For ground travel and boat travel you will not need a passport to get into Canada this year. I talked to Border Patrol at the boat show last night. I didn’t hear anything about a discounted smaller passport though.
You can always bribe them with a bottle and a carton of smokes! LOL.
My local paper had a article and it is true. The new card will be $40 or $45 and make border crossing faster by car.
Washington – Anglers feeling under the gun to comply with federal regulations requiring a valid passport for re-entry into the United States from Canada this summer (by land or sea) have been granted a slight reprieve.
That rule won’t take effect until at least June 2009.
Not only that, but land and sea travelers entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda now have the option to use a passport card, instead of a conventional passport, at a fraction of the price.
According to U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, of Minnesota, the implementation deadline for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative’s land and sea travel requirement was extended in late December as part of the Omnibus Appropriations bill signed by President Bush.
“More time was needed to get this thing (the WHTI) right,” said Luke Friedrich, a spokesman for Coleman.
Earlier changes in travel documentation caused a backup in the production of individual passports, and in many cases, botched trips. Tourism officials in Canada feared the new requirement, set to take effect during the height of angler travel to provinces like Ontario, would have further reduced travel outside the United States. High gas prices and reduced value of the U.S. dollar already have served to discourage foreign ventures, according to Canadian officials.
With the news of delayed new passport requirements comes word that there’s a cheaper alternative to the “regular” passport – the passport card, which will cost individuals $45. Cards for children will cost $35. The U.S. Department of State moved to find a cheaper alternative to the passport when pushed by border residents and Congressmen representing border states.
“The Department of State is issuing this passport card in response to the needs of border resident communities for a less expensive and more portable alternative to the traditional passport book,” according to a department press statement. “The card will have the same validity period as a passport book – 10 years for an adults, five for children (age) 15 and younger.”
(Adults who already have a passport book may apply for the card as a passport renewal and pay only $20.)
The passport card will contain a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that will facilitate the frequent travel of U.S. citizens living in border communities and meet the Department of Homeland Security’s operational needs at land borders, the statement said. No personal information will be written into the RFID chip.
State officials caution travelers that the new passport card isn’t valid for air travel, because it is not “a globally interoperable travel document,” and, “the passport book is the appropriate travel document for most international travel.”
But, if you’re an angler or hunter who plans to travel to Canada by car or truck, it’s an option that will cost half the price of a traditional passport.
U.S. citizens may begin applying in advance for the new passport card beginning Feb. 1. The State Department expects cards will be available and mailed to applicants (who apply right away) this spring.
Officials say the cards will expedite document processing at U.S. land and sea ports of entry. Further, it will fit in a wallet.
The passport card technology – RFID – is the same that used for other DHS “trusted traveler” programs, like NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST.
The State Department says such technology has existed in many forms since the 1970s, in such things as car keys, bank cards, and security access cards.
“The Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection officers, who staff the ports of entry, anticipate that the speed of ‘vicinity RFID’ will allow CBP officers, in advance of the traveler’s arrival at the inspection booth, to quickly access information on the traveler from secure government data bases, and allow for automated terrorist watch list checks without impeding traffic flow.
“In addition, they foresee that multiple cards can be read at a distance and simultaneously, allowing an entire car of people to be processed at once,” the statement says.
“This (passport) card is better for people who don’t do a lot of international air travel ? or just go up (to Canada) to fish once or twice a year,” Friedrich said. “The idea was to provide a cheaper, more convenient alternative.”
For information on applying for a passport card, visit the web at http://travel.state.gov/passport.
Applications generally may be made at local U.S. Postal Service locations and at many county courthouses.
Wow, thanks for that great reporting! Glad to see someone is doing something posotive about this, it can get pretty pricey for a family of four to go up in passports alone, though it is a once in a ten year deal the expense is still there. Thank’s again for the great info!!!
What does everyone like to use for storing their scent control clothing in? I used to use a rubbermaid tote and I would just throw clothing, backpack, boots, etc. right in there. I would get dressed in the field and undress when I get out of the field before getting into the truck.
I was reading somewhere that rubbermaid totes are petrolium based and they can leave smells on all of your gear. I always throw some earth scented wicks in my totes to soak into clothing/gear.
I know Scent Lok used to make a hard shell plastic container similar to a rubbermaid tote. I don’t see it on their website anymore. I would use the bags but I need something fairly large since I like to throw my backpack and boots in there along with my clothing.
What’s everyone’s thoughts??
I actually do the same thing as you John 
I have never heard anything like about them however….I heard its bad to use scent waffers or dryer sheets in a bin w/ scent lok/blocker, etc. I have a hard time believing this though…i just washed my bin out w/ scent killing body wash so who knows 
Skully,
I use a Scent-Safe™ Deluxe Travel Bag by Hunter Specialties ( CLICK HERE to view it) to put my clothing in. I then use a plastic tote to put in my Scent Safe bag, my pack, my gear, my boots, etc. in.
Other manufacturers of similar devices by Tinks, Scent Lok, Scent Blocker, etc. I love the ample room and versatility of the Scent Safe by HS. I buy a new one every couple of years. Inside my Scent Safe bag by HS, I use another scent bag by Scent Blocker that is virtually clear to store my carbon clothes in.
PT, is right on what he heard. If you are using carbon clothing at all, do not use the scent wafers as the carbon clothing is soaking up the wafer smell instead of your body odor and by the time you use the clothing all scent molecules have already absorbed the scent from the wafers and is bascially useless on absorbing any of your body odor. 
I have been using the HS scent bag for as long as I can remember 8-9 years at least. HS also has a boot bag.
I use Mossy Oak Scent Protection storage bag and then throw that in a tote.
Rob,
Where did you get your HS bags? It has gander and fleet farm as dealers but I don’t remember seeing anything like those at either places.
Sorry Skully I did not see your reply until now. 
Yes,Cableas, Gander & FF all have them.
skully, i just bought one at gander in forest lake. they had a bunch of them. look for a yellow box.
I also use the rubbermaid tote with a earth scent wafer.
Seem to work for me
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
