BLM raising fees at Sand Mountain

Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2005 | 8:40 a.m.

FALLON, Nev. - User fees for off-road vehicles at Sand Mountain will double beginning Saturday in a move the Bureau of Land Management says is needed to maintain the recreation site and protect a rare butterfly.

"The BLM is not driven by specific profit margin objectives as are private sector businesses, but it must attempt to recover costs for which funding is no longer available through appropriated funding sources," said Don Hicks, BLM field manager in Carson City.

"We want to continue providing a clean and enjoyable recreation experience at Sand Mountain."

Under the new rates, annual passes will jump from $45 to $90. Weekly passes will cost $40, up from $20.

There are no daily permits. However, the BLM said Tuesdays and Wednesday will be free, when no passes are required.

Otherwise, a fee is required for all units entering off-highway vehicle areas and staying for longer than 30 minutes.

No fees are charged to visit the Pony Express Station area.

Sand Mountain attracts about 50,000 visitors a year. The BLM began imposing fees at the mammoth sand dune 25 miles east of Fallon in March 2003 as a way to help fund various services, from restroom cleaning and trash disposal to road grading, brochures, law enforcement and educational programs.

Last year, fees generated $170,000, while costs rose to $225,000, the agency said. This year, management costs were over $300,000.

The BLM projects expenditures will skyrocket to more than $800,000 as it implements conservation programs to protect the blue butterfly.

Those measures will include installing fences and signs to restrict off-road vehicles to areas away from butterfly habitat.

The 2.5-mile long dune was formed from the sands of ancient Lake Lahontan, which once covered most of the Great Basin. Area tourism campaigns have described the 600-foot tall mountain as an "off-road playground."

The sand dune covers 4,795 acres, about 1,000 acres of which the conservationists consider critical to the butterfly.