[Awclist] Fwd: Important River Action - BLM Permit Change on Desolation Canyon

[Cliff Loucks]

Just the messenger here on this one.

--Cliff


Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Herm Hoops" <hoops at ubtanet.com>
> Subject: Important River Action - BLM Permit Change on Desolation Canyon
> Date: October 16, 2012 11:13:17 AM MDT
> To: "Herm Hoops" <hoops at ubtanet.com>
> 
> I doubt that many of you will take action on this issue, but it is a subtly important one for you to consider writing a letter about.   Fighting the government in things like this is like fighting Jabba The Hutt.  It’s so big you don’t know where to punch, and when you figure out where to punch all you hit is blubber.. but please take a moment to read this think about it and write a letter.   My draft letter is attached so that you can see the major issues and the BLM proposal is below.
> 
> The Price, Utah BLM Field Office is seriously floating a proposal to change the Desolation Canyon permit system to Recreation.gov.  While on the surface this looks like a good deal, lower fees, ease of application it has some serious problems for all of us down the road.  
> 
> Recreation.gov is run by a multinational corporation called the Active Network, through their subsidiary Reserve America, which is headquartered in Ontario (Canada!). They are positioning themselves, with the cheerful collusion of the federal agencies, to be the single gateway through which all Americans will have to pass to get access to our public land, with Reserve America getting a fee for each visit. The fees paid to Recreation.gov as reservation fees or lottery entry fees are distributed as follows: 60% to Reserve America; 30% to the office in the NPS that administers the contract for Recreation.gov; 10% to a pool from which agencies can apply for grants. Increases in the Reserve America fees are negotiated in Washington - your local BLM office has no control over them.
> 
> When I worked in the National park Service Denver Regional Office the NPS began using Ticketron for campground reservations.  Initially the contract was pretty tight (I was on the contract “committee”) and it cost an extra $5/reservation for Ticketron that included multiple nights.  But shortly Ticketron said they couldn’t make any money and threatened to pull out and the contract was renegotiated allowing them to collect $5/night, then $7 and then I think $12.
> 
> BLM (and the Land Managing Agencies say they are doing this to save money, but my experience is that they still keep the position, at the same salary with fewer responsibilities, and they still get annual (or 3 year depending on length of service) raises.  In Denver I had to recruit 3 volunteers to answer the reservation phones and do paper work, and because the job was so boring they eventually had to hire several seasonal GS-03’s.  And guess what, those positions became permanent!  Go figure!
> 
>  
> 
> Write to:
> 
> David Hayes, Deputy Director, Department of Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240
> 
> Mike Pool, Director, Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street NW, Rm. 5665, Washington DC 20240
> 
> Matt Blocker, BLM Price Field Office, 125 South 600 West, Price, Utah, 84501
> 
>  
> 
> BLM Price Field Office Proposes to Convert Desolation-Gray Canyons River Permit System to Recreation.gov
> 
> Contact: Matt Blocker, (435) 636-3600
> 
> For Immediate Release:  October 12, 2012
> 
> The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Price Field Office is announcing a 30-day opportunity for the public to provide input on proposed changes to its river permitting system for the Desolation and Gray Canyons of the Green River.  The proposal would convert the existing permitting system for private boaters from a first-come, first-serve call-in reservation process, to an online lottery reservation process on the Recreation.gov.  If the proposal is approved, private river permit lottery applications for the 2013 season would be accepted between December 1, 2012 and January 31, 2013.  The proposal is summarized in the below table, and a detailed analysis of the proposed changes is included in the BLM Price Field Office’s Draft Business Plan for Desolation Gray Canyons of the Green River. 
> 
> The proposed conversion to Recreation.gov would provide Desolation and Gray Canyon boaters with numerous benefits, including simpler fee rates, a more streamlined and convenient process to apply for a river permit, more flexibility and less stringent timeframes to make changes to group sizes, and the ability to instantly print river permits from home.  Most importantly, customer service would continue to be provided by staff at the BLM Price Field Office, in addition to new customer service support that would be provided by Recreation.gov staff.  In conformance with the BLM’s legal mandate to establish the minimum number of recreation fees and avoid the collection of multiple or layered recreation fees, the conversion toRecreation.gov would also reduce the number of fees required to obtain a river permit.  Recreation.gov serves as the federal government’s collective source of outdoor recreation opportunities on federal lands and waters administered by 12 different government agencies, and the Desolation-Gray Canyon river permitting process would become more consistent with other river permit systems across the country. 
> 
> Summary of Proposed Changes to the BLM Price Field Office’s
> River Permit Reservation System for
> Desolation Gray Canyons of the Green River
> Private River Permits
> Component of Reservation Process
> Existing First-Come, First-Served Call-In Reservation System
> Proposed Online Recreation.gov Lottery Reservation System
> Reservation Fees
> $20/launch
> 5 months in advance of launch date
> $0
> Lottery Application Fee
> $0
> $6/application
> applications accepted December 1 to January 31
> standard Recreation.gov fee
> Special Recreation Permit Fee for Desolation Canyon
> $25/person
> all fees due 30 days prior to launch
> $25/person
> minimum $25 due March 15 if selected in lottery
> all fees due 7 days prior to launch
> Transaction Fee for Each Change to the Original Reservation
>                                                                $10/change
> may only add additional passengers
> $0
> may add or subtract passengers up to seven days prior to launch
> Commercial River Outfitter Permits
> Component of Reservation Process
> Existing First-Come, First-Served Call-In Reservation System
> Proposed Online Recreation.gov Lottery Reservation System
> Permanent Launch Reservations
> $0
> $0
> Temporary Launch Reservations
> $0
> $6.00/reservation
> standard Recreation.gov fee
> Cancellation Fees
> $75 when launch canceled 30 to 44 days prior to reservation, and no replacement launch permitted
> $150 when launch canceled
> within 21 days of reservation, and no replacement launch permitted
>  
> standard Recreation.gov timeframe
> $150 when launch canceled
> 29 days or less prior to reservation,
> and no replacement launch permitted
> No Show Fees
> $300
> $300
> $25/passenger Special Recreation Permit Fee for Desolation Gray Canyons
> All Special Recreation Permit fees for the entire river season are due to the BLM at end of the year
> All Special Recreation Permit fees for each launch are paid on Recreation.gov seven days prior to launch date
> BLM’s National Commercial Special Recreation Permit Rate
> 3% of gross revenue generated on public lands and waters due to the BLM at the end of the year
> 3% of gross revenue generated on public lands and waters due to the BLM at the end of the year
>  
> 
> The Federal Land Policy and Management Act provides the BLM with the authority to issue permits related to the administration of the public lands, and the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act authorizes the BLM to collect Special Recreation Permit fees for specialized uses of the public lands and waters under its administration.  The potential changes to the BLM Price Field Office’s river permit reservation system are being proposed in conformance with this law and other applicable BLM policy related to encouraging public participation in the development of federal recreation fee programs, including involvement from the Utah Recreation Resource Advisory Committee.  All public comments must be received in writing via letter at the BLM Price Field Office, 125 South 600 West, Price, Utah, 84501 or email at mblocker at blm.gov by November 10, 2012. 
> 
> Follow us on Twitter @BLMUtah
> 
>  
> 

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