Michigan Mulls Canoe Registration
2 Feb
We know only a fraction of our readers reside in Michigan, but we thought Howard Meyerson’s recent column in the Grand Rapids Press had appeal beyond the boundaries of the Wolverine State.
Meyerson reports, HERE, that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is looking into the idea of requiring Michigan residents to register their canoes and kayaks. The state requires registration for larger watercraft and is mulling whether registration of smaller boats is a proper way to generate revenue and make sure paddlers pay for the DNR services they use.
Meyerson argues that paddlers already pay in other ways — with entry fees at state parks and by paying to use federal access ramps, for example. He stresses that any fees directed at paddlers should address the specific needs of paddlers and, is opposed to seeing it simply as an untapped revenue source, “treat the paddling community as a valued natural resource stakeholder.”
In an era of tight state budgets and strained personal pocketbooks, natural resource user fees, in Michigan and across North America, are likely to be a hot issue in the coming years.
