Questions and Answers
Federal Lands Recreation
Enhancement Act (FLREA)
.
Questions on the new Act
Q1. Will there
be more fee sites with this new law?
A1. Some sites that currently charge a fee will not
continue to charge a fee if they do not meet criteria under the new law. New fee areas may be proposed by must be
reviewed by Recreation Resource Advisory Committees (RACs) prior
to any new fees. No new fee areas will
be added until the Recreation RACs are established.
Q2. Why is the Recreation Fee program changing?
A2. The previous Recreation Fee Demonstration
program enacted by Congress in 1996 was scheduled to expire on
The 10-year Federal Lands
Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) is part of the 2005 Omnibus Appropriations
Bill, signed by President Bush on
Q3. How will the program change?
A3. The new Act provides for a nationally
consistent interagency program, more on-the-ground improvements at recreation
sites across the nation, enhanced visitor services, a new national pass for use
across interagency federal recreation sites and services, and more public
involvement in the program.
Q4. What is the difference between the current
national passes and the new
A4. As the
Recreation Fee Demonstration program developed since its inception in 1996,
several different types of national passes were created over time to meet
visitor needs. Varying fee costs and
uses resulted. The new
Program Transition Questions
Q5. How does the new legislation impact
implementation of the Recreation Fee Blueprint developed last year? What is the timeline for program changes?
A5. The national blueprint offered the first
agency-wide plan for standardizing the criteria to charge recreation fees. In addition to applying the lessons learned
since Fee Demo began, the Blueprint was based on interagency goals. The primary goal remains the same: to provide
a quality recreation program for enhanced visitor facilities and services. As policy is developed based on the new Act,
any new guidelines will be issued to field offices by early Spring.
Q6. When will the public see changes?
A6. No large
scale changes are anticipated to the existing fee programs. Where fee program are determined not to meet
the intent of the legislation, changes will be made. During the transition period from the old to
the new program, fee levels will remain the same, new fee areas will not be
created and existing fees areas will not be expanded.
Q7. How will the public be notified of program
changes?
A7. Press releases, public notices and postings
on both the national website at www.fs.fed.us/passespermits
and individual forest websites will be used to keep the public informed of any
program changes.
Q8. How will the legislation affect current
pass/permit options such as Golden Passports, site specific and regional
passes?
A8. All current passes will continue to be
honored until they expire. Until the new
General Fee Program Questions
Q9. How will fee receipts be used?
A9. The
majority of fee revenues (at least 80% by law) , are
retained at the site of collection to be used to enhance the sites and services
for which fees are charged, thus enriching these local programs for more
visitor enjoyment. The Forest Service
manages a spectrum of funding sources to fulfill the recreation management
mission. By far, the largest category
includes Congressional appropriations.
In addition, volunteer assistance, partnerships with non-profit
organizations and other non-governmental organizations, contracts, funding from
other federal and state agencies or governments, and the private sector where
appropriate are also part of the funding plan.
Recreation fees are a small
part of this mix. Without recreation
fees, the Forest Service would lose a vital avenue to work with many partners
to provide the best possible services to the public.
Q10. Will fees increase?
A10. During the transition period from the old to
the new program, fee levels will remain the same, new fee areas will not be
created and existing fees areas will not be expanded. The Act calls for the establishment of
Recreation Resource Advisory Councils to give communities additional opportunities
to provide input on recreation fees and fee sites. Once the agencies have developed program
policy based on the new Act, new guidelines will address this topic.
Q11. Will there be more fee sites with this new law?
A11. Some sites that currently charge will not
continue if they do not meet criteria under the new law. New fee areas may be proposed but must be
reviewed by Recreation Resource Advisory Committees (RACs)
prior to any new fees being enacted. No
new fees areas will be added until RACs are
established.
Q12. The number of visitors to federal lands continues
to grow. How will the Recreation
Enhancement program help the
A12. Recreation on public lands has increased and
grown more popular over the years. The
Forest Service estimates that more than 211 million annual visits occur on
national forests each year. More and
more people are recreating on their national forests, and more people are
moving to areas where they are within one to two hours of a national
forest. This increase in visitation
means an increase in visitor demand for adequate visitor facilities and
services. An increase in visitor use on
national forests also creates a greater need to expend funds to protect natural
and cultural resources, the resources that are often the very reason visitors
are drawn to a particular site.
Yet, funding levels have
remained fairly constant while staff size has actually decreased in some
areas. Many recreation sites and
services will continue to be fee free as they have in the past. Recreation fees provide a crucial source of
funding revenues to maintain and enhance visitor experiences. Under the Fee Demonstration program, forests
were permitted to charge modest recreation fees for those sites and services
that met specified criteria. Under the
new Act, forests will continue to meet specified criteria to charge a fee at
recreation sites and areas.
The Act benefits visitors to federal
public lands by:
·
Providing a
consistent, interagency fee program that reduces confusion over differing
national fee programs and passes;
·
Providing more
opportunities for public involvement in determining recreation fee sites and
fees;
·
Providing focused
criteria and limits on areas and sites in which recreation fees can be charged;
·
Providing a
revenue source to enhance visitor services and reducing the backlog of
maintenance needs for recreation facilities;
·
Providing more
opportunities for cooperation with gateway communities through fee management
agreements for visitor and recreation services, emergency medical services and
law enforcement services.
Q13. How can the public find out where fee sites are
located?
A13.
Q14. How will the public know if they have to pay a
fee for a particular site or service?
A14. Fee sites and services will continue to be
noted by signage, public notices and on forest websites.
Q15. What
impacts will the legislation have on special use permits for outfitting and
guiding permits?
A15. Fees that are currently being paid by outfitter
and guide permit holders will now be retained at the local level to address
permit administration and improve facilities and services used by outfitters
and guides. The visiting public will not
see new recreation fees as a result of outfitter and guide fee retention
authorized under the new Act.
Q16. How will revenues from the national pass be
distributed?
A16. This is yet to be determined.
Background Questions
Q17. What is the Recreation Fee Program?
A17. More and more people recreate on our national
forests and grasslands every year yet funding does not keep pace with the existing
need. Meeting the increasing needs of these
visitors, delivering quality recreation, heritage and wilderness opportunities
and protecting our natural resources has become very difficult. Many facilities
are in dire need of repair.
The Recreation Fee Demonstration Program was
authorized by Congress in 1996 as one tool to bridge the funding gap between
visitor needs and expectations and static budgets. Authority was given to the
Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. The intent of the Fee Demo program was to test the
application of recreation use fees that are reinvested in recreation areas on
federal lands and used to maintain and improve natural resources, recreation
facilities and services.
Q18. Why are
fees charged? Why don’t federal taxes
cover the costs?
A18. Only
a very small percentage of each tax dollar goes toward maintenance of
campgrounds, trails and other federal recreation facilities. Appropriated
dollars cover only a part of the total need.
Maintenance of facilities depends on volunteers, partnerships,
concessionaires, and others to help make up the funding shortfall.
As recreation use continues to increase, the
impacts from visitors require additional work to maintain recreation facilities
and natural resources. Use by foot, horseback, motorized vehicles, water
rafting, or climbing creates some impact or damage to facilities or to the
land. Those who recreate in national forests carry a responsibility to assist
in the upkeep.
Q19. Why charge for something that was once free?
A19. The National
Forests are public land. The National Forest’s trails and recreation programs
have never been "free.” Their care
has been subsidized by tax dollars. One intention of the Recreation Fee Program
is to shift some of the cost of benefits and services to those who directly use
them. The cost of a daily pass for recreation in the national forest is less
than what most people would pay for a day or an evening’s entertainment
elsewhere.
Q20. Are fees for recreation activities on federal
lands new?
A20. Fees have been in
place on public lands for many years under the Land and Water Conservation Fund
Act and other authorities. Under these authorities, land management agencies
have charged for many recreational activities including entrance to National
Parks, National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Recreation Areas,
and National Wildlife Refuges as well as for facilities and services, such as
camping, swimming, parking, boat launches and tours. In the past most of these fees have gone
directly to the Federal Treasury. Under this new Act, the majority of revenue collected
will stay on site.
Q21. Why is the Forest Service charging public
recreation fees while subsidizing timber, grazing and mining on public lands?
A21. All commercial
operations on National Forests are charged a fee. If those operations cause
more than normal wear and tear, the operators are required to pay for repairs.
Funds collected for these purposes, and funding authorized by Congress, cannot
be used for recreation maintenance. Congress authorized the Federal Lands
Recreation Enhancement Act to help answer the growing need for additional
financial resources to maintain and improve recreational facilities and
services on federal lands.
Q22. Will the Recreation Enhancement Act close the
gap between tax dollars and the cost of providing services?
A22. By
itself, no. The Act is one critical tool. However, combined with grants, partners, and
youth programs it does make a difference.