[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 4, 1999)] [Notices] [Page 23857] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-11100] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [CO-034-99-1220-00] Designation Order; Notice of the Implementation of User Fees in the Gunnison Gorge in Montrose and Delta Counties, CO
Agency
Bureau of Land Management, Uncompahgre Field Office, Montrose, Colorado.
Action
Notice: Implementation of day and overnight user fees on public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management within the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness Study Area and Recreation Area.
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Summary
Notice is hereby given that day use and overnight user fees are being charged for all private and commercial users, 16 years of age and older, within the Gunnison Gorge river canyon from the downstream boundary of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument down to, but not including the Smith Fork confluence (10 miles downstream of the Chukar boater put-in). There is no charge for private walk-in fishing or camping in the river canyon below the Smith Fork. Visitors that use the jet boat, raft rental and/or guide services of the Gunnison River Pleasure Park in the four-mile section of the Gunnison River between the North Fork and Smith Fork confluences will also be charged user fees. Fees for day use are set at $3.00 per person and overnight use fees are set at $5.00 per person per day (i.e., $10 for one night camping; $15 for two nights, and $20 for three nights camping). An annual Gunnison Gorge pass for day use only is available for $15 per person. Golden Age, Golden Eagle, or Golden Access Passes or other similar entrance passes cannot be applied to user fees.
Dates
The implementation of user fees is effective immediately for the areas described above.
Supplementary Information
Fees will be collected on site via a self- issuing 3-part permit form, at the Chukar, Duncan, Bobcat, and Ute Trailheads. Visitors are instructed to fill out use information on the form, deposit their fees in the fee tube located at the trailhead and carry a copy of the fee receipt with them while in the Gorge as proof of payment. An additional copy of the fee receipt is to be left on visitors' vehicles at the trailhead. All visitors to the Gunnison Gorge are also required to sign the visitor registration sheets located at the trailheads or the Chukar put-in. Visitors who intend on camping within the river corridor must also sign-in for a designated campsite on the registration sheet, following the directions for boater or walk-in sites provided at the trailhead or in the user brochure. Visitors under the age of 16 years are exempt from paying fees, but must be signed-in on the register. Commercial guides are exempt from paying user fees only when they are on official duty with their respective companies in the Gorge. Golden Eagle, Age, and Access Passports apply only to entrance fees at designated areas and cannot be used to cover user or impact fees such as those imposed in the Gorge. National passes or other similar recreation discount cards are also not accepted for payment of user fees. The Gunnison Gorge Annual Day Use Pass applies only to day use and cannot be applied towards overnight user fees. Noncompliance with fee regulations, registration requirements, and/or other user regulations of the Gunnison Gorge may result in fines up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment up to 12 months and possibly, additional civil action. Additional Information: In 1996, to address increasing visitor use and impacts on the public lands and declining federal budgets for recreation, Congress directed the U.S. Department of the Interior to implement the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program for three of its agencies, the BLM, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The intent of the program is to help spread some of the costs for managing these lands among those who use them. The Gunnison Gorge is one of the original BLM fee demonstration pilot sites. The site was specifically chosen to test BLM's ability to collect fees and user acceptance of fees in a remote, high intensity use area. All of the fees collected in the Gorge are returned to the Uncompahgre Field Office for use in managing the area. In 1997-98, the BLM conducted public meetings and formed a Fee Work Group composed of private and commercial interests and members of the BLM's Southwest Resource Advisory Council (RAC). The Work Group developed the schedule of fees that would be charged in the Gunnison Gorge and set funding priorities for spending the fees.
Authorities: The Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriation Act of 1996 (PL 104-134, Sec. 315) provides the authority for BLM to carry out the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program by charging and collecting fees in Pilot Fee Sites. Under this authority, the agency ``may assess a fine of not more than $100 for any violations of the authority to collect fees for admission to the area or for the use of outdoor recreation sites, facilities, visitor centers, equipment, and services.'' Additional authorities for collecting user fees, implementing special regulations for visitor conduct, and imposing fines for noncompliance with regulations include the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, P.L.-94-579 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, P.L. 88-578 (16 U.S.C. 460 (1-6a) et seq.), and Title 43 CFR, Subpart 8372.
Dated: April 28, 1999 Karen S. Tucker, Acting Uncompahgre Field Office Manager. [FR Doc. 99-11100 Filed 5-3-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-JB-M