Years of inflation and budget shortfalls have resulted in the postponement of over four billion dollars worth of needed building, road and trail maintenance, and other crucial projects at national parks and monuments throughout the United States. Even though visitation to National Park Service sites has increased substantially, many visitor services have been reduced and even eliminated. Even though your favorite national park or monument looks on the surface the way it did a decade ago, there are significant problems behind the scenes. Without a National Fee Demonstration Program, problems resulting from inadequate funding will continue to get worse.
How have these budget shortfalls come about?
Federal funding for parks out of the general tax base has not kept pace with demand. As
the nation faces the challenge of balancing the budget, funding through the traditional
appropriations process is unlikely to increase. The operation and management of national
parks requires a major financial investment. While most of that investment comes from the
general tax base, park visitors derive a greater benefit from and place a greater burden
on the areas they visit than the public at large. The new fee program redistributes that
burden so that park users pay an increased share of the costs.
Who authorized this new fee program?
With broad bipartisan support, Congress passed the 1996 Interior Appropriations Act,
legislation which authorized a three-year experimental Recreation Fee Demonstration
Program. Congress directed the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U. S.
Forest Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service to institute new or increased fees at
certain sites. Most of the fees collected will be earmarked for deferred maintenance
projects and improved visitor services at the sites where fees are collected. Fee rates at
each site are approved by the appropriate federal agency and are based upon fair market
valuation and cost recovery.
How will the collected fee moneys be spent?
Normally, most fees collected at National Park Service sites are returned to
the U.S. Treasury. Under the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, 80% of the
revenue is spent at the collecting park. Parks may use this money for the backlog
of repair and maintenance projects, visitor services, signs, facility improvements,
resource preservation, interpretation, and visitor safety. The remaining 20%
will be used to fund priority maintenance and visitor service projects throughout
the National Park system. These special fee moneys carry into succeeding years.
In one three-year period, Isle Royale National Park directly benefited from
approximately $500,000 in user fees. These funds went primarily toward dock
repair or replacement and trail maintenance on the island. User fees collected
at Isle Royale each year become available for project funding in the next year.
Why is Isle Royale National Park collecting a user fee?
Isle Royale is one of approximately 100 National Park Service sites nationwide
selected to participate in this new fee demonstration program. The park’s
user fee is needed to address funding shortages which have accumulated for some
time. Without this new revenue, park infrastructure, visitor services, and resource
protection will continue to deteriorate. For example, lack of appropriated funds
have already resulted in:
All units of the National Park system are legally bound to preserve and protect their resources and to provide for appropriate visitor use. The mandate can be summed up in a passage from the 1916 Organic Act, which created the National Park System:
...to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wildlife…and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.
Revenues from the fee demonstration program will not solve all of the fiscal challenges facing Isle Royale, but the additional funds will make significant improvements possible.
Will the Federal Recreation Passport Program reduce or waive the
User Fee?
The National Parks Pass, Golden Eagle, Golden Age, and Golden Access Passports
do not provide a discount or fee waiver. The remoteness of Isle Royale and the
seasonal nature of its operation makes the park more expensive to operate and
maintain than most mainland parks. In addition, only about 18,000 people a year
visit the park. With so few visitors, all park users need to pay equally for
their use of the park for the new program to succeed.
How can I obtain an Individual Season Pass or Season Boat
Rider Pass?
The optional season passes can be purchased in person at the Houghton, Rock
Harbor, or Windigo Visitor Centers, and at the USFS Gunflint Ranger District
in Grand Marais, Minnesota. Passes may also be purchased by calling the park’s
Houghton office at (906) 482-0984, faxing to (906) 482-8753, or by writing:
Isle Royale National Park, 800 East Lakeshore Drive, Houghton, MI 49931. VISA,
MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted. When requesting the
Individual Season Pass, please include the recipient’s full name, address,
and telephone number. When requesting the Season Boat Rider Pass, please include
the owner’s name, address, telephone number, boat registration number,
length, make, color, type of craft, and the name of the boat, if applicable.
How will the daily user fee be collected if I don’t
want to buy one of the optional passes?
Visitors taking a ferry or the seaplane to the park: these visitors will pay
the daily user fee through the transportation concessionaire. Ask when making
your transportation arrangements about how and when to pay your user fee.
Visitors navigating their boats to the island: private boaters who do not choose one of the two optional passes can pay the daily user fee at either Windigo or Rock Harbor Visitor Centers. Boaters without a Season Boat Rider Pass or Individual Season Passes for all members on board may also pay the required fees and obtain camping permits in person at the Houghton Visitor Center no more than 48 hours in advance of intended departure. Since user fees are non-refundable, boaters concerned about weather or mechanical problems may prefer to pay at Windigo or Rock Harbor.
Visitors who use the services of a dive or fishing charter: these visitors will pay the daily user fee through the outfitter.
Can boaters obtain the required camping permit by mail with
the purchase of the Season Boat Rider Pass?
Yes. As a convenience to boaters with a Season Boat Rider Pass, the Houghton Visitor
Center will provide boaters the option of obtaining a camping permit by regular mail,
email, or by fax. When using this service, boaters must submit their request at least two
weeks in advance of their trip to the park.
Go to text version of table below.
| Fee Categories | Rate - Explanation |
|---|---|
| Daily User Fee | $4.00 per person per day Children 11 and under are exempt from the fee. |
| Optional: Individual Season Pass | $50.00 This pass is valid from April 16 through October 31 of the year indicated. The pass covers the Daily User Fee for the person whose signature appears on the pass. |
| Optional: Season Boat Rider Pass | $150.00 This pass is valid from April 16 through October 31 of the year indicated. The pass covers the Daily User Fee for all persons on board, when affixed to the private boat. |
The User Fee and season passes are non-refundable, cannot be replaced, and cannot be transferred to another person or boat.
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