990 under the authority of the Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986. The refuge protects over 16,000 acres (65 km2) of the Cache River wetlands, and has a purchase boundary of 36,000 acres (146 km²) contiguous.
Anderson Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on 2,247 acres (909 ha) in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. A small part at the southern end extends into Schuyler County. Anderson Lake is located in the area.
Marshall State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) in Marshall County, Illinois, United States.
Sanganois State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park on 10,360 acres (4,190 ha) in Cass, Schuyler, and Mason County, Illinois, United States.
Deal Island Wildlife Management Area protects 13,565 acres (54.90 km2) in western Somerset County, Maryland near the community of Deal Island. As a wildlife management area, the area is managed by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife and Heritage Service to conserve wildlife populations and their habitats, while providing public recreational use of wildlife resources.
Meadow River Wildlife Management Area, is located near Rupert, West Virginia in Greenbrier County. Occupying 2,385 acres (965 ha) of river bottomland, the WMA is located along the Meadow River and consists mainly of wetlands habitat.
The Islands of the Potomac Wildlife Management Area is a Wildlife Management Area (WMA) consisting of 30 islands in the Potomac River in Maryland along its border with the state of Virginia. It is administered by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
The Meredosia National Wildlife Refuge is a 5,255-acre (21.27 km2) national wildlife refuge located along the Illinois River in Cass County and Morgan County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The refuge is adjacent to Meredosia, Illinois, but is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from a headquarters located in Havana, Illinois.
Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area is an Illinois state park covering 4,363 acres (1,766 ha) in Fulton County, Illinois, United States.
The Sangamon River State Fish and Wildlife Area, also and formerly known as the Sangamon County Conservation Area and the Sangamon River State Habitat Area, is a 127-acre (51-hectare) forest preserve located in Fancy Creek Township near the village of Cantrall in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located on the banks of the Sangamon River, and preserves open space for visitors and residents of metropolitan Springfield, Illinois.
Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area, also known as the Double 'T' Goose Management Area, is a 1,961 acres (794 ha) State of Illinois recreation area. It is located within Fulton County, and is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). The nearest large town is Canton, Illinois.
Spirit Creek Forest is a state forest in Richmond County, Georgia. The forest is 725 acres and is managed by the Georgia Forestry Commission. The forest is mostly made up of wetlands, loblolly pines, and bottomland hardwoods.
Pekin Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is a 1,181-acre area of protected habitat on the Illinois River adjacent to the city of Pekin, Illinois, within Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) describes the protected area as a bottomland of sloughs, lakes, and low timbered ridges.
Cape Bend State Fish and Wildlife Area is a 1,380-acre parcel of semi-protected Mississippi River bottomland habitat within Alexander County in the U.S. state of Illinois.
