Free admission to Lake Mead may not last

Friday, May 22, 1998 | 10:15 a.m.

A successful Fee Demonstration Program experiment, being used in selected federally owned parks around the country, may mean folks will be paying to use many of the more popular sites in the national park system in the near future.

"Lake Mead, right now, is not charging," said Jim Holland, park planner.

But it isn't because they can't or don't want to.

"The key to us is to construct an entrance station," Holland said. "Because we are so remote, it would be very expensive. We're looking at ways to reduce the cost so we can put one in."

The Lake Mead National Recreation Area is one of 100 national recreation areas chosen by the Park Service in 1997 to be eligible to take part in the three- year experiment that will expire at the end of 1999.

The Bureau of Land Management also selected 100 public use areas under its responsibility for inclusion in the project.

The Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area is one of those BLM sites that charge admission fees to offset the cost of the public's impact.

Red Rock, west of Las Vegas, has been charging $5 per vehicle since November. There are discounts for senior citizens and bicycle riders.

The park gets about 1 million visitors a year.

So far, officials said there have been few complaints about the fees.

"As long as they understand the money is being returned to the site they are willing to say it's worth the cost in terms of enhancement of services," said Jim Abbott, associate district manager of the Bureau of Land Management's Las Vegas area office.

The Spring Mountain National Recreation Area in the Toiyabe National Forest also collects fees.

A Senate Committee voted Wednesday to extend the program, now in its second of three years, to 2005 and to allow the Park Service to implement it anywhere it wants.

Money collected at the recreation sites is used for infrastructure projects and improvements.

"We could generate between $4 million and $5 million a year," Holland said.

The incentive for collecting fees is that 80 percent of the money stays with the park that collected it.

"Up until the program started there was no incentive for us to collect fees because most of the money went into the Treasury," Holland noted.

He said there are no uniform fees across the country.

"Our logic at this time tells us we would probably charge $5 per vehicle or $20 for a lifetime pass," Holland said.

There also would be a boat launch fee -- $40 a year total for the launch fee and park entrance fee.

"I've compared this with surrounding areas," Holland said. "Lake Havasu charges $65 a year (for launch and entrance fees), Lake Tahoe is $75 and California charges $150 for those privileges."

He said whatever fees are charged at the Lake Mead recreation area "they will be in line with agencies that manage reservoirs in this area."

Holland said Lake Mead gets between 8 and 10 million visitors each year, which puts a lot of strain on the facilities.

"We don't see Congress appropriating extra money to run the parks," he said. "The money has remained static for the last four or five years. Those who use the park should help offset the costs."

The Lake Mead recreation area includes 1.3 million acres of land and 160,000 acres of water.

Holland said charging entrance fees would have several benefits besides raising money.

"It would create a sense of entry and users would realize the area is managed for a different purpose than land outside the park," he said.

It also would put the public in contact with a park ranger at the entry point, where they could ask questions or the ranger could give important information to the users.

"Lastly, it may affect behavior some," Holland said. "Some people entering the park for illegal activities may be discouraged from doing so if they have to pass through an entry point."

A survey by the Park Service found that 83 percent of national park visitors said they didn't mind paying fees. A Forest Service survey found that 64 percent of national forest visitors thought the fees were fair and reasonable.