The North American Ice Fishing Championship (NAIFC)  Tournament is making a stop here in March of 2012.

Registration: You must register to enter the Tournament by March 2, two days before the actual event on March 4. There is a $200 Entry fee and a Rules Meeting on March 3. If registered late, there is a $20 additional fee on top of the Entry price.

Fish: During the five-hour tournament (which begins at 8am with weigh-in at 1pm), participants will be trying to catch 8 Crappie and 8 Sunfish. The current estimated payout is $21,000.

Schedule:
       – Friday Night Seminar: March 2 (Driftwood Bar & Grill Restaurant)
            -Social Hour 6:00-7:00pm
            -Seminar 7:00pm
            -Round table discussions with NAIFC Pro-Staff after the seminar
       – Saturday Morning Kids Ice Camp: March 3 
            -In class tutorial  10:00am-10:30am (Camp Harvest)
            -On Ice fishing 10:30am- Noon(Croton Dam Pond)
       -Saturday Night Rules Meeting (Driftwood Bar & Grill Restaurant)
            -Mandatory meeting (at least one team member)
            -Dinner with Cash Bar
            -Social Time 5:00-7:00pm
            -Registration  5:00-6:45pm
            -Rules Meeting starts at 7:00pm sharp!
       -Sunday Weigh-In (Location TBD)
            -In Door Weigh-in Starts at 2:00pm

Official Rules: http://www.naifc.com/rules.php

Coordinator: Kathy Roberts (kathy.roberts@naifc.com)
                            (320) 252-0428

Addresses/Phone Numbers:

Driftwood Bar & Grill Restaurant
5972 Croton Hardy Drive
Newaygo, MI 49337
231-652-2686

Camp Harvest
6829 East 72nd Street
Newaygo, MI 49337
231-652-2819

The My Best Midwest Getaway Contest is now on.

How the Contest Works: Encourage your Facebook fans to participate by sharing 300 words or less and or 8 photos of their best Midwest vacation, or perhaps a getaway they’ve been dreaming of taking. This is a great chance for people to brag about their experiences in the area.

How to Enter: Go to www.bestmidwestgetaway.com or www.facebook.com/midwestlivingmag

How to Win: Entries are accepted between August 1 and September 5. Voting begins September 6 and runs through September 18.  Top ten finalists chosen through the public voting period will compete for cash prizes.

Prize Highlights: One (1) grand prize winner will receive a $1,000 check; one (1) first prize winner will receive a $500 check, one (1) second prize winner will receive a check of $250; one (1) third place winner will receive a $150 check, and one (1) fourth place winner will receive a $100 check.

The Stephen F. Wessling Observatory, hosted by the Newaygo County Dark Sky Astronomers, has scheduled a special event for the Perseid Meteor Shower on Friday, August 12, 2011.

The time for this event will be from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight.  Admission on visitors’ nights is $5 for adults and $3 for youths 5-17 years of age and free for children less than 5 years of age.

Visitors are reminded to bring flashlights for walking around the property to the observatory and dress appropriately for the evening’s conditions.  Group reservations for non-scheduled viewing night, no more than 30 individuals, also are available.  For information, call (231) 924-2420 x 5.  For more information on viewing events, times and location please take a look at our website www.sfwobservatory.org

With Michigan’s summer tourism season in full swing, the Pure Michigan Facebook page has reached a record of more than 300,000 fans – the highest number of fans for any state tourism Facebook page in the nation.

The Pure Michigan eNewsletter has also passed the 300,000 subscriber mark. The free eNewsletter recently had a spike in sign-ups, with nearly 30,000 new subscriptions during the month of June.

“Whether through social media, newsletters or our Pure Michigan advertising campaign, our marketing efforts work to attract visitors to Michigan in order to create jobs and generate a positive impact for Michigan’s economy,” said George Zimmermann, Vice President for Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. “With so many active fans, the Pure Michigan Facebook page serves as an excellent forum to discover things to do and experience in Michigan.”

To view the full atricle go to, http://mkg.fluencymedia.com/pw/oe/?a8ZKrkdTE9r4RpWMdZvnEE3xABec8nd7y6uygURtiq4gaVC0ddIFTUWoDhNshVHZ0

LANSING — A new website is working to boost the tourism industry by helping people plan their travel.

MiDrive is a traffic website with an interactive map showing warnings for travelers, said Barbara Hicks, a public affairs representative at the Department of Transportation (MDOT).

“The idea is to put all the information of travel on the website and tourists can use it to plan their routes,” Hicks said.

The interactive map includes construction barrels users can click on for information about that location, such as when the construction will end, said Hicks.

“You can search the construction site by counties as well, which makes it very easy for tourists to plan where they want to travel,” Hicks said.

The other elements of the site include weather updates by ZIP codes, traffic incidents and traffic cameras.

“The cameras are called road weather information system cameras in Detroit, Grand Rapids and parts of the Upper Peninsula,” Hicks said.

To Read More on this matter, read the full article at http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-oakland-press/story/technology-aims-encourage-motoring-tourists-0/1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2011
Governor Snyder Declares August “Michigan Camping & RV Month”
(CHEBOYGAN, Mich) – For generations, Michigan has welcomed campers and RVers to its natural woodlands,freshwater shorelines and beaches, in two distinct peninsulas – nestled in the middle of the Great LakesRegion.
In honor of such tradition, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, along with several legislators, has declared Augustas “Michigan Camping & Recreation Vehicle Month.” Camping is a key contributor to the state’s $17 billiontourism industry. The declaration supports the economic and recreational contributions that the campingindustry contributes to Michigan’s overall tourism.
Both Michiganders and visitors alike take advantage of the state’s array of sun, freshwater coastline, 19 millionacres of woodlands, soft breezes and fresh air, where the temperate climate allows for great camping andoutdoor recreation–making it the ultimate Pure Michigan experience!
Michigan has more than 950 licensed private recreation vehicle parks and campgrounds, with more than111,000 licensed campsites. The state has more than 160 county or government operated campgrounds withover 14,700 sites–from rustic to full-service. Michigan also boasts over 300,000 licensed recreation vehicles,including motorhomes and travel trailers. In 2010, Michigan ranked third in the nation in new recreationvehicle sales.
Camping and RVing encourages visitors and locals alike to partake in activities such as boating, fishing,hunting, snowmobiling, paddling, pedaling, golfing, geocaching, nature watching, photography, and otheroutdoor activities, which also highlight Michigan’s great outdoor parks and recreation areas.
Michigan is home to 98 state parks and recreation areas–as well as 133 state forest campgrounds–under theauspices of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and seven forests/parks/lakeshores in Michiganunder the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. Collectively, Michigan offers 15,000 sites on state and federallands designated for camping.
Michigan’s two non-profit camping organizations: ARVC Michigan–the Association of RV Parks & Campgroundsof Michigan and MARVAC–the Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles & Campgrounds equally promoteand support private campground and RV parks throughout the state.
All state lands are managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, while the national parksand lakeshores are managed by the National Park Service and/or the U.S. Forest Service. All campgrounds– including the companion recreational activities – are among the tourism destinations promoted by TravelMichigan and its award-winning Pure Michigan campaign.
###www.MichiganCampingAndRVMonth.com
Media Contacts:
Bill Sheffer, CAEDirector – MARVAC800-422-6478 ext. 11bsheffer@mmhrvca.org
www.MARVAC.org
Tracie FisherDave LorenzMaia StephensDirector – ARVC-MichiganTravel MichiganMichigan DNR517-335-0007989-225-8573tatefisher@hotmail.comLorenzD@Michigan.org stephensm3@michigan.gov
www.MichCampgrounds.com www.Michigan.org

http://michigan.gov/dnr

Hansen sponsors new invasive species legislation

Along with the threat of Asian carp, more than 180 non-native pests, like zebra mussels and the round goby, have infiltrated Michigan waters.

In addition to serious ecological concerns, invasive species have already affected tourism, fishing and related industries in Michigan and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in lost economic benefits.

New Senate legislation will establish a council of experts to determine how to better protect our state from continued invasions.

Under Senate Bills 508-510, the Great Lakes Basin Aquatic Invasive Species Advisory Council will work on long- and short-term plans to prevent and eradicate these pests throughout the region.

Because invasives present such a serious threat, it’s going to take a full and thorough effort to eliminate this biological pollution and preserve our Great Lakes way of life.

In The News
Once-growing movie business is now shrinking
Detroit Free Press
The 12 productions plan to spend $47 million in Michigan in exchange for $19.6 million in incentives, according to the Michigan Film Office. The reduced activity has resulted in a stream of production crew workers, actors and others leaving the state …

What movies will get a piece of Michigan’s $25-million pie?
Detroit Free Press
The Michigan Film Office has been operating for most of the year under a $25-million cap proposed in February by Gov. Rick Snyder as one of several measures to deal with budget woes, and then signed into law. But the filming outlook for 2011 has been …

Royal Oak firm gets $78K tax incentive to develop golf lessons app
The Detroit News
The Ben Hogan Mobile Application is the first phone application to be approved for the incentives. The Pixofactor incentives is the 11th project approved under the new guidelines issued by the Michigan Film Office that take into account how a project …

For all the news from the West Michigan Film Office go to http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=f659b7acfb6aaf451a3abe9f5&id=7444aea6e6&e=78b1286add

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 21, 2011

Governor Snyder and Michigan Legislators

Recognize August as “Michigan Camping & RV Month”

(CHEBOYGAN, Mich) –For generations, Michigan has welcomed campers to its woodlands, freshwater shoreline and along its inland lakes and streams, in two distinct peninsulas – nestled in the middle of the Great Lakes Region.

In honor of such tradition Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, along with Representative Frank Foster (R – Pellston) and Senator Goeff Hansen (R – Hart) will declare August as “Michigan Camping & Recreation Vehicle Month”. Resolutions will be introduced on Wednesday, June 22 (10:30am in the Senate; 1:30pm in the House with a news conference at Noon in rooms 402-403 of the Michigan State Capitol Building in Lansing.

Michiganians and visitors alike take advantage of our great state’s array of sun, freshwater coastline, 19 million acres of woodlands, soft breezes and fresh air, where the temperate climate allows for great camping and outdoor recreations – making it the ultimate Pure Michigan experience!

The official resolution supports the economic and recreational contributions that the camping industry contributes to Michigan’s overall tourism package:

Camping is a key contributor in the state’s overall $17+ billion Pure Michigan tourism industry.
The State of Michigan has more than 950 licensed private recreation vehicle parks and campgrounds, with more than 111,000 licensed camp sites.
More than 160 county or government operated campgrounds with over 14,700 sites – from rustic to full-service – around the state.
The State of Michigan is home to 98 state parks and recreation areas – as well as 133 state forest campgrounds – under the auspices of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and 7 forests / parks / lakeshores in Michigan under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service, collectively offering 15,000 sites on state and federal lands designated for camping.
Camping encourages visitors and locals alike to partake in activities such as boating, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling, paddling, pedaling, golfing, geocaching, nature watching, photography, and other outdoor activities, which also highlight Michigan’s great outdoors.

Governor Snyder has been an outspoken advocate for the Pure Michigan campaign since before he was elected, making it a major point of discussion on his campaign trail. Representative Foster is the chair of the Natural Resources, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation Committee. Senator Hansen chairs the Outdoor Recreation & Tourism Committee.

Michigan boasts two non-profit organizations: ARVC Michigan – the Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds of Michigan and MARVAC – the Michigan Association of Recreation Vehicles & Campgrounds, which equally promote and support private campground and RV parks throughout the state particularly by the distribution of hundreds of thousands of free camping directories at RV and outdoor shows, at statewide chambers of commerce, libraries, lawmakers offices, RV sales businesses, campgrounds and the State of Michigan Travel Information Centers.

All state lands are managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, while the national parks and lakeshores are managed by the National Park Service and/or the U.S. Forest Service. All campgrounds – including the companion recreational activities – are among the tourism destinations promoted via Travel Michigan and its award-winning Pure Michigan campaign.

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