By Louie Stout

Have you ever arrived at a DNR launch ramp early in the morning only to find the trailer parking slots filled with passenger cars?

We got a report from an angler who encountered that problem at Juno Lake’s public access early last Saturday morning.

Except for one vehicle and boat trailer in the lot, all but one of the other spaces was filled with passenger cars.

It happens often on small public access sites and chances are several of those cars belong to local residents or their visitors. Some access sites offer a few spots for cars without trailers, but the main parking area is designated for vehicle/trailer parking.

Well, it’s against the law to park there unless you are using the public launch for boating and violators can be ticketed. If you encounter a problem at a Southwest Michigan DNR ramp, call the DNR’s District 7 Law Enforcement Office at 269-685-6851. Or, if you have direct contact with a local officer, contact him.

Or, you can go to www.mi.gov/dnrco and click on the “locate a conservation officer” on that page.

You also might want to take cell phone photos of the license plates of vehicles not accompanied by boat trailers and share them with the DNR later.