Environment
Waterways commission head weighs registration requirement for non-motorized watercraft
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By LAUREN GENTILE
Capital News Service
LANSING – The chair of the Waterways Commission, Gary Marowske, has a new plan to combat low water levels and dredge many inland and Great Lakes harbors – require state registrations for non-motorized watercraft. “Currently, non-motorized boats like kayaks and canoes do not have to be registered, but in the words of Gov. Snyder, ‘You have to pay to play.’ So my goal is to start registering these watercraft to have more of an income for the commission,” Marowske of Grosse Pointe Farms said. Marowske said he has no estimate of the number of non-motorized watercraft in the state. Currently, the commission is funded through the approximately one million boats that are registered in the state and 2 percent of the gas tax. The commission provides advice on policies and manages waterway programs such as refuge harbors and boat launch maintenance.