Michigan ends state park fees

The Detroit Free Press reports on the new Michigan bill that ends state park fees to be replaced by a $10 car registration surcharge.

Motorists would pay the extra fee instead of paying $24 for an annual state park sticker or $6 for a daily permit. Also, boaters no longer would pay fees at 838 access sites.

Park officials could check license plates to see whether motorists paid the fee; violators could be fined up to $100.

Out-of-state residents would continue to pay $29 for an annual permit and $8 for a daily pass.

Read the full story: Senate passes bill to end park fees, add surcharge

Photo montage by Michigan Department of Natural Resources website

NYC High Line park; reusing old train tracks

The New York Times reports on one of the newest New York City parks, the High Line.

The park - made from old elevated train tracks - is the epitomization of reusing old to make new.

It's located in Manhattan's West Side near the Hudson River and winds up from the West Village through Chelsea.

Read the full story: For High Line visitors, park is a railway out of Manhattan