OurMichiganParks.org

From the Detroit Free Press:

Desperate for money to fix Michigan’s crumbling state parks, officials are gambling that motorists will chip in a little extra cash when renewing their car and truck licenses.

A new system for funding the parks begins Friday, when residents will have the option of paying $10 for a “recreation passport” in addition to their vehicle registration fee. Good for a year, the passport will grant access to all 98 state parks and recreation areas, plus boat launches.

Presently, park visitors are charged $6 per day or $24 for an annual pass.

Read more: New Michigan park funding program starts Friday | freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Yesterday the Michigan State Senate gave a Special Tribute to the Michigan State Parks Advisory Committee, which replaced the now-defunct Citizen’s Committee for Michigan State Parks. The latter was a result of the DNR and DEQ department consolidation.

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.

OurMichiganParks.org has just been updated to incorporate two major changes.

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.

From the Grand Rapids Press:

It has taken a year and half of political wrangling, but a smart proposal for funding Michigan state parks finally is law. A four-bill package was signed Wednesday by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

The bills create a state park passport that will go into effect in October. The passport will do away with daily entry fees for Michigan residents and reduce the cost of annual admission from $24 to $10.

It wasn’t an easy passage. The Chamber of Commerce and transportation lobby opposed it. Speaker of the House Andy Dillon held it up over the holidays, reportedly to help an old college buddy, now a transportation lobbyist.

But in the end, wiser heads prevailed.

Read the entire article