ORCA will work with Americans for Our Heritage and Recreation and the conservation community to encourage Congress and the Administration to create a permanent funding program that is environmentally sound and that maximizes the benefits for recreation. The personnel shortage has resulted in less ability for agencies to manage for recreation, including fewer rangers on the trail. ORCA will urge Congress to increase appropriations for recreation management and trails. The recreation demonstration fee program is now into its third year. The fees collected stay with the agencies, and have brought new resources for recreation to all of the public land agencies.
Agencies are in the process of evaluating the program.
Meanwhile, the Congress has extended the demonstration program by several years, and we are hearing more and more from critics of the user fee program. Some ORCA members have heard directly from their customers that they oppose the program. ORCA will urge Congress to put a finite end on the demonstration program and to involve the recreation user community in the program evaluation. In addition, ORCA will provide its retail members with a basic info sheet on the program. The Conservation and Reinvestment Act and Reinvestment and Environmental Restoration Act each contain an alternative funding mechanism to the excise tax for the Teaming with Wildlife initiative.