Comment period opens on fee increases

A proposed increase in camping and boat launch fees at Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area was the subject of a public meeting in Davenport October 22. Park Superintendent Dan Foster, the Chief Ranger and the Park Fee Coordinator were on hand to explain the purpose of the proposal and to receive comment from the public.

Campground and boat launch fees produce a revenue stream that does not comingle with the park system’s federal funding, Foster explained, and Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area retains all of the fees collected. By law, these fees can be used for maintenance and construction of facilities directly related to recreation, visitor information and education, and habitat restoration directly related to wildlife-dependent recreation. For example, the NPS installed badly needed floating restrooms and constructed the new overflow parking lot at the Porcupine Bay boat launch using fee revenue. They plan to utilize fee revenue to construct overflow parking and launch access improvements at the Fort Spokane boat launch.

However, the same legislation that requires fees be used to improve the visitor experience also requires that those fees be comparable to local rates. Local rates were studied by the National Park Service, and the resulting information was used as the basis for the proposed fee changes. Local campground fees were found to average $18 for sites without hook-ups and $24 for sites with hook-ups. Thus, the proposed fee for Lake Roosevelt campsites is $18, up from $10, and the group site fees would reflect a $2 per night increase. Based on the same directive, the weekly boat launch pass is proposed to go from $6 to $8 and an annual fee of $45 would replace the three-permit system in place now.

The public is encouraged to comment on the proposed changes through October 31. Comments may be mailed to Superintendent, Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, 1008 Crest Dr., Coulee Dam WA 99116; or sent via the web at http://www.nps.gov/laro/parkmgmt/proposed-fee-increase.htm or through Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/proposedfeeincrease.