Supproting+Michigan+Recreations

Brandie Boike S. Mack English 112 February 6, 2012

Support Michigan Recreations Sitting here watching the sun setting, seeing the streaks of red, yellow, and orange exploding into the sky, the colors reflecting on the lake, with the breeze brings the aroma of campfires I think to myself what a gorgeous day it has been. I started the day with a hike through the deep wooded trails when I happened to sneak up on a white tail deer drinking from the creek. After lunch, I took walk on the beach with the only noises to hear were the birds chattering as they were soaring through the air and the sound wave crashing at my feet and ending the day watching the sun sinking into the lake. This was just one of many unbelievable days in Michigan. In order to protect the natural resources here in Michigan there is no reason that every person in the state that drives a vehicle can’t buy a recreational passport when renewing their license plate whether they use the state parks and or boating access sites or not. The Department of Natural Resources (D.N.R.) has protected and preserved a large portion of Michigan in the rawest form. Over the last few years, money has been hard to come by because of the loss in support from Michigan taxes in 2004. Because of the lack in founds there have been closed campgrounds, less money to maintain hiking and O. R. V. trails; the raising prices of campsites, and state park and boating assess vehicle permits. If this trend were to continue prices would keep, rising and we would be losing pieces of Michigan’s heritage a little at a time. However, there is a simple and cheap solution. The Department of Natural Resources has come up with a plan called the recreational passport. The recreational passport is an endorsement you can buy when renewing your license plate. It is $10 for regular motor vehicles and only $5 for motorcycles. The endorsement will last one whole year it will be replaced when the license plate is renewed. The original price for state park and boating success site entry was each $24 for the year or $6 for the day. The recreational passport gives access to the 99 state park campgrounds and over 1,000 D.N.R. maintained boating access sties. The $10 that is spent on the recreational passport doesn’t just go towards the state parks and boating access sites it goes towards so much more. Even though some people may not use state parks or boating access sites, buying the passport will still benefit them in one way or another. The money helps maintain and preserve 133 state forest campgrounds, nearly 1,000 miles of hiking, biking, and skiing trails; 1,000 boat launches, 99 historical and cultural state parks; and parks in the community. The $10 preserves our beautiful natural resources for future generations to come. Once the recreational passport is purchased through the secretary of state’s office, you are automatically qualified for the passport perks program. The Passport perks program gives discounts from local businesses across the state. A little over 800 businesses offer a wide verity of discounts, like 10% off of a lawn serves with the purchase of a season contract or other discounts off of salons, hotels, restaurants, vets offices, coffee shops, and even fitness centers. Personally my favorite discount is at Jay’s Sporting Goods $5 off a purchase of $50 or more. With the perk program, the recreational passport practically pays for its self. So as you can see by supporting Michigan recreation in the way of buying the recreational passport has many opportunities to keep Michigan a place of beauty for years to come. So that we my all enjoy Michigan’s natural wonders and hidden treasures that is waiting for us to find, like searching for the rare Petoskey stone or the endangered bird the Piping Plover that makes its home on the shorelines of Lake Michigan and Superior.