Re-inventing a vision for Michigan Parks and Recreation

At 24 years of age, and a recent returnee from South Lake Tahoe, California where after graduating from the University of Michigan in 2010 I quickly moved, I am a representative of a young thrill seeking generation here in Michigan. I considered myself to be a pioneer amongst my circle of friends who admired my courage to pick up and move out West. What I soon discovered after landing on the South shore of Lake Tahoe is that the Sierras are crawling with Michiganders! No matter what trail I hiked, what backcountry peak I skied, or what hidden crag I climbed I was meeting people from Michigan. Often times these were recent college graduates like myself or middle aged business owners that years ago did what I was doing and never returned to the Great Lakes state. With countless experiences like those logged, I can say with confidence that recreational opportunities are major criteria for not only me but countless other young adults when deciding a place to live.

Michigan is truly one of the most geographically unique places on Earth and is adorned with natural resources rivaled by few. It was the natural resources that first brought people to Michigan and if used properly it can be the natural resources that keep people in Michigan and encourage the growth of the state as a whole.  Michigan’s inability to make its recreational assets relevant to a younger generation has resulted in mass pilgrimages of recent college graduates who despite their familial, cultural, and academic ties continue to flood out of Michigan in search of work and play in other parts of the country. This rich outflow of intellectual capital and progressive thought has stunted the economic growth of the state and left Michigan’s younger demographic under represented.

Leveraging Michigan’s parks and recreational assets to connect individuals and communities with the environment, increase the overall attractiveness of the state, and infuse a recovering economy with recreational vigor has never been more important to ensuring the long term health of the state. We may not have 14,000 foot peaks, mile long ski runs, or class 5 rapids but based on what we do have there is no reason why Michigan shouldn’t be more synonymous for adventure.  Governor Snyder recognized this and assembled the Michigan State Parks and Outdoor Recreation Blue Ribbon Panel, equipped with 16 experts, tasked with envisioning the future of Michigan’s parks and recreation system through a new lens; one that filters out old approaches and brings out pioneering ideas of how our natural assets can best add economic and cultural value to the state.

        Michigan will never disassociate with manufacturing, however we must diversify our economy from one based almost solely on resource exploitation to one that recognizes that business can be built around Michigan’s natural beauties and not on top of them. The idea of Eco-tourism is emerging as a vital component to the economies of regions blessed with amazing natural areas. This form of industry could be a great way to engage and attract young adults. The Sierra Business Council located in Truckee, California is embarking on a Geotourism project that will bring economic vitality, environmental awareness, and cultural appreciation to the area and its inhabitants. Initiatives like Eco-tourism require well built and maintained trail systems which act as important access corridors into the state’s beautiful public lands. Aside from the simple virtues of a good hike down a well built trail, trails are vital to connecting people to the hidden beauties of our forests, lakeshores, and wetlands.   They encourage exploration, place based learning, and can be a priceless source of inspiration. Web tools are and will continue to be a primary method of planning an adventure into the outdoors and will thus be imperative for Eco-tourism here in Michigan. People require easily accessible and easy to understand information about recreational opportunities and without it will forgo the opportunity to engage with the outdoors in favor of more familiar activities. People like tracking their achievements and performance and a tool allowing them to do that fits right into the Eco-tourism model. Vail resort’s EpicMix ski app is a great example of merging outdoor accomplishment tracking with social networking to produce a tool that plays on people’s emotions. It tracks total vertical feet skied, total miles skied, awards badges for meeting certain goals, and acts as a communication platform for people to network while on the mountain. A similar tool can be utilized in Michigan to encourage people to get out and experience all that the state has to offer.

Utilizing Michigan’s parks and recreational areas as green classrooms is extremely important as well. The state should encourage organizations like Michigan Green Schools to continue to grow and support environmental stewardship in public schools. Michigan, with the accessibility of all its parks, is in a unique position to build a solid foundation of young environmental stewards if the state channels effort and resources into the coupling of state parks and environmental education. This would offer opportunities for young environmental enthusiasts like me to fill an increased number of naturalist and park docent positions that would be created. The dual nature of this idea can create a self-perpetuating cycle of environmental culture where jobs are immediately created with the goal of educating the youth who will be charged with the task of protecting and managing Michigan’s natural resources in the future.

Advertisement and promotion of Michigan’s cities need to be paired more closely with the recreational opportunities within or nearby the city. As hubs for job creation, cities draw in recent college graduates on the premise of job opportunity alone, however as a survey from the Michigan Colleges Foundation as shown it is not the only factor that keeps graduates in a particular place. The recreational opportunities weigh in heavily and should be highlighted when trying to attract young talent. Embracing the healthy culture and lifestyle associated with recreation is important for cities if they plan to attract and retain young college educated talent. Cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, and Austin all have healthy economies that are highly diversified and attract thousands of young professionals from around the World. All these cities have one thing in common; their inhabitants are very in touch and engaged with the recreational opportunities around them. The health of these places hinges on the health of its people and the health of the people is directly tied into their relationship with the environment. There is a lesson for Michigan to learn here.  

      Every Michigan legislator should understand and appreciate the emotional value of hiking a trail or the excitement of watching a trout rise to a fly, if not for themselves but for a constituency who does. The blue ribbon panel can help them make the connection between Michigan’s natural assets and the younger generation’s hunger for adventure. The panel is in a unique position to produce clear goals that champion the state’s parks and recreation to a height that they have long deserved.