Michigan has a new state symbol.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Thursday, March 26 that designates the wood duck as the official state duck of Michigan. The wood duck joins iconography like the American robin, Michigan’s official state bird, and the brook trout, Michigan’s official state fish, as a mark of the state’s character.
Wood ducks nearly went extinct at the beginning of the 20th century, according to the Michigan Wildlife Council, but rebounded in population and have a population of close to 100,000 in the state. The ducks perch on trees and nest in tree hollows.
Conservation strategies, like hunting regulation, wetlands management and artificial nest-building, were key to the wood duck population’s resurgence, according to the Michigan Wildlife Council.
House Bill 4044, introduced by Rep. Alabas Farhat, D-Dearborn, passed both the Michigan House and Senate by wide bipartisan margins. Whitmer’s office described the wood duck’s population rebound as a “conservation success story.”
Medical licensing bill signed
Whitmer also signed House Bill 5455 on March 26, which reconfirms Michigan’s participation in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. The compact is an agreement between states that allows licensed physicians to practice in multiple states.
Michigan’s participation in the compact was slated to expire March 28, and medical advocacy groups had warned thousands of physicians would lose the ability to practice in the state had lawmakers and Whitmer not reconfirmed the state’s participation.
“Communities across our state, especially in rural areas, are already facing a shortage of health care workers,” Whitmer said in a statement. More than 5,000 physicians are licensed through the compact in Michigan, the American Telemedicine Association said in a March 19 news release.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Rylee Linting, R-Wyandotte.
You can reach Arpan Lobo at alobo@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan names wood duck a new state symbol
Reporting by Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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