BLM raising fees at Sand Mountain

[Winston Cup]

September 28, 2005
BLM raising fees at Sand Mountain


ASSOCIATED PRESS


FALLON, Nev. - User fees for off-road vehicles at Sand Mountain will double beginning Saturday in a move the Bureau of Land Management says is needed to maintain the recreation site and protect a rare butterfly.

"The BLM is not driven by specific profit margin objectives as are private sector businesses, but it must attempt to recover costs for which funding is no longer available through appropriated funding sources," said Don Hicks, BLM field manager in Carson City.

"We want to continue providing a clean and enjoyable recreation experience at Sand Mountain."

Under the new rates, annual passes will jump from $45 to $90. Weekly passes will cost $40, up from $20.

There are no daily permits. However, the BLM said Tuesdays and Wednesday will be free, when no passes are required.

Otherwise, a fee is required for all units entering off-highway vehicle areas and staying for longer than 30 minutes.

No fees are charged to visit the Pony Express Station area.

Sand Mountain attracts about 50,000 visitors a year. The BLM began imposing fees at the mammoth sand dune 25 miles east of Fallon in March 2003 as a way to help fund various services, from restroom cleaning and trash disposal to road grading, brochures, law enforcement and educational programs.

Last year, fees generated $170,000, while costs rose to $225,000, the agency said. This year, management costs were over $300,000.

The BLM projects expenditures will skyrocket to more than $800,000 as it implements conservation programs to protect the blue butterfly.

Those measures will include installing fences and signs to restrict off-road vehicles to areas away from butterfly habitat.

The 2.5-mile long dune was formed from the sands of ancient Lake Lahontan, which once covered most of the Great Basin. Area tourism campaigns have described the 600-foot tall mountain as an "off-road playground."

The sand dune covers 4,795 acres, about 1,000 acres of which the conservationists consider critical to the butterfly.

All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.

[Sand Commander]

Now that the fee system is imposed on Sand Mountain, do they have a TRT or other oversight committee to give them some input on how the money will be spent and insure it is spend wisely?

[NOSJunkie]

Now that the fee system is imposed on Sand Mountain, do they have a TRT or other oversight committee to give them some input on how the money will be spent and insure it is spend wisely?

Not that I am aware of..

$90 for a pass, for an area that is approx. 4000 or less acres after you count the closed areas.

Brings in 8500 people on the busiest weekend.

BLM at their finest..