[knu2xs]

I kind of disagree.
Its a river permit for the area not launch site. So if you float into USF area you need the permit.

You are correct, the access site has nothing to do with it.

I've seen USFS Rangers on the river many times checking for permits and have been checked myself more than once, in spite of the fact that my permit was visible on my bow rope "carry handle." They just wanted to make sure that the date was correct.

If you are in a stretch of river that requires a permit, you need a permit, it's as simple as that......

 

[knu2xs]

With all due respect to the DNR employees, once again the access site isn't the issue here, it's the section of the river.

I don't know, but my guess is that the DNR employee(s) may be confusing their system with the Forest Service' "non motorized river permits."

When using a DNR access site there has to be something to denote that you paid on your vehicle, permit, license plate "passport" etc.

When you get a "non motorized river permit" you can park in the USFS access site parking lots and there is nothing required for your vehicle, only your watercraft, which has to be displayed in plain site.

Here are the sections for the PM where a permit is required.

"The Pere Marquette River, within the Forest’s boundary, has been divided into three non-motorized watercraft segments: Segment 1 - Forks to Bowman Bridge; Segment 2 - Bowman Bridge to Upper Branch Bridge; and Segment 3 - Upper Branch Bridge to Indian Bridge. The river’s characteristics and the setting vary by river segment. Someone wanting a recreation experience where there is a good chance of encountering others would enjoy Segment 1; those wanting the opportunity to experience more solitude would appreciate Segment 3."

I was paddling the Pine prior to needing permits (around 1978) and have used the permit system almost 100 times over the years on both the Pine & PM.

When they implemented this system I specifically asked the Forest Service,"why?" I was told that it was the USFS' way of trying to keep the river "user friendly" for fisher"men" and still allow paddlers access to the rivers at the same time.

Trust me, if a permit was only needed for access sites on these stretches of the Pine & PM there would have been many times that we could have worked around the access issue. Almost half of the times that we've paddled the Pine it has been with large groups of people who were born & raised up there and for about the first 10 yr's, '78-'88, they would grouse about having to get the permits. Eventually they got it out of their system.

One year the Forest Service was running the river in a canoe, checking permits, and one of our group made 'em work for it. They (the one in our group) had been using the same aluminum canoe since permits were needed and always just slapped the current permit in an open spot on their hull. Their canoe was literally "plastered" with permits dating back years. When asked for their permit they said, "It's on there."

One thing that's neither here nor there. When a permit is issued for a specific day, they are usually a different color than those for the day before, or after. This helps those doing the USFS canoe patrols tell at a glance if the permit is for that particular day.

 

[knu2xs]

Starting this year, the colored permit stickers are no longer used. The new permit is now just a piece of paper you print off and stick in your pocket. I expect a lot of the permits are going to be ruined when people tip over and get them wet.

Good information Scott, thanks for the update.

You are absolutely right on the ruined permits, especially on the Pine.