DeFazio wants Interior to rethink Crater Lake
fee hike
Mail Tribune
Medford, Oregon
January 3, 2007
By PAUL FATTIG
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio is urging the Department of the Interior
to reconsider a proposed $10 entrance fee increase at Crater
Lake National Park.
In a letter sent
Tuesday to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, DeFazio, a
Springfield Democrat, said he was opposed to the proposal, which
would double the Crater Lake fee for motor vehicles to $20.
The National Park Service, which is part of the
Interior, announced last month that it was considering fee
increases throughout its system as the result of Federal Lands
Recreation Enhancement Act approved by Congress late in 2005.
The law allows the agency to collect entrance fees and "expanded
amenity fees" for services, facilities or equipment and use the
funds for projects that directly benefit visitors.
A 90-day comment period on the proposal began
Monday and continues through March 31. If approved, the
increases would begin in January 2008.
"It doesn't make sense to increase the park
fees while national parks are struggling to attract visitors,"
DeFazio said in a prepared statement. "I am concerned that the
increase in fees at Crater Lake will discourage regular visits
by Oregon families.
"I agree that the
national park system is in need of additional funding, but
raising fees for park visitors will only drive visitors away,"
he added. "Instead, the Department of the Interior should raise
the money it needs to improve the park system by collecting the
royalties that oil companies owe the United States."
DeFazio also observed that Crater Lake has been
bucking the trend of declining national park visitation.
"Park officials attribute the steady visitation
at Crater Lake to regular return visits by Oregonians," he
wrote. "I am concerned that the doubling of fees will deter
regular trips by Oregon families and Crater Lake will join the
parade of national parks experiencing declining visitations."
Although no park officials were available Tuesday
because of the federal day of mourning for the late President
Gerald Ford, park superintendent Chuck Lundy said when the
proposal was announced in mid-December that increased fees would
provide additional funding for projects and help improve visitor
facilities and services throughout the park. Eighty percent of
the entrance fees Crater Lake visitors pay are used at the park,
he said.
Although the proposal would
double all entrance fees, including the annual pass from $20 to
$40, children under 16 years old would still be allowed in the
park at no charge. The $10-per-night camping fee at Lost Creek
campground and commercial tour rates also would remain the same.
To comment on the proposal, visit the park's Web
site at www.nps.gov/crla or send a letter to Superintendent,
Crater Lake National Park, P.O. Box 7, Crater Lake, OR 97604.
Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail
him at pfattig@mailtribune.com.
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