Yellowstone National Park officials, responding to complaints that they would not accept emailed or online comments concerning their proposal for higher fees, have agreed to take comments online and have extended the comment deadline.
Park officials are proposing several changes to park entrance fees, which have remained the same since 2006. The park is proposing to offer a 3-day Yellowstone-only pass for $30. A 7-day pass good for both Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks would be available for $50. An annual pass to Yellowstone only will be $60.
Additionally, the park is proposing to institute a fee for overnight backcountry permits to help recover costs associated with operating the park’s backcountry program.
Under current legislation, 80 percent of the revenue from entrance fees is allowed to remain in the park and used on projects which benefit park visitors. Currently, visitors pay $25 for a 7-day pass for a single, non-commercial vehicle entry into both Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, with the current cost of an annual two-park pass at $50.
These proposed changes would result in additional annual revenue of approximately $3 million for Yellowstone, where officials say the money would be used to continue or enhance projects such as Yellowstone cutthroat trout restoration, maintenance for the park’s seven campgrounds, preservation maintenance on park roads, improved restroom facilities, reconstruction and rehabilitation of trails including Tower Falls, and a new North Entrance Station facility.
The proposed backcountry camping permit fee would be $3 per person (age 9 and older) per night with a maximum party limit of $15 per night for backpackers. Stock groups would be charged $5 per person per night with no maximum fee limit. The current $25 fee for trips reserved more than 48 hours in advance would remain the same.
Users would be able to purchase an Annual Backcountry Pass for $25 which would exempt that individual from the per-person per-night fee.
The public comment period has now been extended to midnight Mountain Standard Time on December 20. You can find details on the proposed fee increases, and a place to comment on them, at this webpage.
Comments may also be hand-delivered during normal business hours to the mailroom in the park’s Administration Building in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, or mailed to: Management Assistant Office, Attn: Entrance Fee Proposal, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY, 82190.
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Comments
They must not be serious because the link above isn't working for me. But I have experienced that before with the NPS. It isn't beneath them to post a dead link so folks would be locked out of commenting.
Umm... it's there. You click on "Document list", and there are the two proposals for you to comment on. You can then remove the conspiracies and serious case of magic box syndrome.
This link has not worked all morning, Gary. But since I am not an NPS employee like you, perhaps you could give us the secret "key". http://parkplanning.nps.gov/fees
The link worked just fine for me, from my home in small-town America :-)
Link works.
I logged into the comment site with no problems, made my comments, and received a "confirmation ID #". Quick and easy.
However, not everyone has access to a fast internet connection (and, yes, not everyone in America has access to the internet at all from their home), so it's good the park is also allowing comments by snail mail.
Worked for me, too. Perhaps some people just don't want it to work. Upsets their agenda.
Yeah Lee. I still can't get the link to work. They probably know what my comment will be.