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BLMBureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management is under the Department of Interior. They are the nation's biggest landlord, with stewardship responsibility over 250 million acres of federal public land in the western U.S. BLM's Monticello Utah office is proposing to drastically increase fees for river trip permits on the San Juan River from Bluff to Clay Hills. One of the last remaining family-friendly rivers would become unaffordable for many families. The "business plan" is posted HERE. The comment submitted on behalf of WSNFC is posted HERE. A parking and entrance fee is moving ahead for California's San Joaquin River Gorge. The public participation for this fee proposal has been conducted completely backward. FIRST the BLM got their approval, THEN they asked for public comment. Information HERE. Access to the Coyote Buttes area of the Paria-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness, home of the much-photographed rock formation called "The Wave" is being operated as a lottery by the BLM's Kanab, Utah office. They are offering worse odds than a casino, but raking in thousands of dollars in non-refundable processing fees from people who never do get a permit. Read a first-hand report HERE.An increase in day use fees at the upper Colorado River access points of Pumphouse and Radium is being proposed. These fees are already suspect because they are enforced as a parking fee, which BLM is prohibited from charging. Call for comments went out on October 25, 2010. News article HERE. - In Colorado, the BLM wants to more than double camping fees for the popular climbing campgrounds at Shelf Road and Penitente Canyon. Details HERE.
Agency-appointed advisory committees nationwide are reviewing Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management proposals for new and increased fees. Find out what has been approved, what's on the next agenda, and how you can participate. You might be able to stop a new fee or fee increase from coming to your local public lands! Click HERE for more info. BLM has issued Guidelines to local managers that instruct them how to sidestep the tighter restrictions in current law against where fees can be charged compared to Fee Demo. The BLM's internal Cover Memo and Guidelines have much in common with the Forest Service Implementation Guidelines, which are analyzed here. All BLM internal documents about recreation fees that have been obtained by the WSNFC can be read here.
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