GREEN RIVER - Recreating in "America the Beautiful" will cost more next year for people who buy annual passes for recreation areas on public lands, federal officials said.

The Department of the Interior this week introduced its new "America the Beautiful: National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass" for those federal recreation locations that have an entrance or standard amenity fee.

Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett said the new interagency pass will cost $80 beginning Jan. 1.

Scarlett said the pass will provide a cost-effective and easy option for people who visit multiple federal recreation sites such as the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area in southwest Wyoming, where a $20 annual user fee for residents has been in effect for a decade.

"The family vacation to these destinations is an American tradition (and) visitors can now travel (from site to site) without getting a different pass," Scarlett said. "A sightseer in Utah, for instance, can view the majestic rock formations of Bryce and Zion National Parks and then explore the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area … using only one pass."

Officials said access to most federal public lands continues to remain free.

But critics of the fee hike, including Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., questioned the high cost of the pass. "An $80 fee is certainly higher than what folks should have to pay to recreate on federal lands," Thomas said.

Thomas, the outgoing Senate Parks Subcommittee chairman, said he opposed expanding the recreation fee beyond the national parks to other federal land management agencies, which will result in higher fees with no guarantee of improving the impacted recreation sites.

"If there's a budget problem in our land management agencies, let's get to the root of it, address it head-on, and not put budget shortfalls on the back of recreational visitors," said Thomas.

Improvements

Congress instituted the parks-only recreation fee demonstration program in 1997 to raise money for infrastructure improvements not funded through traditional means. Since its inception, the program has collected more than $700 million nationally.

The Flaming Gorge NRA in southwest Wyoming was one of 47 sites selected by Congress in 1997 to implement a three-year user fee demonstration program. Congress has extended the pilot program five times since it began. The new pass was authorized by Congress in 2004 in a last-minute rider to an omnibus appropriations bill.

Federal officials said the pass combines the benefits of existing recreation passes - including the Golden Eagle, Golden Age, Golden Access Passports and National Parks Pass - from five federal agencies into one comprehensive pass.

"The interagency pass is a great New Year's gift both to the public lands and their visitors," said Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey. "Annual interagency pass revenue will benefit public lands by providing funds for maintenance, new visitor services and programs."

Rey said the 100 percent of the revenue derived from passes sold at federal recreation sites will directly benefit the selling agency. He said no less than 80 percent of the revenue will remain at the site where the pass was sold.

He noted several Wyoming projects funded with fee revenues, including the rehabilitation of the Yellowstone National Park Canyon Visitor Center and the construction of an accessible boardwalk at Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest.

To date, more than $1.5 million has been collected in user fees at the 91-mile long Flaming Gorge Reservoir and recreation area located south of Green River, according to district officials.

The money has paid for improvements on 11 boat ramps, three visitor centers and 60 restroom facilities.

Federal officials called the new pass a bargain when compared to Parks Canada, which offers a family/group pass for around $140.

But Thomas cited a recent University of Wyoming study, which showed the public had very little tolerance for a pass priced above $70.

Following a competitive process, the land agencies contracted with the university's Survey and Analysis Center in May 2005 to collect and analyze data to assist in providing a basis for making a decision on the price of a pass. The study looked at the potential revenue implications of different price levels.

The new pass covers recreation opportunities on public lands managed by four Department of the Interior agencies - including the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation - and by the Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service.

Officials said the new card replaces the four current passes, which will remain valid until expired or lost.

Southwest Wyoming Bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.