An ordinance will soon go into effect in Hartland Township that will prohibit hunting and discharging firearms on, as well as over, Parshallville Lake.

The township’s Board of Trustees met Tuesday and consider a resolution regarding the Parshallville Lake Hunting Area Control Ordinance. The Board in May repealed a similar ordinance that was originally adopted in 2001 and supported their decision with several reasons, including the fact that it was largely unenforceable and that the municipality does not have such an ordinance for the township’s 11 other lakes.

Township Supervisor Bill Fountain tells WHMI that following their decision to repeal the original ordinance, they received public input from residents who in fact wanted a complete ban on hunting and discharging firearms on the lake. Fountain says officials learned that goose hunting on the narrow lake was an issue in the early 2000s’ and that there were even some instances in which gun shots and bullets were coming too close to residents and neighboring properties. A memo to the Board states that in addition to receiving “valuable public input”, the township also received a DNR report on hunting area control, and officials felt they could now adopt a proper ordinance.

The ordinance was unanimously approved and adopted by the Board at their Tuesday meeting. The township plans to install three signs denoting the ban around the lake. The signage is expected to cost no more than $300. (DK)