BLM seeking comment on campground fee increases
Organization:
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
REDDING, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments on a proposal to set or increase fees at several campgrounds and recreation sites in Shasta and Trinity counties. A business plan details the fee proposals and rationale under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA). It is available for review at https://go.usa.gov/xMd6b.
The deadline for comments is Tuesday, Nov. 2. Comments should be sent to Bureau of Land Management, Redding Field Office, 6640 Lockheed Drive, Redding, CA 96002, attention Recreation Business Plan. Comments can also be sent via email to Laura Brodhead at lbrodhead@blm.gov.
“This business plan outlines proposed fee changes, presents historical visitation and revenue information, provides a fair market value analysis, and shows the need to increase fee revenue to pay for operating costs,” said Jennifer Mata, manager of the BLM Redding Field Office. “The intent is not to maximize fee revenue, but to help protect natural resources, and provide for public access, heath and safety.”
The business plan outlines proposals to raise fees to $20 nightly at the Douglas City and Shasta campgrounds and to $15 nightly at the Junction City and Steel Bridge campgrounds. The plan proposes setting a new $15 per night fee at the Steiner Flat Campground, which has been refurbished. The fee for the Reading Island Group Campground would be raised to $90 per night and a new fee would be set at $60 per night for the Ohl Olsen Group Campground. New $6 daily fees would be set at the Douglas City and Steel Bridge day use areas, and a $2 fee would be put in place for showers at the Douglas City Campground, for those not camping there.
“Fees are a way of ensuring that those who actively use recreation facilities make a greater, but reasonable, contribution toward protecting and enhancing those developments,” Mata said. “Fees at these facilities have not been increased in decades, and we feel they are reasonable and within fair market value. We appreciate public comments on these proposals.”
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.