Page 15 - Flathead Beacon // 12.24.14

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DECEMBER 24, 2014 | 15
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A vehicle passes
the entrance sign to Glacier National Park in West Glacier.
BEACON FILE PHOTO
Conservation Groups Support Fee Increases in Glacier National Park
Chamber comes out against proposed increase to annual entrance pass
By JUSTIN FRANZ of the Beacon
Proposed fee increases at Glacier Na-
tional Park drew mixed reactions.
Two prominent conservation groups – the National Parks Conservation As- sociation and the Glacier National Park Conservancy – say that the bump in fees is necessary to maintain visitor services within Northwest Montana’s largest at- traction. However, both groups said that the proposed increases should not re- place annual federal funding and that Congress needs to do more to support
the National Park Service.
The Kalispell Chamber of Com-
merce, which conducted a survey of its 650 members, came out against the pro- posed increase for annual passes. Cham- ber President Joe Unterreiner urged the NPS to have a similar percentage increase for both the annual pass and seven-day pass, instead of the current proposal, which seeks a 71 percent hike in the annual fee.
“This fee structure puts an unfair and disproportionate burden on Flat- head Valley and Montana residents,” Unterreiner said in a public comment letter submitted Dec. 18 to the NPS.
The National Park Service accepted comments on proposals to increase fees across the park system until Dec. 19. If the agency decides to increase fees, they will take effect in early 2015. The last time Glacier increased fees was 2006.
“There are so many programs that have been cut back and so the fee in- crease will help fund interpretive pro- grams and trail maintenance,” said NPCA’s Glacier Field Representative Sarah Lundstrum. “But fee increases can’t replace the funding Congress is supposed to provide.”
If approved, a seven-day summer season vehicle pass would increase from $25 to $30, while the winter pass would increase from $15 to $20. The hiker/bik- er summer pass would increase from $12 to $15, but the winter pass would remain at $10. The seven-day motorcycle pass would increase from $12 per person to $25 per motorcycle in summer and from $10 per person to $15 per motorcycle in winter.
Summer season fees are charged from May 1 until Oct. 31 and winter sea- son rates apply from Nov. 1 to April 30.
The largest proposed increase would apply to the park’s annual pass, which is popular among locals. The pass would cost $60 instead of $35.
The proposal also includes the imple- mentation of a motorized boat launch fee and would support managing the boat launch facilities within the park. Offi- cials say the fee would be $10 for a seven- day pass and $40 for an annual pass.
If approved, the fees could generate an additional $500,000 every year for Glacier Park’s coffers. Eighty percent of the fees a national park collects goes directly to visitor services and mainte- nance within the park. The remaining 20 percent is distributed throughout the rest of the Park Service.
“A strategy that increases the en- trance fee for the seven-day pass slightly higher than proposed, and which is pre-
ferred by 86 percent visitors, will give the Park the financial outcomes it seeks without a drastic increase to the price of an annual pass,” Unterreiner said.
According to park spokesperson De- nise Germann, the park had received close to 300 comments on the proposal.
In its comments to Glacier National Park, the NPCA’s Glacier Field Office said it supported modest fee increases to improve visitor experience and restore some interpretive activities. Lundstrum said in years past, the park offered more ranger-led hikes and demonstrations, but as budgets have shrunk, so has the interpretive schedule.
NPCA’s Crown of the Continent Pro- gram Manager Michael Jamison said it is important to keep the fee increases in perspective. He noted that it costs a fam- ily of five less money to visit a national park for seven days than it does for those same five people to go to the movie the- ater for two hours.
“National Parks have been and con- tinue to be an incredibly affordable fam- ily destination,” Jamison said.
Mark Preiss, President and CEO of the Glacier National Park Conservancy, agreed that the fee increases would help the park maintain services and that it is necessary in the absence of consistent federal funding.
“We deeply appreciate the park’s need to raise funds to sustain ongoing basic operations,” Preiss said. “We share Glacier’s commitment to reaching park users who may find a fee increase chal- lenging, and are developing a program that supports this objective, ensuring that Glacier remains accessible to all, re- gardless of financial ability.”
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