Fees Will Increase October 1st

Date: June 1, 2015
Contact: Sue Walter, 520-387-6849 x7304

Ajo, Az –Starting on October 1, 2015, Organ Pipe Cactus NM will increase entrance fees for
visitors in order to fund important maintenance and improvement projects within the park.

7-day single vehicle entrance fee from $8.00 to $12.00
Nightly camping at Twin Peaks Campground from $12.00 to $16.00
Nightly camping at Alamo Canyon Campground from $8.00 to $10.00
Organ Pipe Cactus specific annual pass from $20.00 to $30.00

"This modest increase in fees will allow us to continue to protect, preserve and share the special places here at Organ Pipe with current visitors and future generations," said Organ Pipe Superintendent Brent Range. "After carefully considering the impact of a fee increase on visitors and community members, we came to the conclusion that this is the right course of action to improve facilities and services important to visitors."

Entrance fees have supported a wide range of projects that improve the park and visitor experiences, including rehabilitating trails and trailhead signs, developing and installing exhibits in visitor centers, updating interpretive waysides, replace shade ramadas at picnic areas and improving ADA accessibility. Additional revenue from this fee increase will add shade ramadas in the campground, provide new interpretive opportunities, install fire rings at camping sites, install interpretive waysides at historic locations and provide additional ADA accessibility.

In the fall of 2014, the National Park Service conducted a nationwide review of entrance fees.
To solicit public input, Organ Pipe launched a civic engagement campaign in January 2015.

During the public comment period, the park received 50formal comments.While the majority of comments supported an increase, some people offered alternatives to increase park revenue.

www.nps.gov

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