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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 7 (Monday, January 13, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2740-2741]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00507]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[PO #4820000251]

New Recreation Fee Areas and New Fees for Existing Individual 
Special Recreation Permits for On-River Camping in the Gunnison River 
Special Recreation Management Area Within the Dominguez-Escalante 
National Conservation Area, Colorado

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to establish fees.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act 
(FLREA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Grand Junction Field 
Office (GJFO), Upper Colorado River District, and the Uncompahgre Field 
Office (UFO), Southwest District, intend to establish recreation fee 
areas at existing developed campgrounds, future developed campgrounds 
and campsites, and for designated campsites within the Gunnison River 
Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) in the Dominguez-Escalante 
National Conservation Area (D-E NCA) as managed by the field offices as 
one NCA unit in Delta, Mesa, and Montrose Counties.

DATES: The new fees will take effect on July 14, 2025 unless the BLM 
publishes a Federal Register notice to the contrary.

ADDRESSES: Documents concerning this fee change may be reviewed at the 
Grand Junction Field Office, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO 81506; 
phone: (970) 244-3000; and online at: https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-fees/business-plans.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Zack Kelley, acting National 
Conservation Area Manager, or Erin Jones, Deputy District Manager, with 
the Upper Colorado River District, both at the Grand Junction Field 
Office, telephone: (970) 244-3000. Individuals in the United States who 
are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may 
dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services for contacting the BLM. Individuals outside the United States 
should use the relay services offered within their country to make 
international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Consistent with the FLREA, the intent of 
recreation fees is to help protect natural resources, provide for 
public health and safety, and facilitate access to public lands and 
related waters, and not to maximize fee revenue. Fees are a way of 
ensuring that those who actively use recreation opportunities make a 
greater, but reasonable, contribution toward protecting and enhancing 
those opportunities than those who do not utilize recreational 
opportunities.
    FLREA directs the Secretary of the Interior to publish a 6-month 
advance notice in the Federal Register whenever new recreation fee 
areas are established. In accordance with BLM policy, the business plan 
for the D-E NCA explains the fee collection process and how fees will 
be used at these sites.
    The BLM will establish new expanded amenity recreation fees at the 
existing Big Dominguez and Potholes campgrounds. The BLM will establish 
future expanded amenity fee collection for future designated campsites 
(approximately 70) throughout the D-E NCA as expanded amenities are 
developed and campsites are designated to meet public need and to 
provide for resource protection.
    The expanded amenity fee for developed campsites is $20 per night 
per site (up to two vehicles included and no more than five 
participants per vehicle). For larger capacity sites, as identified at 
the campground by the BLM, each additional vehicle beyond the first two 
vehicles will be $10 each. A vehicle is defined as legal transportation 
used to access the site (e.g., car, truck, motorcycle, van, or other 
wheeled conveyance). Participants includes non-human participants 
(e.g., dogs, horses, alpacas, etc.).
    Because the entirety of the D-E NCA meets the definition of a 
Special Area, the BLM may also establish Individual Special Recreation 
Permits (ISRP) and associated fees to be paid by visitors participating 
in activities requiring special management. Consistent with this 
authority, this notice also provides the required notification to apply 
a fee structure to the ISRP established for the Gunnison River SRMA for 
on-river camping. The BLM may also establish an ISRP fee for additional 
areas where the Authorized Officer, in the future, determines 
recreation requires special management through an ISRP. Notification of 
future ISRP fees for any additional areas within the D-E NCA will be 
published in the Federal Register. Day-use areas and areas where 
dispersed/undeveloped camping is permitted will remain available 
throughout D-E NCA without a reservation or a fee.
    The ISRP fee is $20 per night per site for small groups (1 to 5 
participants), $50 per night per site for medium groups (6 to 14 
participants), and $100

[[Page 2741]]

per night per site for large groups (15 to 25 participants). 
Participants includes non-human participants (e.g., dogs, horses, 
alpacas, etc.).
    To stay current with rising management and maintenance costs, the 
BLM will utilize the Western U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) to 
determine future fee adjustments. The Western U.S. CPI is published 
online monthly at: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/regional-resources.htm. A 
yearly average of the CPI is published every January. Every year after 
fee implementation begins, the BLM will use the yearly CPI to determine 
if fees need to be increased. When the CPI rises by 20 percent, the 
fees may be increased the corresponding amount, rounded up to the 
nearest whole dollar. This measure will result in a sustainable and 
consistent funding source that will increase assurances for users that 
the program could continue to provide regular maintenance and necessary 
capital improvements into the future. The BLM will update the BLM 
Northwest and Southwest Resource Advisory Councils (RACs) after each 
fee increase (approximately every 4 to 5 years) on successes and 
challenges in using the Western U.S. CPI.
    People holding an America the Beautiful Pass--The National Parks 
and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass or Access Pass, or a Golden 
Age or Golden Access Passport, will be entitled to a 50 percent fee 
reduction on expanded amenity fees. Discounts and fee-free days do not 
apply to ISRP fees.
    The BLM is establishing these recreation fees in response to 
increasing recreation demands and resource protection requirements in 
the D-E NCA. Recreation fees are needed to: maintain visitor facilities 
and visitor services; replace aging infrastructure; reduce impacts to 
resources; improve visitor health and safety; and provide sustainable 
recreational opportunities. The business plan explains: (1) consistency 
with the BLM recreation fee program policy; (2) the recreation 
management direction for the D-E NCA; (3) the need for fee collection; 
(4) how the fees will be used in the area; (5) coordination with RACs; 
and (6) guidance on future fee increases. As analyzed in the business 
plan, the recreation use fees are consistent with other nearby Federal 
land management agency fees and are lower than the fees charged at 
privately owned campgrounds. The business plan is available at https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-fees/business-plans.
    A public comment period on the draft business plan, announced by a 
news release, ran from August 26, 2024, to September 25, 2024. BLM 
Northwest and Southwest RACs met March 30, 2023, at a combined RAC 
meeting where they discussed fee proposals. The RACs recommended the 
fee proposal for approval in a joint meeting on May 2, 2024, using the 
Western U.S. CPI to determine future fee increases.

(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 6803(b) and 43 CFR 2933)

Douglas Vilsack,
BLM Colorado State Director.
[FR Doc. 2025-00507 Filed 1-10-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-16-P
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