When Michigan motorists renew their vehicle licenses, they will now be asked if they'd like to pay an additional $10 for a "recreation passport" as part of a new fundraising effort for state parks that went into effect Friday. Good for one year, the passport will grant access to all of Michigan's 98 state parks and recreation areas, plus boat launches. "I hope the public stands up and says, 'Our parks are important, and we're going to support them through this program,' " Erin McDonough, executive director of Michigan United Conservation Clubs, told the Associated Press.
Founded nearly a century ago, the Michigan state-park system is among the nation's oldest and largest, according to AP environmental writer John Flesher. But it's been in the poorhouse for years, a situation made worse in 2004 when it was cut from the state's general-fund budget. Since then, parks have relied mainly on entrance and camping fees, which have not been enough to prevent a backlog of repairs and improvements that now total approximately $340 million, parks officials says. As an example, Flesher points to Proud Lake Recreation Area in Oakland County, where the campground toilet and shower buildings are so unsightly that some visitors won't use them, according to interim supervisor Andrew Haapala "We clean them several times a day, but some of the families don't want to take their kids in there for a shower," Haapala said. "They think it's dirty, because it just looks old. The toilets and showers are so outdated, we have to scavenge parts from the other parks when they wear out."
Approved by the Michigan Legislature last year, the state's new park-funding system is based on one in Montana in which motorists automatically pay a parks fee unless they opt out. Under the Michigan plan, people won't be charged unless they check the "yes" box on their renewal form. Officials at the state's Department of Natural Resources and Environment expect up to 50 percent participation in the "recreation passport" program. If that's the case, the effort could generate more than $35 million - almost three times as much as the park system gets now in a typical year from vehicle and boating access fees. Currently, park visitors pay $6 per day or $24 for an annual pass; out-of-state visitors pay $8 per day or $29 per year. The $10 "recreation passport" fee is expected to increase in 2012.
