arc member testifies about federal recreation fees

A member of the American Recreation Coalition (ARC) board of directors testified about federal recreation fees on April 21 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Sue Bray was invited to appear at the special oversight hearing looking into the operations of the national Recreation Fee Demonstration Program.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are contemplating legislation that would follow up the fee demonstration program and continue many of its key principles.

Bray's testimony offered several recommendations to the Congress, including a six-year authorization period for fees, a new National Recreation Fees advisory board and ways to ensure local participation in fee setting.

"We perceive fees as one element in assuring members of the public that their visits to their lands will be enjoyable and safe," Bray said. "Fees, though, are not an end for us - rather a means to help achieve our goal of great experiences in the great outdoors."

The ARC will continue to support federal recreation fees as long as the fees are equitable, the fee system is efficient, the fees are convenient to the recreationist, the fee system is coherent, flexible and integrated, and the fee revenues are returned to benefit resources and facilities used by those paying the fees.

Bray said the ARC believes it is time to move forward with the demonstration program, but it can't support permanent fee legislation. Rather she suggested a six-year fee program.

"We believe that recreation fee policies of the federal agencies should be coordinated and complementary wherever possible, and a unified authority and common provisions would best accomplish this goal," Bray said.