09-22-2006, 03:10 AM
Patrons of the Highland Recreation Area, Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, Dodge Park No. 4, Proud Lake Recreation Area, as well as other state parks outside the lakes area may no longer be able to toss bread crumbs, crackers, or other scraps of "people food" to seagulls while at the parks if a Michigan House of Representatives Bill becomes law.
House Bill (HB) 6400, which was introduced Tuesday, Sept. 5, by primary sponsor Rep. Barbara Vander Veen (R-Allendale), would amend the state's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to prohibit the feeding of seagulls at state parks.
The bill would also make entry into state parks conditional upon compliance with state park rules, and would expel those who feed seagulls at a state park for one day.
HB 6400 was referred to the House Conservation, Forestry, and Outdoor Recreation Committee following its introduction.
Reps. Kathleen Law (D-Rockwood) and Paula Zelenko (D-Burton) co-sponsored the bill.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has not yet taken an official stance on the bill as introduced because of some of its language, according to DNR Acting Press Secretary Ann Wilson. She said prohibiting people from feeding seagulls isn't the issue, so much as it's the proposed penalty for violating the ban.
"Our preference with regard to anybody feeding seagulls or any other wild animals is to educate them about the problems associated with that kind of behavior rather than removing them from the state parks," she said. "For that reason, we've not really taken an official position on it."
DNR Legislative Liaison Rodney Stokes said the DNR is still reviewing the bill.
"Our staff right now is looking at the bill to see if there's a way we can suggest an amendment to it before we just outright say we oppose it," he said.
According to Stokes, the DNR relies on park visitors to fund the parks system, and expelling people, notably kids who may not know better, would be missing out on a chance to teach people why they shouldn't feed the seagulls.
"We have about 20 million visitors in our state parks each year, and one of the roles of our state parks is to educate people about the outdoors," Stokes said. "We feel that if people are feeding seagulls or other animals, which is inappropriate to do, expelling those people for a day would be a negative way to try to get them to understand the importance of natural resources.
"We would rather use that as an opportunity to educate them."
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House Bill (HB) 6400, which was introduced Tuesday, Sept. 5, by primary sponsor Rep. Barbara Vander Veen (R-Allendale), would amend the state's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to prohibit the feeding of seagulls at state parks.
The bill would also make entry into state parks conditional upon compliance with state park rules, and would expel those who feed seagulls at a state park for one day.
HB 6400 was referred to the House Conservation, Forestry, and Outdoor Recreation Committee following its introduction.
Reps. Kathleen Law (D-Rockwood) and Paula Zelenko (D-Burton) co-sponsored the bill.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has not yet taken an official stance on the bill as introduced because of some of its language, according to DNR Acting Press Secretary Ann Wilson. She said prohibiting people from feeding seagulls isn't the issue, so much as it's the proposed penalty for violating the ban.
"Our preference with regard to anybody feeding seagulls or any other wild animals is to educate them about the problems associated with that kind of behavior rather than removing them from the state parks," she said. "For that reason, we've not really taken an official position on it."
DNR Legislative Liaison Rodney Stokes said the DNR is still reviewing the bill.
"Our staff right now is looking at the bill to see if there's a way we can suggest an amendment to it before we just outright say we oppose it," he said.
According to Stokes, the DNR relies on park visitors to fund the parks system, and expelling people, notably kids who may not know better, would be missing out on a chance to teach people why they shouldn't feed the seagulls.
"We have about 20 million visitors in our state parks each year, and one of the roles of our state parks is to educate people about the outdoors," Stokes said. "We feel that if people are feeding seagulls or other animals, which is inappropriate to do, expelling those people for a day would be a negative way to try to get them to understand the importance of natural resources.
"We would rather use that as an opportunity to educate them."
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