Make sure you stop by the M.T.G.A. booth at the RiverDays event this weekend on the RiverWalk

The Metro Times has a new article, Rolling on the Riverwalk, which provides an overview of Tri-Centennial state park construction and how it fits in with the Detroit RiverWalk.

In the current era of uncertainty in the auto industry, the Riverwalk is promising a bright future for human-powered movement.

And on a related note, today the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is celebrating the 90th anniversary of Michigan State Parks. There will be a cake cutting at Tri-Centennial State Park at 4pm today, June 20th. So come downtown, enjoy the RiverWalk, Dequindre Cut, and have some cake.

The Detroit News has an article, Michigan ramps up roads and trails to make bicycling easier.

The Michigan Department of Transportation now maintains more than 2,560 miles of paved shoulder with bicycle access. The state also has more than 1,394 miles of rails-to-trails — abandoned railroad tracks that have been converted into biking, hiking and walking trails. Combine those rails-to-trails with trails through parks and public land, and downtowns and neighborhoods, and the stretch increases to more than 2,000 miles, said Nancy Krupiarz, executive director of the Lansing-based nonprofit Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance. Additional bike-hike trails and greenways are expected.

This article wraps up with a great quote about biking from Rochester resident Colleen Brown.

“It’s like being a kid again. I always tell people that no matter how bad you feel, get on a bike. Ride around the neighborhood, feel the wind and sun on your face. You see the world differently. When you bike you can stop and smell the roses.”

Today was the joint Senate-House hearing for legislation to better fund Michigan State Parks.

I did some live blogging during the hearing which is on the OurMichiganParks web site.

Nancy Krupiarz, the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance executive director joined me as seen in the photo to the right. Senator Patti Birkholz, one of the chairs of the meeting and long time supporter of Michigan State parks liked my neon green bike pin, a la Congressman Earl Blumenauer.

Unfortunately given the very large turnout to the hearing, we ran out of time before Nancy or I could speak. We did submit our written comments and will likely try again at future hearings on this critical legislation.

This morning I expect to speak before a joint House and Senate committee hearing for a series of bills that improve funding for our Michigan state parks.

The above link provides information on how you can voice your support for this new funding proposal.

Here is my testimony –

Good Morning. My name is Todd Scott. I am a member of the Citizen’s Committee for Michigan State Parks and the Detroit Greenways Coordinator for the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance.

My job is to advocate for and support a citywide trail network that provides great recreational opportunities for all Metro Detroiters as well as tourists.

We envision a trail network that allows folks to bike or walk to great destinations like Tri-Centennial State Park on the Detroit River.

However, the current state park funding model based on user fees doesn’t support parks like Tri-Centennial. All of its visitors will enter the park on foot, bike, or by boat – not by car. These visitors won’t need to buy motor vehicle passes nor will the park generate funds through camping fees.

And as we continue building trails that connect Michigan communities to our state parks, fewer motor vehicle passes will be sold and DNR park revenue will continue to suffer.

The proposed change in the state park funding addresses this issue.

It will allow great parks like Tri-Centennial to flourish.

I hope you consider supporting the bills brought before the committees this morning.

Thank you.

The Oakland Press published an editorial last week about Michigan’s state parks and a new funding proposal:

No one will debate the need to maintain our parks and make them accessible to residents and tourists.

But is a fee increase really the best way to do it?

We don’t think so.

If you don’t like this optional fee, what’s your solution, Oakland Press?

They have none.

We submitted the following rebuttal last Thursday, which does not appear in their on-line edition:

The recent Oakland Press editorial regarding a state park funding proposal missed the mark.

This proposal does not penalize those who do not use our state parks and state forest recreation sites. Those residents can simply opt-out and not pay the $10 fee.

And there is no reason to hide this fee. Michigan residents have a strong tradition of supporting their state parks and natural resources. This proposal trusts that many residents will opt to pay a $10 fee to ensure this heritage is preserved for this generation as well as those that follow. There’s no reason to hide this support.

And it should be noted that since 2004 none of our taxpayer dollars go towards our state parks.

But beyond funding, this proposal greatly reduces the DNR’s need to staff toll booths. Rather than be cashiers, state park staff can actually accomplish work within the park and provide interpretive programming for park visitors.

And finally, it is imperative that we keep and maintain our state parks and forest recreation areas if we have any hope of growing tourism to help rebuild our state economy. Most states cannot compete with our bountiful natural resources. It’s time we take advantage of that.

To learn more about the optional fee proposal for funding Michigan State Parks, visit the new web site, www.OurMichiganParks.org.

Two bills critical to the continued operation of our state parks were introduced in the Michigan Senate on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 388 and Senate Bill 389 were both referred to the Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs committee. This committee will hold a hearing on them next Wednesday at 1pm.

[EDIT: The hearing has been postponed.]

These bills are a reflection of years of studying various options by our Citizen’s Committee for Michigan State Parks, but especially under the guidance of committee member Dr. Chuck Nelson from MSU.

What do these bills do? From the new Citizen’s Committee web site, www.OurMichiganParks.org:

These bills 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, improved security and increased education and interpretation programs. 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.

The Committee is calling on Michigan residents to contact their state senators to voice their support for this legislation. Here’s how you can get your senator’s contact information.