MDNR Land Use Permit FAQ
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-30301_31154_35728-113784--,00.htmlFull MDNR Fishing Tournament Document:
Fishing Tournaments
Description:A fishing tournament is defined as an organized competitive fishing event of limited duration which is structured and conducted according to a prearranged schedule. Most tournaments are defined as closed or club events where members of the group hold the event at either the launch site or an area off-site for weigh-ins and prizes. Out of approximately 1,000 State launching facilities, 70-75% of all fishing tournaments utilize approximately 40-50 access sites.
History:The Department began issuing permits in the 1990’s due to concerns over significant use of access sites and squabbling among tournament groups over scheduling conflicts and parking availability. Prior to 1999, in most situations, local administrative units issued permits for fishing tournaments at no cost. The current fee schedule was adopted after the 1999 season. The number of tournaments accounted for almost ½ of all user permits for the Division and a nominal fee structure was put in place to help offset the administrative costs. The Division brings in an approximately $9,000 – 10,000 a year in fishing tournament permits. Fishing tournaments are now included in the new Department Policy beginning January 1st, 2006.
There has been much speculation on the validity of our process and it was determined in 2005 to take a new look at the current policy and propose any changes for 2007. Staff members of various positions which administer fishing tournaments were pulled together for a workgroup to discuss and propose changes to the current policy. This document represents the initial draft from this discussion. After review by the workgroup, a revised version will be open for discussion between other Department representatives in Fisheries Division and Law Division. A group of representative tournament directors and riparian association members met on October 2nd 2006 at Waterloo Recreation Area to discuss proposed changes
The majority of bodies of water with tournaments (67/94 or 71%) issued 10 or less permits in 2004. This number is relatively small compared with over 120 opportunity days within a season. Focus should be given to those locations where there is a determined need to have a schedule for purposes of control and assistance for tournaments. The consensus of the workgroup was to eliminate the overall process of establishing permits for fishing tournaments, unless certain situations require such control by staff.
Criteria to consider when dedicating a location for requirements of fishing tournament permit.
History of Use: Has there been or are there currently a significant number of tournaments taking place at this location? Sites for permit requirement may be considered if there are more than 20 tournaments occurring in a typical year.
Size of Tournaments: Most of the closed tournaments indicate the average number of participants at fifteen boats. Even though there is documentation demonstrating the number participants as higher then originally approved, most tournaments are small enough to take place with few issues due to size. There are locations where open tournaments may consist of 50 – 200 participants. Large tournaments (especially those which are open to the general public) may warrant a decision to identify a particular site for permit requirement.
Documented cases of disease or extreme fishing pressure on a particular waterbody: Situations may occur where certain diseases or pressures to a particular fish may require a control factor. Largemouth Bass Virus is an example of a native virus having a significant impact. Pressure may be associated with biological issues or simply an overabundance of tournaments and difficult to qualify. Though we do not control on water activities nor enforce fishing regulations, this may be a way to regulate tournaments at a particular site and gather data. This would require assistance from the Fisheries Division for clarification and monitoring and possibly local Conservation Officers for enforcement.
Located within an area designated for control: Monitoring and control measures may be easier to handle at sites where there is already established control presence (within State Park or Recreation Area or Forest Campgrounds boundaries, designated User Fee access sites) at a contact booth.
Both Unit and District Supervisors must sign off on a location in order for a site to be dedicated for tournament permits. Access sites requiring permits should be reported through local media contacts and identified on the DNR web site.
Scoring:Facility Impact – variable; typically very low to medium (1 - 6 pts)
• Event size may be large and have an impact on staff and facilities. If parking is limited for an event, and it requires additional staff for clean up, tournaments could be considered medium to high.
Resource Impact – typically very low* (1 pt)
• Land resource impact is low. There have been discussions regarding the impact on the fisheries and the Department is looking at gathering further data. *The permit is for use of the land, but the Department will continue to monitor tournament data for possible impacts.
Use of Land – variable; typically very low to low (2 or 4 pts)
• Some tournaments participants only use the launch for purposes of parking and do weigh-ins off site (either on-water or at another land destination). For purposes of evaluation, the need for a permit rests at the site being used as a location to launch. Weigh-ins at other locations does not preclude the tournament from getting a Use Permit. Demand at permitted sites is reflected in the use of the parking area.
No. of Participants – variable; usually less than 30; some events may reach 200 boats (2 – 6 pts)
Duration – typically 1/2 day (2 pts)
Overall ScoreFishing Tournament events are scoring from 11 – 19 in points, with these scores following in I/L/C or Low intensity area. All vehicles are subject to Motor Vehicle Permits when required.
Fees:Application Fee: waived; there is no application fee
Review Fee: waived; review fee is coupled with monitoring fee
Monitoring Fee: variable (may be waived if score falls into I/L/C level of use)
$0 - $50 maximum (based on $50 per hour)
Use of Land Fee: variable; $50 - $200
Total Fee:
On the basis of consistency and to assist in meeting the overall demand from fishing tournaments, a standard fee has been assessed.
Tournament Use Permit fees are $25 for closed or club tournaments up to 30 vessels. All open tournaments are a minimum of $100 weekends, $50 weekdays. Tournaments with over 30 vessels are subject to open tournament fees. (These fees assist in covering the cost of processing and monitoring along with any additional administrative cost which may occur.) Revenue from Motor Vehicle Permits and camping fees are not a justification for lowering the price for Fishing Tournament events.
Insurance:Insurance is not required for Fishing Tournament events.
Conditions:(See attached procedure at the end of this document)
Authorization: Local Land Administrating Supervisor for permit approvals. District Supervisor approval for sites to require a Use Permit.
