[Geysers] Entrance and Backcountry Fee

[Ralph Taylor]

I agree with Ben.  The cost is a real bargain—Disneyland and Disney World charge $100 per day.  It seems to me highly unlikely that the small rise in entrance fee would prevent any but the most casual potential visitor from coming, considering the cost of travel and other expenses.

 

Ralph Taylor

 

From: geysers-bounces at lists.wallawalla.edu [mailto:geysers-bounces at lists.wallawalla.edu] On Behalf Of Ben Hoppe
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2014 5:36 PM
To: geysers
Subject: [Geysers] Entrance and Backcountry Fee

 

Hi all,

 

Just wanted to take the time to thank Jake and Will for attending the public comment meeting. I'm glad to see that those who are local enough to attend these meetings are taking advantage of them, and it is great to hear that the meetings didn't seem completely bureaucratic.

 

A few of my personal takes on the matter:

 

*	Please remember that not all of the money collected by Yellowstone (or any national park) is kept at that individual park. As previously noted, 80% of entrance fee funds stay with the park while 20% help mostly in the aiding of funding for NPS sites that do not charge for entry. Of the 401 sites managed by the National Park Service, only 131 of those are Federal Fee areas. I'm not sure if you have noticed, but if you follow many of these sites on Facebook - you've probably noticed that many of them are going through the same thing. From what I've heard and understood, most (if not all) of these parks will at least be considering (and very probably) implementing fee increases. The additional 20% of entrance fees helps to fund those other sites, as well as some additional (but relatively minor) appropriations from Congress.
*	If you believe that the fee increase is making it too expensive for low-income families to visit places like Yellowstone, remember the costs it takes just to get to Yellowstone in the first place. Most families vacationing in Yellowstone are on their way somewhere else. That $50 fee for 7 days for Yellowstone and Grand Teton (that's still a heck of a price, $7 per day for access to 2 of the country's most astounding national parks!?!?) is hardly going to be worse than the hotel prices, gas prices, and food prices that they will encounter along the way.
*	For folks that are going to be traveling to multiple parks (or multiple trips to Yellowstone throughout the year), get yourself the annual $80 pass. Stop at other Federal Fee Areas along the way as well (Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, NPS) and get your money's worth. There's a heck of a lot more out there than Yellowstone. And for those of you 62 and older, the senior $10 pass is one heck of a great reward for sticking out that whole living thing for 61 years and 364 days.
*	If you think the NPS should do a better job managing their money, most parks have comment forms that you can fill out - and they DO get read. And if you think they need to get more taxpayer money without having to raise taxes - write to your representatives. Those are changes that need to be made on a much higher level than park management.
*	If you are blessed enough to have a few extra dollars to spare, and you want it to help out the parks, donate directly to NPS sites at visitor centers and park offices. 100% of donated funds stay in the park to help fund specific projects.

Just remember, if you have feedback, provide it. Communicate with your parks, whether local or far away. Communicate with your representatives (insert snarky comment here).

 

As for the shuttles - I wish they'd implement a parkwide shuttle service, at least for the loop road. Have a number of main park and ride locations (Old Faithful, Grant, Fishing Bridge, Canyon, Madison, Mammoth, Roosevelt) with sizable parking lots and allow visitors to see see the park in mass transit. It would reduce the amount of road and parking congestion, reduce the amount of fossil fuel burnoff, and if you have free information (whether in the form of a person, a recording, or written media), you can increase the amount of education (both safety and resource) that visitors get. I used the shuttle service at Rocky Mountain National Park extensively, and it was such an amazing benefit to have. The hard part about Yellowstone is that it's just so darn big.

 

Anyways, I'll get off my soapbox,

Ben Hoppe

 

 

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