Tourism & Outdoor Recreation
Tourism and outdoor recreation are vital not only to our U.P. economy, but to our way of life. The 21st Century Jobs Fund pumps $15 million over the next two years to jumpstart advertising all Michigan has to offer to our neighboring states. I believe we need to continue to do all we can to promote skiing, snowmobiling, ATV/ORV use, our state park system, the Great Lakes, and other recreational opportunities in the U.P.
I also have been an advocate for sportsmen and women in the Legislature and before the Natural Resources Commission (NRC). Hunting and fishing are deeply-held traditions among generations of U.P. families. I am concerned over the future of hunting in the U.P., especially in regards to keeping young people enthused and interested in the outdoors. As such, I have supported and co-sponsored legislation to expand those opportunities.
House Bill 5192 would lower the minimum firearm deer hunting age from 14 to 12 providing that young hunters were under the direct supervision of an adult. Senate Bill 1105, which I co-sponsored, would create an apprentice hunting license that allows people to hunt under direct supervision of a licensed adult hunter before completing hunter education training. To become fully licensed and hunt alone, the new hunter still must complete a hunter education course. The bills are part of Families Afield, a program designed by the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA), National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) to recruit young hunters into the sport by lowering or eliminating unnecessary age restrictions. Governor Granholm recently took action and signed these bills into law on behalf of sportsmen and women throughout Michigan.
In 2003/2004, Representatives Rich Brown, Steve Adamini, and I worked with outdoor groups to convince the DNR and the NRC to reinstate supplemental deer feeding along the Lake Superior watershed. I also believe we need to keep pressure on these agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delist wolves and release needed Deer Range Improvement Program (DRIP) funds to improve wildlife habitat.
