Mackinac State Historic Parks, already suffering from two years of budget cuts and a sluggish economy, will lose the $1.5 million it gets from the state under a budget proposal released by Governor Jennifer Granholm last Thursday, February 10. The cut will be reflected in the state’s fiscal year 2006 budget, which begins October 1, 2005, so operations this summer should not be affected, but park administrators and commissioners who oversee the operations are taking a hard look at expenditures and revenue sources to cover what losses they can.

“In my opinion,” said Park Commission Chairman Dennis Cawthorne, “this is the biggest challenge the Mackinac Island State Park Commission has had to face in its 110-year history.”

“The good news is there will be no reductions this year, so visitors will see no changes at any of our historic parks,” said Mackinac State Historic Parks Director Phil Porter. “Now, the Park Commission needs to look at the recommendations from the executive office and determine how to respond.”

The governor’s office has suggested Mackinac State Historic Parks subsist on admissions and other fees, like other state parks. The problem is that Michigan’s state parks are dedicated to recreation, provide only campgrounds or orientation centers, are operated by the Department of Natural Resources. Mackinac State Historic Parks, on the other hand, is operated by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and is housed in the Department of History, Arts, and Libraries. It’s mission is one of historical research and public education, and it cares for the state’s oldest structures, dating to the American Revolution. It charges admission fees, collects lease fees from cottages on the East and West bluffs, and charges fees for motor vehicles and the use of its commercial dock at British Landing.

“We already raise $1.5 million in fees, now we need to raise another $1.5 million?” asked Mr. Cawthorne. “Where do you go to make up that money? Governor Granholm doesn’t spell that out in her proposal, which leaves it up to the Commission to find viable ways.”

One would be to raise admission fees, which park officials feel already are near top of what people will pay.

Park admission is $9.50 for adults and $6 for children ages 6 to17 for each historic site, Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac and Old Mill Creek on the mainland. Its Mackinac Combination ticket, which allows admission to all the state park historic sites, is $25 for adults and $17 for children ages 6 to 17.

Mr. Cawthorne, who has been the Park Commission’s chairman since 1991, believes the admission fees to visit any of the Mackinac State Historic Parks sites are already at a reasonable maximum rate and an increase would only deter visitors from coming to the area, ultimately affecting the entire tourism industry for the Straits area.

“The Commission will be very aware of how any fee increase will impact the tourist trade,” said Mr. Cawthorne. “We are reluctant to do anything that negatively impacts the local economy.

The rumor that legislators are suggesting the park impose a $2 head tax on visitors, charged through ferry boat companies, is impractical, Mr. Cawthorne said, and would not likely pass.

“I don’t think a tax on boat tickets would be fair for residents and I don’t think legislators would act to do so,” he said. “Besides, legally, it would be a challenge, since none of the boats land on state property.”

Charging someone to come through state park property, he said, is difficult since the park’s boundaries on the Island are complex. The state owns about 83 percent of the land, but city and private property are scattered throughout the Island.

“We’re not like other state parks, where you can charge someone coming into a campground,” he said.

The Mackinac Island State Park Commission’s total budget is about $5.7 million, of which the $1.5 million state appropriation comprises only 25 percent. In 1992, said Mr. Porter, it was 50 percent. He said the Park Commission has done an excellent job of expanding its programs and improving its sites despite a continually shrinking general fund. It also has an aggressive grant seeking strategy that has secured $444,226 in donations and grants for targeted park projects and programs.

Last summer, Mackinac State Historic Parks reopened the lighthouse, a restoration project in progress, after a 10-year hiatus, and it is scheduled to open the newly constructed Millwright House at Mill Creek this May.

Where fees can’t be raised, programs may have to be cut to balance the budget.

Governor Granholm’s budget cut decisions still must be approved by the House and Senate, said Mr. Cawthorne. He said the final decision probably will not be made for several weeks.

In the meantime, commissioners will be negotiating closely with Governor Granholm to search for alternative funding options. There is still a chance that the Park Commission could retain some or all of its general funding.

Mr. Cawthorne said he hopes the park commission and the governor can find a more sensible and practical solution to the state’s budget problems than eliminating the state appropriation to Mackinac State Historic Parks.