Among the wonders of Natural Bridges National Monument is Sipapu Bridge/Colleen Miniuk-Sperry
National Park Service officials are proposing to more than double the entrance fee for Natural Bridges National Monument, a small, fascinating, off-the-beaten-path unit of the National Park System in southern Utah.
The current fee for a single vehicle is $6, while the proposed fee is $15. If you hike or bike into the monument, it could cost you $7 to enter, more than twice the current $3 charge. Motorcyclists would see their entrance fee more than triple, from $3 to $10, under the plan that would take effect next year if approved. Camping fees, currently $10 per night, would not change.
'Revenues from entrance and camping fees are used to improve facilities, infrastructure, and visitor services,' said Natural Bridges National Monument Superintendent Jim Dougan in a press release. 'We want to keep the park as affordable as possible while ensuring the best possible experience for visitors.'
Revenues that would be raised through the higher entrance fees would be used to pay for road signs, trail work, and unspecified infrastructure improvements, the release said.
Public comment is being taken on the proposed fee increase through January 2 via mail, at Fee Increase Proposal, HC-60 Box 1, Lake Powell, Utah, 84533, or via fax at 435-692-1111. Acceptance of on-line comments was pending.
Comments
Rick, don't blame wild one for math problems. I own that one; since corrected.
Kurt - I'll just blame you for the time I just spent figuring out how to work a percentage calculator.
Thanks.
And they are accepting comments via Internet
Here's the link
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfmparkID=81&projectID=55535&docume...
Thanks for the link. I just followed it all the way through the menus to the right place, which states that there are 30 days remaining to comment. Should be enough time for anyone no matter how hard they find it to follow links.
The basic issue about entrance fees remains this: Where does the money go? Is it spent for preservation or what Edward Abbey described as Industrial Tourism? Does it go to hiring naturalists or simply fund more bureaucrats? That is what we wonder between the lines when we object to these fees. So let's take it out from between the lines and be honest for a change. We have every right to demand that the Park Service show performance for preservation. What are these so-called "unspecified infrastructure improvements?" The ghost of Edward Abbey would like to know, and so would I.
Natural Bridges would be a bargain at twice that amount.
The most wonderful thing about NBNM is its emptiness. The only other person we saw while there was the poor lady at the entrance gate. She must have been lonely - non-stop talker... It is worth $15 to have the beautiful place to yourself. It is a wonderful respite from Arches and Capitol Reef.
JThomas. All I asked is if they were accepting online comments or not. Your reaction was way over the top. I see no reason why the NPS can't accept online comments in a standardized fashion. They continually tell us that they treat each unit equally and apply NPS standards across the board. Of course, that is when it suits them.