The Committee received the White Pine Award for Environmental Excellence for over five years of work to make our state parks better. This work culminated with the recent passage of the Recreation Passport.

The White Pine Award is actually a white pine — Michigan’s state tree — which will likely be planted in a Michigan state park. Senator Patricia Birkholz, Chair of the Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee presented the award and hinted that the tree could be planted in her district.

First, the Citizen’s Committee for Michigan State parks was dissolved during the consolidation of the DNR and DEQ. A new NRC subcommittee has been formed in its place. This web site will continue to operate under the auspices of this new committee.

Second, the Recreation Passport has been signed into law. We have removed our Recreation Passport advocacy  pages and are directing viewers to the DNRE web site for more information on this exciting new program.

This is a BIG step forward for sustainable state park funding!

There is a summary analysis on-line as well. This analysis provides all the details of what these bills would do if passed and signed into law.

We urge you to please contact your state senator and state representative and ask that they support these bills to help fund our state parks.

Montana has imposed a surcharge on non-commercial license plates with the revenue going to state parks. In exchange, anyone with a Montana plate is admitted to state parks free of charge, although other fees apply and this is just one source of funding for the state’s parks. The public may opt out of this charge and about 25% choose to do so. Out-of-state park visitors still pay entrance fees. Michigan is considering this idea now, and California has looked at it. The state of Washington moved from a completely voluntary program to an automatic $5 charge, unless someone choose’s to opt out of the “donation.” The funds are “keeping parks open.” Without the dollars, many parks would have been closed.

The DNR estimates this infrastructure requires $38 million per year to maintain this infrastruture in good and safe working order. Unfortunately the funding is not available to meet this need. The current funding limits the DNR to primarily dealing with major emergencies such as bridge and building failures.

The DNR has documented these state park infrastructure needs by county. They have also created a PDF slideshow depicting some of the recent park infrastructure issues they are grappling with.