Recreation Use Fees
28 February, 2003
AAC Policy on Recreation Use Fees
Should lands owned by the American public be open for public recreation without charge as a birthright of all Americans, or should public lands be self-supporting, with those who recreate on public lands held responsible for paying fees to cover the costs of their administration? This divergence of opinion has characterized the public policy debates regarding recreational use of public lands since the founding of Yellowstone National Park, the nation's first, in 1872.
The American Alpine Club believes that public lands philosophically are owned by the public and should be available for public use without fee. As Rep. Louis C. Cramton of Michigan remarked in 1926, “The American idea is not that there is going to be somebody with a collection box every time you turn around in a publicly owned enterprise.” Expenses incurred in the management of public lands should be paid primarily through tax revenues. Only those who profit financially from the use of public lands should be expected to pay for all costs associated with administration of their permit and for use of the public lands from which they profit. Those who visit public lands for private recreation and who do not accrue a direct financial benefit should not be expected to pay for the administration and maintenance of these lands.
The AAC does not object to reasonable fees that provide for the use and maintenance of developed infrastructure on public lands, such as entrance fees to National Parks, fees for the use of developed facilities, and charges for permits required for exclusive use of a particular area. The intent of the Recreational Fee Demonstration Project, initiated in 1996 through the appropriations process, seemed in line with this goal. The program allowed recreation fees to be charged at up to 100 sites within each of the federal land management agencies. Fee Demo was designed to enhance, not supplant, existing appropriations. Funds were to be dedicated primarily to reduce the maintenance backlog, though they also could be used to enhance visitor services and safety.
After more than six years of experience watching the federal agencies implement Fee Demo, the AAC has serious reservations about making the Fee Demo program permanent or instituting a permanent recreation fee program modeled on Fee Demo. Use fees have arbitrarily targeted highly visible, dispersed recreation groups—in particular, climbers and whitewater boaters—at sites where other visitor groups are not charged. There is little national consistency as to when and where fees will be charged, and in several instances, overlapping fees have been imposed. There is little correlation between fee revenue generated and the deferred maintenance needs of a given park or forest. Though Fee Demo funds were to be dedicated to enhancing current appropriations, the agencies admit becoming dependent upon the fees for recreation funding and Fee Demo fees have been “borrowed” for non-recreation uses, including fire suppression. The costs of collection have remained high in many project locations.
While the AAC believes use fees may have a limited role in funding recreation on public lands, we believe any permanent program must meet the following conditions:
The federal agencies should not be given permanent, independent fee authority without adequate Congressional oversight to ensure fairness of any recreational user fee program.
Recreational use fees should be used only to enhance existing appropriations to help address deferred maintenance or prevention/mitigation of environmental impacts. Recreation use fees should not supplant or offset appropriations, and should not be used to fund non-recreation programs.
Recreational use fees should be imposed only at developed facilities. Fees should not be imposed for merely accessing backcountry areas for primitive, unconfined recreational activities.
Recreational use fee revenues should be dedicated to the maintenance of existing facilities. Use fees should not fund construction of new facilities or turn primitive facilities into developed facilities.
Any recreational use fee program should be limited in scope and duration. A maximum number of sites per agency should be authorized, each project should have a public oversight committee, and fee authority should sunset once project goals are achieved.
Any recreation fees should be broad-based and equitable, and should not single-out distinct visitor groups to pay a fee when others using similar facilities and services are not charged a fee.
The costs of collection should never exceed 20 percent for any project.
Adopted by the AAC board of directors on February 28, 2003.