Post by bleve on Mar 17, 2009 22:20:48 GMT -5
Dear Michigan State Park, Forest Recreation and Local Park Supporter:
Many of you were able to attend the press conference on March 12 where state Senators Birkholz and Basham and Representatives Warren and Meekhof announced a set of bills to eliminate the motor vehicle permit for Michigan residents to Michigan State Parks and Michigan boating access sites and better fund the state park system. These bills reflect the spirit and direction of recommendations made by the Citizens Committee on Michigan State Parks, who have studied state park funding around the nation for the past two years. They are modeled on Montana’s successful program that eliminated motor vehicle permits for residents and replaced it with an optional fee on vehicle registrations.
The new system proposed in Senate Bills 388 and 389 would ask every Michigan driver to pay an optional $10 fee each year when renewing their Michigan vehicle registration on non-commercial vehicles. While non-residents would still have to purchase a non-resident motor vehicle permit, worker time in entrance booths at most parks would be drastically reduced, resulting in cleaner bathrooms, less litter, better resource stewardship and increased interpretation and security. In addition to providing support for state parks and boating access sites, this would also provide funding for our outstanding and underfunded state forest recreation system including more than 140 rustic campgrounds and almost a thousand miles of non-motorized pathways that serve hikers, mountain bikers, cross country skiers and equestrians. Finally, it would approximately double the amount of grant money annually available to local units of government to renovate or improve recreational facilities in local parks across Michigan.
As you probably know, our State parks have not received any general tax dollars since 2004. They are funded mainly by camping fees, motor vehicle permits and some support from the State Park Endowment fund. This Endowment was established by voters in 1994 and enshrined Michigan’s constitution and was envisioned to provide adequate monies to renovate and replace failing infrastructure. Unfortunately, the total absence of general fund dollars has forced State Parks to use Endowment funds on day to day management to keep the parks open. As a result, the system is one catastrophe short of collapsing and driven by user fee revenue, limiting its conservation mission. With the collapse in March 2009 of the roof at the visitor center at Ludington State Park and the bridge washout from flooding at Warren Dunes State Park on the only road to the busiest beach in the state park system, the park system is stretched to the breaking point.
The Citizens Committee on Michigan State Parks is reaching out to the public to come to the rescue of our great state park system and its important partners in outdoor recreation, state forests and local parks. We need your help! We need to let every citizen and every legislator know that we treasure our state parks and forests and local parks and will no longer stand by and let them fall further into disrepair. We need to let them know that these public lands are our legacy to our children and grandchildren and we can never replace them once they are lost. We need to let them know that we support this innovative alternative to involve more people in funding our state parks, increase convenience for Michigan residents as your license plate is your state park passport and convert thousands of park worker hours from cashier duty to better maintenance, security, interpretation and resource stewardship. Please take this opportunity to communicate with your legislators and support this innovative approach to better conserve and fund Michigan state parks, boating access sites, state forest recreation system and local parks.
Sincerely,
The Citizens Committee for Michigan State Parks
Many of you were able to attend the press conference on March 12 where state Senators Birkholz and Basham and Representatives Warren and Meekhof announced a set of bills to eliminate the motor vehicle permit for Michigan residents to Michigan State Parks and Michigan boating access sites and better fund the state park system. These bills reflect the spirit and direction of recommendations made by the Citizens Committee on Michigan State Parks, who have studied state park funding around the nation for the past two years. They are modeled on Montana’s successful program that eliminated motor vehicle permits for residents and replaced it with an optional fee on vehicle registrations.
The new system proposed in Senate Bills 388 and 389 would ask every Michigan driver to pay an optional $10 fee each year when renewing their Michigan vehicle registration on non-commercial vehicles. While non-residents would still have to purchase a non-resident motor vehicle permit, worker time in entrance booths at most parks would be drastically reduced, resulting in cleaner bathrooms, less litter, better resource stewardship and increased interpretation and security. In addition to providing support for state parks and boating access sites, this would also provide funding for our outstanding and underfunded state forest recreation system including more than 140 rustic campgrounds and almost a thousand miles of non-motorized pathways that serve hikers, mountain bikers, cross country skiers and equestrians. Finally, it would approximately double the amount of grant money annually available to local units of government to renovate or improve recreational facilities in local parks across Michigan.
As you probably know, our State parks have not received any general tax dollars since 2004. They are funded mainly by camping fees, motor vehicle permits and some support from the State Park Endowment fund. This Endowment was established by voters in 1994 and enshrined Michigan’s constitution and was envisioned to provide adequate monies to renovate and replace failing infrastructure. Unfortunately, the total absence of general fund dollars has forced State Parks to use Endowment funds on day to day management to keep the parks open. As a result, the system is one catastrophe short of collapsing and driven by user fee revenue, limiting its conservation mission. With the collapse in March 2009 of the roof at the visitor center at Ludington State Park and the bridge washout from flooding at Warren Dunes State Park on the only road to the busiest beach in the state park system, the park system is stretched to the breaking point.
The Citizens Committee on Michigan State Parks is reaching out to the public to come to the rescue of our great state park system and its important partners in outdoor recreation, state forests and local parks. We need your help! We need to let every citizen and every legislator know that we treasure our state parks and forests and local parks and will no longer stand by and let them fall further into disrepair. We need to let them know that these public lands are our legacy to our children and grandchildren and we can never replace them once they are lost. We need to let them know that we support this innovative alternative to involve more people in funding our state parks, increase convenience for Michigan residents as your license plate is your state park passport and convert thousands of park worker hours from cashier duty to better maintenance, security, interpretation and resource stewardship. Please take this opportunity to communicate with your legislators and support this innovative approach to better conserve and fund Michigan state parks, boating access sites, state forest recreation system and local parks.
Sincerely,
The Citizens Committee for Michigan State Parks
