The Michigan Department of Natural Resources today announced that 15 communities will share $1,920,100 in Recreation Passport grants for local public recreation projects.

Suttons Bay Township will receive $105,000 for Herman Park playground work, according to the list of grant awards. 

“The Recreation Passport remains one of the best values in outdoor recreation anywhere in the United States,” said DNR Director Scott Bowen in a statement. “Beyond providing annual public access to dozens of state parks, trailheads, state forest campgrounds and boating access sites, 10% of the proceeds from each $14 Recreation Passport help fund state park improvements and maintenance and grants to communities for additional local park improvement projects.” 

The DNR’s Recreation Passport grant program began in 2010 with the goal of boosting visitation and funding for Michigan state parks. The Recreation Passport is a $14 annual pass required for access to 103 state parks and recreation areas, more than 140 state forest campgrounds, Michigan historic sites, hundreds of boating access sites and thousands of miles of trails.

Ten percent of the proceeds from Recreation Passport sales are granted to communities across the state for development and improvement of local public recreation facilities.

The Recreation Passport replaced the DNR’s traditional annual motor vehicle permit for state park access with a purchase program tied to the renewal of license plate registrations.

Beyond the money allocated for Recreation Passport grants, revenue from sales of Recreation Passports supports operations, infrastructure and historic and cultural assets in Michigan’s state parks and recreation system.

Selected projects were scored and selected from a field of 57 grant applications seeking a total of $7.2 million in funding.

With the announcement of this year’s recipients, the Recreation Passport grant program has awarded a total of $22.3 million statewide.