Prescott National Forest Seeks Comment on Proposed Fee Changes

Prescott National Forest is proposing to charge new and increased fees at nine managed recreation sites.

Many day-use sites, overnight campsites, and other recreational sites are currently operated without user fees in the forest. The Prescott National Forest Pass and full suite of Interagency Passes will be honored at these new Forest Service day-use sites. Holders of Interagency Senior and Access passes are entitled to a 50% discount on camping fees.

“We recognize the importance of these sites to our local communities and those who use them. These fee increases will help us keep sites at the level and quality that people have come to expect and make fees more consistent across the state,” said Dale Deiter, forestry supervisor for the Prescott National Forest. “During this public comment period, we want to hear strategies and other ideas to help reduce costs and leverage resources.”

The proposed fees by Ranger site and district are listed in the tables below.

Neighborhood Verde Ranger

Bradshaw Ranger Quarter

In 2004, Congress passed the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) which allows the Forest Service to retain funds collected from certain recreation sites and use those funds locally to operate, maintain, and improve those sites. These additional funds along with ninety-five percent of revenue from recreation fees remain on the forests to operate, maintain and improve the facilities. Increased revenue from recreation fees would help forests improve infrastructure at campsites and day-use sites and hire additional recreation staff during the operating season. The resource derived from royalty collection helps provide quality recreation opportunities that meet modern visitor expectations and create a more financially sustainable developed recreation program for the benefit of future generations.

Under the REA, all new fees and any fee changes must be proposed and approved by a Citizen Advisory Committee. Committee members represent a wide range of recreational interest groups to help ensure that the Forest Service proposes new fees and fee changes that are reasonable and acceptable to the public.

Have your say on the proposed fee changes

The public is invited to comment on proposed fee changes to the developed recreational program. The comment period is scheduled to end at the close of business on September 5, 2022. To ensure your comments are considered, please send your comments by the date above to Prescott National Forest, Attn: Julie Rowe, 344 S. Cortez St, Prescott, AZ 86303 or [email protected] You can also submit comments online at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/r3/RecFees which allows you to use a public comment mapping tool to comment on specific sites or make a general comment on fee proposals.

Oral comments must be provided in person at the Prescott National Forest at Julie Rowe during regular business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Please call 928-856-2687 to schedule an appointment and indicate that you would like to provide feedback on the proposed recreation fee changes. For more information on the proposed project, visit our website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/prescott/.

Once public input is complete, the proposed fee changes will be reviewed by a Recreation Advisory Committee, who will submit their recommendation to the Regional Forester for a final decision.

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