Recreation Passports Make Traveling to State Parks Easier

With Michigan's beautiful summer season now in high gear, I'd like to remind local residents about a great new way to enjoy our state parks and campgrounds.

Recreation Passports have replaced the window sticker system and allow annual access to all of Michigan's 98 state parks and recreational areas along with our 1,000 boat launches. 

The passport costs just $10, and can be purchased conveniently when residents renew their vehicle registration with the Secretary of State, or when visiting a park. Motorists who decide to buy a passport at their local Secretary of State's office have a "P" printed on their license tab, giving them easy access to our state's vast park system.

Before the passport, Michigan residents had to buy a motor vehicle permit for park or boat launch entry, which was $6 a day or $24 annually. Now motorists can pay just $10 ($5 for motorcycles) for the passport. People still must pay camping fees at state parks and forests.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, the change was made because the old state park funding method did not meet operational and maintenance needs. State parks and recreation areas lost taxpayer support in 2004. Since then, parks have been funded by user fees.

The State of Michigan was nearly $5 million short of funding day-to-day park operations and could only pay for less than 1 percent of necessary repairs, the DNR said. Without this change, major cuts to park programs and services would have been made. The Recreation Passport program provides an affordable method for residents to help continue state park, boating, forest and local recreation services.

And it certainly seems to be working for Michigan residents. Last month, the state announced that in just eight months, more than one million Recreation Passports had been purchased. This has generated around $10 million to help preserve and protect our parks, trails and historic and cultural sites.

We must continue to find ways to bolster our state parks and bring more people into our state for recreation. Michigan's tourism industry can play a huge role in our state's overall economic recovery. Many tourism-based jobs are good-paying, career-oriented positions that can never be outsourced.

The state Legislature decided back in February to increase funding for the popular "Pure Michigan" campaign. This was a great decision. The legislation, which I voted for, allowed state funding for the campaign to total $20 million from the 21st Century Jobs Fund for this year, bringing the total for 2011 to $25 million.

For more information on the Recreation Passport, visit www.michigan.gov/recreationpassport. Have a great summer.