FEE INCREASES PROPOSED AT STUBBLEFIELD, SCOTT’S RIDGE, CAGLE RECREATION AREAS

Date: October 30, 2008

Public Affairs Officer – Gay Ippolito
Public Affairs Specialist – Ernie Murray
Contact: Tiffany Williams, 936-344-6205 Ext. 6246

FEE INCREASES PROPOSED AT STUBBLEFIELD, SCOTT’S RIDGE, CAGLE RECREATION AREAS

Recreation managers at the Sam Houston National Forest are proposing to increase fees at Stubblefield, Scott’s Ridge and Cagle Recreation Areas to meet the growing demands of the public to these popular sites.

Under the proposal, camping fees at Stubblefield will increase to $15 per night, however the day-use fee will be eliminated. Fees help pay for campground hosts and volunteers needed to clean and maintain the area and to administer the water supply at the area.

Scott’s Ridge Recreation Area recently underwent renovations that added vault toilets, two pavilions, picnic tables, grills, a paved parking area, handicapped accessible paths and a swimming beach.

Proposed is increasing the day-use fee for the boat ramp and for the swim area to $6 per vehicle. The fees are used to pay for volunteers to better meet visitor needs. Those interested in volunteering may contact the Sam Houston Ranger’s Office at 936-344-6205.

The proposal calls for camping at Cagle Recreation Area to increase to $27 per site per night and the day-use fee to be $6 per vehicle per day. The fees will be used to offset the increasing cost of electricity and to clean and maintain the site.

“We are experiencing tremendous growth in recreation use on the Sam Houston National Forest and these fee increases will help us provide quality recreation facilities to meet this demand,” said Warren Oja, Sam Houston National Forest District Ranger. “And these fees are consistent with inflationary costs and are more comparable to similar public and private sites in the area.”

“The recreation fee program has been a valuable tool for allowing the Sam Houston to meet visitor demands for facilities and services,” Oja said. “The majority of funds collected at recreation fee sites -- 80 to 95 percent -- remain at the site to operate, maintain and improve recreation facilities and programs, and we will continue to honor the Interagency and Golden Passports.”

Notices are posted at Stubblefield, Scotts Ridge and Cagle, and information is available on the website (www.fs.fed.us/r8/texas).

All fee change proposals will be presented before a citizen’s advisory committee called the Recreation Resource Advisory Committee. Committee members represent a broad range of recreation interest groups to help ensure that the Forest Service is proposing reasonable and publicly acceptable fee changes. Committee members help ensure the Forest Service addresses public issues and concerns about recreation fees. The public is welcome to attend and comment at all advisory committee meetings.

In 2004, Congress passed the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act that allows the Forest Service to keep 95 percent of fees collected at certain recreation sites and use these funds locally to operate, maintain and improve these sites.

For more information, questions or comments about any of these fee change proposals, please contact Tiffany Williams at the Sam Houston National Forest 936-344-6205 ext. 6246.