PUBLIC LANDS: Lack of BLM fees creates 'overuse, human waste' concerns -- IG
Scott Streater, E&E reporter
Greenwire: Wednesday, February 25, 2015
The Bureau of Land Management could raise needed revenue and better protect natural resources and public health by adding amenities and charging fees at a number of recreation sites in Arizona, Colorado and Nevada, according to a new report from the Interior Office of Inspector General.
The audit released yesterday found that by not charging day-use and camping fees at sites in the three states, BLM has promoted heavy use that has sparked environmental and public health issues at the areas, some of which contain sensitive wildlife habitat and cultural resources, including ancient petroglyphs.
"BLM staff told us that visitors have inundated recreational areas, including environmentally sensitive areas, on their public lands," the report said. "Visitors camp and drive off-highway vehicles on sensitive desert terrain and among cultural resources such as petroglyphs and other artifacts."
At five "heavily used, non-fee camping sites in the popular winter camping area" around Quartzsite, Ariz., for example, IG officials "found that overuse, human waste, and large piles of trash were creating health and safety issues. During our site visit, we were warned about human waste and advised to watch our step around campsites and in seasonal rainwater wash areas."
BLM staff in Yuma, Ariz., told IG officials at one campsite that charging campers a $40 fee for a two-week stay "would be 'a huge potential source of revenue and a better way to protect the desert.'"
BLM, according to the report, does not charge fees for day use or camping at these sites because they are so-called dispersed lands that do not contain facilities such as restrooms or picnic tables. The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) requires that if standard amenity fees are charged at a BLM site, it must have things like designated parking, restroom facilities and trash cans.
For BLM to charge expanded fees for overnight camping, the sites must have additional amenities such as drinking water, tent or trailer spaces, and "reasonable visitor protection," the report said.
BLM could add these amenities at minimal costs that could be covered by charging fees at these sites, according to the report. It noted that fees charged for use at 331 sites in fiscal 2012 generated more than $6 million.
The IG sent the report last week to BLM Director Neil Kornze.
Asked for comment, a BLM spokesman referred to the formal response to the draft report that Kornze wrote in December and submitted to Kimberly Elmore, the assistant inspector general for audit, inspections and evaluations.
Kornze wrote that BLM "generally agrees with the findings and concurs with the recommendations." But he also noted that "in certain circumstances, the bureau may have compelling reasons to not charge fees, including to encourage visitor use and to preserve maximum access to the public. The benefits of fees identified in the report must be considered along with the BLM's goals for public access and visitor use."
He also wrote that BLM is set to issue a revised "Recreation Permit Administration Handbook" that he said will address some of the IG's recommendations.
The IG recommended that BLM pay "through fees or other means" to provide the basic amenities at these sites "to protect the public's health and safety." The report also recommended that BLM direct its field offices "to periodically analyze their recreational lands to determine where it would be feasible and beneficial to charge fees," and to "develop and implement a plan to convert these identified sites to fee collection sites."
It also found that at "long-term visitor areas" where some fees are charged, they do not reflect current market value, and as a result, "BLM has been missing opportunities to collect significant revenue for recreation activities." The report recommended that BLM increase fees at these sites.
It also noted a number of other problem areas in Nevada and Colorado.
At a non-fee BLM campsite in the Gunnison Field Office in southern Colorado, "campers used to set up campsites all over the campground," until "human waste and riparian damage reached unacceptable levels." BLM staff were forced to set up "vehicle barriers" at the site to close off certain areas, the report said.
"Regular use by squatters who work in nearby towns is also a continuing problem," the report noted.
BLM already has most of the amenities at the site, such as a restroom and picnic tables that would allow it to charge a fee, and the agency has drafted what the IG report calls "a business plan to implement a fee."
At the Logandale Trails in southern Nevada, the site also contains most of the amenities needed to charge an expanded fee, though "some of its amenities would require repair or improvement first," the report said, noting that "two vault toilets at the site are sinking and will be unusable within 5 years."
A $10 camping fee would generate an estimated $67,000 per year, which could be used to keep the site in good working order for visitors, the report said.
"One BLM staff member nominated this site for the Leave No Trace program because of the impact heavy use has had on the area's cultural and natural resources," the report said. "Staff said that the fees would help them restore vegetation, put in a fence, designate trails, and offset law enforcement costs."
