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Rep. Cavitt slams DNR for pushing higher costs onto residents
RELEASE|December 9, 2024
Contact: Cam Cavitt

Delegation of Northern Michigan lawmakers sent a letter to the DNR director last week condemning the underhanded fundraising techniques

State Rep. Cam Cavitt on Monday called out leadership at the Department of Natural Resources for their ongoing attempts to hike prices for Michigan residents. Cavitt joined nine of his colleagues from Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula in sending a letter to DNR Director Scott Bowen demanding his department cease their efforts to push additional costs onto outdoor enthusiasts.

“Northeast Michigan has some of the most beautiful and robust wilderness and recreational opportunities in Michigan. A common pastime for folks in my community is venturing outside to enjoy all our region has to offer,” said Cavitt, R-Cheboygan. “Now, the DNR wants us to pay more to enjoy the same woods, rivers, and lakes that our families have enjoyed for generations. The DNR is failing, and department leadership wants to pass responsibility for those failures down to outdoor enthusiasts. It’s deceptive and shameful, and Northeast Michigan won’t stand for it.”

DNR leadership is currently pursuing fee hikes on hunting, fishing, and boating licenses, while also making a last-ditch attempt to strong-arm lawmakers into transitioning enrollment in annual recreation passports on license plates from an opt-in to opt-out model.

Current policy requires people renewing their license plates to check a box to opt-in to the recreational passport. The DNR proposal would deceptively require people to check a box to opt-out of the recreational passport, likely leading to people unknowingly purchasing a passport when they have never purchased one before and have no intention of ever using one in the future. Under the opt-out proposal, no more than 20% of the funding earned through recreational passports will go to local parks, the rest of the funding goes right back to the DNR.

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