Tuesday, March 20, 2012

New outsdoors ads show for the Pure Michigan campaign released

The national Pure Michigan campaign has released its new television ads, and a pair of them focus on Michigan's outdoors.

Four communities/attractions were featured: Ann Arbor, The Henry Ford museum, Mackinac Island and Traverse City. The Ann Arbor ad focuses on the cultural aspect of the city, which its known for. The Henry Ford, obviously for its historical artifacts and Greenfield village.

But the two that focus on Michigan's outdoors feature Mackinac Island and Traverse City. The Traverse City ad uses the phrase "True North," and describes Sleeping Bear Dunes and sunsets over Lake Michigan.

The Mackinac Island ad showcases the natural beauty of the island, as well as the tourist-y aspect.

Take a watch of both of the below, and see the other two on the Pure Michigan blog:


Mackinac Island


Traverse City

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The Rec Passport is now needed for state forests and non-motorized pathway parking

It's been a different scene since the launch of the Recreation Passport in Michigan in 2010.

It replaced the annual window sticker and daily pass. It became available to the motorist when they renewed their license plate tabs every year for the price of $10. This decreased the cost of admission for a year in the state parks in Michigan more than half.

It's been a great tool in enlisting people to come to Michigan's state parks, and now, it's now needed for those who want to have access to store forest and non-motorized pathways owned by the Department of Natural Resources.

It's a move that was coming, since the Rec Passport had been heralded as the savior of the state park system. I loved the idea when it first came out, and I snagged it as soon as my tabs were expired. Since purchasing it, I've used it at at least two state parks, and will use it at several more this year.

State forest and non-motorized pathways will draw a new crop of users into the park system, and making the Recreation Passport a crucial part of streamlining a service that has struggled over the last decade can only improve the state's natural resources.