Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance

The Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance will be at the upcoming Detroit Bike City show and swap meet at Cobo Hall. Will you?

From the Detroit Bike City web site:

Detroit Bike City is Detroit?s first annual bicycle show and swap meet. Offering 100+ vendors from all over the Midwest the opportunity to show, sell and swap bicycles, parts and everything bikes. Bringing together the whole community with all forms of bicycles from road and racing to mountain and BMX, Detroit Bike City has something the enthusiast or casual rider can enjoy, plus a full day of bicycle activities and demos for the whole family. A real chance to get some great deals, be sure to come out to Detroit Bike City to buy, sell, swap and browse.

Admission is $8 and is free for kids under 12

This is a great opportunity to catch the biking buzz that’s permeating the Motor City.

The Department of Natural Resources is committed to understanding our partners’ impressions of the Department.  As we strategically plan for our future and the future of our natural resources, we would like your help.

We would like to know your membership’s opinions about the Department’s strengths and weaknesses and the threats and opportunities that face the Department and natural resource management over the next five years.  We are also want to know more about how our partners are involved in natural resource management and outdoor recreation.  We are using a variety of tools to collect this information including focus groups, phone interviews, a statewide citizen survey, Department employee survey and this survey of partners.  I am asking that you electronically send out the survey to your members, which can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DNRstrategicplan.  It is important to note that the completed survey will not be sent back through your organization but will be available to the Department for analysis.  The Department will not have access to who filled out the survey or their email address.  Please feel free to forward this entire note to your membership.  We are asking that the survey be completed by March 30, 2012.

The information collected from all of these sources will be compiled, analyzed and provided to the Department’s Management Team to assist in the strategic planning process.  The strategic plan will be completed by August 2012, and copies of the plan will be provided to your organization.

I greatly appreciate your help in ensuring that the Department has a comprehensive awareness of our citizens’ and our partners’ thoughts about the Department and the future of natural resource management and outdoor recreation.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Donna Stine at stined3 [at] michigan [dot] gov or 517-241-3774, or Pat Stewart at stewartp [at] michigan [dot] gov  or 517-335-1833.  We would also appreciate if you will or will not  send the survey to your membership.

Thank you for your help.

Rodney Stokes

March 9, 2012

Contact: Ron Olson 517-373-9900

Recreation Passport Required at State Forest Campgrounds and Non-Motorized Pathway Parking Areas

A change designed to bolster funding for state forest recreation programs and provide better, more coordinated management of all state-administered campsites and non-motorized pathways was approved at the March 8 Natural Resources Commission meeting.

Department of Natural Resources Director Rodney Stokes signed a land use order, effective immediately, that classifies state forest campgrounds and non-motorized pathways as state recreation areas. It requires campers using state forest campgrounds and persons using the state’s non-motorized trails and pathways to have a valid Michigan Recreation Passport on their vehicle.   more . . .

 List of applicable sites . . .

Recent weather events throughout northern Michigan have created dangerous conditions on several pathways, snowmobile and ORV trails and forest roads maintained by the Department of Natural Resources in the northern Lower Peninsula. As a result, the DNR is cautioning trail users that parts of some trails may be closed while work is being done to remove hazards and downed trees.

Known damage on trails occurred in Benzie, Grand Traverse, Lake, Manistee and Mason counties. Outdoor enthusiasts should be aware that portions of trails in these counties may be blocked, dangerous or closed for removal of downed trees.

DNR staff is assessing damage on the trails, and will work with local trail grant sponsors and volunteers to remove fallen trees from the trails. The DNR urges all trail riders to use extreme caution on the trails.

“We appreciate the public’s patience at this time while we review and prioritize the damages on the trails,” said DNR forest recreation specialist Todd Neiss. “We are working on the arrangements to clean up the damage that occurred during the recent storms and will have trails cleared and ready for recreation as soon as possible.”

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

This just in from American Trails:
“As soon as this Tuesday, March 6th, there will be action in the U.S. Senate on the transportation bill, also known as MAP-21 or S. 1813.  We need to make sure that the Klobuchar amendment – Amendment #1661 – to protect the Recreational Trails Program and its dedicated funding is part of the final bill.

Seven Senators from both parties have agreed to join Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to cosponsor the amendment: Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Burr (R-NC), James Risch (R-ID), Bernard Sanders (D-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Mark Udall (D-CO). And we believe we have solid commitments of support from others.

That support is great news, but it’s not enough to ensure that the amendment is accepted. We need a clear majority of Senators pledged to supporting this amendment and willing to stand up for their trail-loving constituents, regardless of pressure from party leaders.

Please call or e-mail your Senators about the Klobuchar amendment. If one (or both – congratulations, Colorado!) of your Senators is a sponsor, thank them for their support and ask for their active help with the amendment this week. If they have not yet agreed to support the amendment, ask for their pledge now. Tell them: