By Paul Egan and Eric Sharp
Detroit Free
Press Staff Writers
Grayling -- Bill Gilbert said his love of nature draws him down a network of
state trails in his Bombardier 800cc all-terrain vehicle.
But Gilbert of Burton said his four-wheel enjoyment of trees
and wildlife is marred by a lack of maintenance on the trails-maintenance
that's supposed to be paid for with license fees he and nearly 200,000
other off-road vehicle enthusiasts
pay each year.
He gets smacked with hanging tree branches, has to stop and
move obstructions and gets lost because of missing tree markings.
If lawmakers approve a 115 percent increase called for in
Gov. Rick Snyder's Feb. 9 budget-hiking the fee from $16.25 to $35-Gilbert said
his enjoyment will be spoiled further.
"I don't oppose a fee increase-what I oppose is signing
a blank check," said Gilbert, who frequents the off-road vehicle trail
near Gladwin and others in a 3,600-mile state network. "I want something
in writing that says the trails are going to be groomed properly."
There are no tax increases in Snyder's 2012-13 budget, but
the proposed hike for off-road vehicles is among about $4.1 million in new or
increased fees. The budget also proposes canceling more than 50 scheduled fee
reductions in a variety of areas that would have cut revenues another $16.6
million next year. And it creates a $60-million home heating fund that will
cost most residents $15 a year on their utility bills-though this charge only
replaces one that existed previously and was allowed to lapse.
The proposal to more than double license fees for
off-road-vehicles-the first increase since 1996-has re-ignited a controversy
over how the money is spent.
Many who use all-terrain vehicles for ice fishing or to
travel forest roads in the Upper Peninsula
object to the fact more than half the $3 million raised from the fees goes to
maintain trails they never use.
Others who use the trails, such as Gilbert, complain that
the state doesn't make sure the trails are cared for properly.
Still others-including leaders of a group that receives a
share of the fees to maintain some trails-say the increase is long overdue.
"We are going to face trail closures if we don't get
some kind of a fee increase," said Lewis Shuler, executive director of the
Cycle Conservation Club of Michigan. He said Gilbert's complaints about poor
trail maintenance are no longer valid.
"It's the best-maintained trail system you're going to
find anywhere in this country," said Shuler, whose group volunteers to
maintain some of the trails and gets grants from license fees through the
Department of Natural Resources to cover expenses.
Tim Padgett of Grayling had his Ranger RZR four-wheeler out
on Lake Margrethe on Friday, ice fishing with
his pal Casey Allen.
He said he doesn't mind having to buy a sticker because he
uses his four-wheeler on the trails, as well.
"If we get more trails to ride on and they maintain
them, it would probably be worth it," he said of the price increase.
But Bill Jorgenson of Flint,
who was ice fishing on Houghton
Lake with his Polaris,
said he doesn't like the proposed hike.
"Why should I pay more money to drive out on the
ice?" he asked.
"It's not like a car, where you're using a highway
built with public money," he said. "What the hell do they have to do
to maintain the ice?"
Off-road motorcycles are also subject to the increase,
though snowmobiles are not.
The snowmobile registration fee-which is good for three
years-was increased from $22 to $30 in 2009. The annual snowmobile trail permit
fee was increased from $35 to $45 in 2011. Beginning in 2016, that fee will be
adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index every five years.
Chuck Nelson, an associate professor in the forestry
department at Michigan State University
who has studied off-road vehicle use in Michigan,
said few object to portions of the license fee being used to support law
enforcement or the modest administrative costs of the DNR, but many don't like
the largest share of the money being designated for trail maintenance. Based on
surveys, he said only about half of those required to buy the stickers use the
trails.
"They haven't found a way to make the users
happy," said Nelson. So when they try to raise the fee, "there's
going to be some resistance."
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com
