Michigan’s natural resources are among the state’s greatest assets. Our lakes, forests, wildlife and public lands define who we are.
But the way Michigan pays to protect and care for those resources belongs to another era.
For decades, conservation funding in Michigan has relied heavily on hunters and anglers through license fees and related purchases. That user-pay system built one of the strongest conservation models in the nation. It worked because the people who used the resources were numerous enough to sustain them.
Today, the math no longer works.
Participation in hunting and fishing has been declining nationwide for years – a problem with complex causes that is not unique to Michigan. The result is a funding system that asks more each year with fewer license payers.
Michigan manages one of the largest freshwater fisheries in the world. Our state parks attract millions of visitors annually. The state oversees the largest portfolio of public land in the lower 48 states — forests, trails, wildlife areas and waterways that define Michigan’s outdoor culture. The Great Lakes shape our economy and identity.
Michigan conservation officers play a far broader role than many people realize. They serve in all 83 counties and regularly respond to emergencies far beyond fish and game enforcement. Last fall, a Michigan conservation officer was the first responder at the tragic church shooting in Grand Blanc Township. His quick action saved lives.
Yet the recreationists who fund much of this system through license fees represent only a small fraction of Michigan’s population.
The last time Michigan adjusted hunting and fishing license fees was 2014. Since then, inflation has reduced their purchasing power by roughly 30%, while the costs of managing fisheries, wildlife and public lands have steadily climbed.
Simply put: The cost of conservation has gone up, while the funding model has stood still.
A modest increase in license fees currently in the Legislature would help address the immediate need. That legislation – already approved by the state Senate but currently opposed by Rep. Ken Borton, R-Gaylord, who oversees the DNR budget in the House – has support from an unusually broad coalition. Nearly 30 groups as varied as the National Rifle Association, Michigan Farm Bureau, Trout Unlimited, the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters and Michigan United Conservation Clubs all recognize that allowing conservation funding to erode year after year is not a responsible option.
The current funding request alone will not fix the long-term problem.
Michigan must begin a serious conversation about modernizing how we fund conservation. Hunters and anglers have carried the financial burden for generations. As outdoor recreation continues to grow and diversify, it is imperative we explore and develop innovative funding models that support the resources everyone enjoys.
Michigan’s woods and waters are one of the state’s greatest inheritances.
If we want our children and grandchildren to enjoy them as we do today, we must stop pretending yesterday’s funding model will solve tomorrow’s challenges.
The time to fix the system is now.
Keith Creagh was director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources under Gov. Rick Snyder. Tim Nichols is a former chair of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission and past Secretary/Treasurer of the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Opinion: Michigan’s conservation funding model is broken
Reporting by Keith Creagh and Tim Nichols / The Detroit News
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