4 parks

Lets talk about our future. Four Parks is a solid idea for the future prosperity of the U.P.

My message to you, the voters, includes the many benefits to be gained from new, large public parks. I created my Four Parks plan in 2004. Its vision is here for the taking. In the face of relentless land fragmentation, growing population, and the demand for economic growth and stability, there is no time to waste…. It would have been easier 10 years ago.

Tourism is our top U.P. industry. It is the linchpin that maintains our wilderness as wild. If we are to retain and grow it, and thereby preserve our wilderness and camp traditions, we need to expand our public parks. Some people say they don’t like tourists, but every form of growth carries a cost. Other forms of growth carry their own costs, such as water pollution. The choice must be ours.

Tourism studies prove the enduring economic value of large parks, and show the financial benefits to be gained in the areas near them. My idea is to create five huge new public parks for the U.P. I call this Four Parks (one exists). With new huge parks we could compete with the likes of Yosemite and even Yellowstone. Why think small? The Great Lakes can be seen from space just like the Grand Canyon. Four Parks would create many opportunities for small business and lasting jobs in the buffer zone and communities around the parks.

Many scattered state and federal lands can be traded off to timber companies and subsequently rearranged. The resulting wondrous large blocks of wilderness, uniquely reflective of the U.P. and managed by the U.P., will draw tourists from around the country and the world. The exact opposite of sulfide mining.

The key here is to see the timber point of view: loggers will trade their land blocks low in timber value for superior timberlands held by the government. And by fortunate coincidence, the timber industry’s unproductive lands possess high recreational and scenic value.

The government should throw its financial support behind this needed upgrade of our tourism industry. After all, the state pushes many kinds of economic growth in many various ways, from tax breaks to grants to ultra-low mining royalties.

See www.rchendricken.com… for 22 essays, maps, and photos exploring and explaining the Four Parks idea. This is hope for the future--at the very least a starting point for discussion on keeping our tourism industry healthy and strong. Four Parks is a solid proposal of ideas and concrete action. It capitalizes on renewable resources that are here and will stay here.

My persistent and trusting nature will be an asset in Lansing for you, the people, as we face the challenges ahead. If you don’t trust you don’t receive.