30 Day Public Comment Period: BLM FEES

HozayKwarvo

HozayKwarvo

Forum Moderator
Joined
May 1, 2021
Messages
743
Reaction score
1,454
Here ya go, it will take some effort, in the form of written and snail mailed comments, but they are looking to increase fees again. The proposed recreation permit fees would be $55 for off-site weekly permits, $70 for on-site weekly permits, and $185 for season permits, effective Oct. 1, 2025. They make it difficult but not impossible to comment on this and we only have 30 days from today to respond.

Link to the article C&Pd HERE

EL CENTRO, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on a proposal to adjust recreation permit fees at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA) to continue to provide essential services, increase customer service, and enhance recreation opportunities and experiences for public land visitors.

Recreation permit fees are an important revenue source for Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area’s continued operation, management and maintenance.

“Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area is one of the busiest recreation areas in the state and these proposed fees will help the BLM continue to provide safe and enjoyable recreation opportunities and experiences for visitors,” said Matt Lohr, El Centro Field Manager. “The fee structure for ISDRA permits has not been adjusted to cover increasing operating and maintenance costs and reflect market conditions since 2013.”

The proposal considers increasing recreation permit fees for primary vehicles – the street-legal vehicles used for transportation to ISDRA. The need for the proposed fees were determined through fair market analysis, historical revenue, and operating costs. The proposed recreation permit fees would be $55 for off-site weekly permits, $70 for on-site weekly permits, and $185 for season permits, effective Oct. 1, 2025.

Revenue from recreation fees support off-highway vehicle grants for Emergency Medical Services, Search and Rescue, law enforcement; trash collection and removal; facilities maintenance of ranger stations; vault toilets; sand removal from access roads; camping pads; and other services. All recreation fees collected at sites are reinvested directly back into the local recreation program to expand and improve recreational opportunities as authorized by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004.

The proposed El Centro Draft Recreation Site Business Plan outlining existing and proposed recreation permit fee changes and operation and maintenance costs, is available for public comment for 30 days. Submit public comments by Nov. 25, via mail to the BLM El Centro Field Office, 1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243 or via email at BLM_CA_web_EC@blm.gov.

The Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area is one of the most popular off-highway vehicle areas in the United States, attracting the highest concentration of visitors of any BLM recreation area nationwide with more than 1.2 million visitors each year.
 
How much $urplus they have each year, no way they are ever short. I know it used to get posted before, forgot where...
 
The governmental money incinerator is always craving fuel.
 
Public comments must be submitted by Nov. 25 2024, via mail to the BLM El Centro Field Office, 1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243 or via email at BLM_CA_web_EC@blm.gov.

~3mil revenue collected each year, ~1mil contract to collect fees.

Snail mail or email them before Nov25th.

If this goes through they will be able to "adjust" the cost of the passes every 3 years without going through this process.

Apathy will cost you. Get off your asses, get informed, and get active.
 
A guy on FB wrote this:
So I read the draft of what they’re proposing and it’s bullshit. Their main point is that their Fiscal Year operating costs are exceeding the FY revenue.
FY 2020 revenue: $2,790,580
FY 2020 expenditure: $2,897,198
FY 2023 revenue: $3,054,132
FY 2023 expenditure: $3,110,000
FY 2024 (planned) revenue: 3,054,132
FY 2024 planned expense: $4,016,000
*FY 2024 is including $1,220,000 for construction costs obligated for the Cahuilla Ranger Station construction project.

The last time they increased prices was 2013. And they claim with rising inflation and cpi they are looking to increase the cost of passes from 35$ to 55$ for weekly passes offsite, and 150$ to 185$ for season permits on and offsite going into effect October 1, 2025.

3 important takeaways from the draft are
1.) Should this pass and be approved they will have an “Approved Officer” (El Centro Field Office) review and adjust price increases every three years based on if the expenditure is meeting or exceeding the revenue, meaning that by 2028 the pass prices could be increased AGAIN, and AGAIN in another 3 years. There is nothing in the draft that says what % or amount they are capped at increasing the pass price to.

2.) Public comments must be submitted by Nov. 25 2024, via mail to the BLM El Centro Field Office, 1661 S. 4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243 or via email at BLM_CA_web_EC@blm.gov. PLEASE look into this and let them know what you think.

3.) DIRECT QUOTE FROM THE DRAFT (3.6 Backround) “The greatest operating expenses are related to staff labor, for visitor services, law enforcement, and maintenance actions. The second largest operating expense is the fee collection contract at just under $1 million dollars.” They do not handle the fee (pass revenue collection) they contract it out for a whopping 1/3rd of the average annual revenue of $3,005,668.

There’s a ton more info in the draft but I think I hit the main points. I’m all for increasing the pass prices if wash 10 is going to get some extra pools and hookups setup by the oasis but I don’t think they should get an extra fucking DIME out of us until we get a COMPLETE audit of the budget detailed out down to how many shit tickets and paper towels they bought. Just because they can find a way to spend 4 million dollars a year does not mean they’re spending it efficiently and effectively to benefit the visitors or the land. I’m all for paying more if it means we get more, but I’m not too excited to pay more and get nothing out of it besides them get to spend more money.
Click to expand...
 
Ton of great information getting posted, thanks @HozayKwarvo folks have to write in or it's going to get shitty...
 
A fee increase is one thing ...which I'm opposed to. The new process to bypass traditional fee increases such as this one and simply spend and raise and spend and raise every three years is absolutely outrageous and unacceptable.
 
Yea but that snowball effect... less visitors but same costs (they'll never reduce expenditures) means more fee increases. Eventually it'll be the few who can afford it and the ones that don't buy passes and trash the place, with not enough in the middle to take care of it and actually go to cleanup events, etc.
 
BaBaBouy said:
The dunes will be awesome when the poor folks are finally priced out of going out there.
Click to expand...
Increase the number of free weekends so the poor people can still enjoy. I don’t use very many of the paid for improvements and will prefer to stay that way.
 
HozayKwarvo said:
Yea but that snowball effect... less visitors but same costs (they'll never reduce expenditures) means more fee increases. Eventually it'll be the few who can afford it and the ones that don't buy passes and trash the place, with not enough in the middle to take care of it and actually go to cleanup events, etc.
Click to expand...
What i don't like is the trash dumpsters! You brought your shit to the dunes, PACK IT THE EFF BACK TO YOUR HOUSE!!!!
 
Shitty neighborhoods have mattresses and couches left on curbs everywhere....I never understood it.

People are too lazy to dispose of their crap, who wakes up before a trip to Glamis and thinks "Hmm, my old sofa would look perfect in camp this weekend"

Boggles the mind.
 
Any public notice is nothing more than saying they have a process but no intentions of changing things. They have already decided to up the fees and WILL do it regardless of this public hearing. It's already in the 2025-2026 budget. Any published notice of public hearing is too late.
 
I'd like to know WHY my Veteran's park pass won't work in Glamis. It works everywhere else in the US. BUT...BLM and CA wrote a special clause...Glamis is "special use area" and passes don't cover that.
 
Crusty said:
Shitty neighborhoods have mattresses and couches left on curbs everywhere....I never understood it.

People are too lazy to dispose of their crap, who wakes up before a trip to Glamis and thinks "Hmm, my old sofa would look perfect in camp this weekend"

Boggles the mind.
Click to expand...
I used to get a free couch on Craigs load it up on top of the buggy and use it all week. Burn it the last night and throw out all the springs/metal. To much extra work now. But it was comfy!!
 
Crusty said:
Shitty neighborhoods have mattresses and couches left on curbs everywhere....I never understood it.

People are too lazy to dispose of their crap, who wakes up before a trip to Glamis and thinks "Hmm, my old sofa would look perfect in camp this weekend"

Boggles the mind.
Click to expand...
Camp RZR people. :)
 
Bgchlln said:
Increase the number of free weekends so the poor people can still enjoy. I don’t use very many of the paid for improvements and will prefer to stay that way.
Click to expand...
By “free” do you mean taxpayer funded?
It’s been proven time and time again that being in close proximity to poor people causes azz cancer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top