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Gagner
climber
Boulder
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 9, 2010 - 07:58pm PT
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Letter from the American Alpine Club, Access Fund, and American Mountain Guides Association:
September 7, 2010
Jon Jarvis
Director, National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20240
E-mail: Jon_Jarvis@nps.gov
RE: Mountaineering Fees: Denali National Park & Preserve/Mount Rainier National Park
Dear Director Jarvis:
The Access Fund, American Alpine Club, and American Mountain Guides Association recently became aware that Denali National Park & Preserve (Denali) intends, without public notice, to raise mountaineering fees 150% from $200 to $500 per climber. In addition, a steep increase for mountaineering fees (from $30 to $50 on top of camping fees) is proposed at Mount Rainier National Park (Rainier). In these tough economic times, these large fee increases will price Americans out of their own parks. We write today to protest these unnecessary and unfair mountaineering fee increases, and request information about National Park Service mountaineering programs and any associated budgeting and related costs to better understand the need to raise these already disproportionate recreation fees.
We are particularly troubled that these fee increases did not receive the benefit of public input and the National Park Service failed to even consult with its long-time partners at the Access Fund, American Alpine Club and American Mountain Guides Association. We request that any proposals to increase mountaineering fees at Denali or Rainier be analyzed through a range of alternatives and benefit from an open public process with published information about the need and purpose for an increased fee.
Access Fund, American Alpine Club and American Mountain Guides Association
The Access Fund, American Alpine Club, and American Mountain Guides Association are national climbing advocacy organizations dedicated to climbing access, conservation, advancing the climbing way of life, and advocating for American climbers. These national climbing organization each have a long history of working with the National Park Service, including input on the 2006 revision to the NPS Management Policies, comment letters on hundreds of local management plans around the country, rescue cost-recovery and recreation impact studies, grants and many thousands of volunteer hours in support education and stewardship projects, field training and climbing management conferences, and congressional advocacy urging robust funding for National Park Service operations. We have also long worked collaboratively with the National Park Service and dozens of other national parks around the country on climbing management planning initiatives and stewardship projects. For more about us, see www.accessfund.org, www.americanalpineclub.org, and http://amga.com.
The Access Fund, American Alpine Club, American Mountain Guides Association are your best partners with respect to the education of mountaineers, public support for your management goals and programs, and the fulfillment of your obligation to provide unique mountaineering opportunities in the parks. However, these fee increases were proposed without input from the mountaineering community despite our expertise and affiliation with this specific user group (mountaineers). Denali’s plan to raise mountaineering fees from $200 to $500 reflects an unprecedented increase, is not based on need, and unfairly targets climbers. Moreover, simply raising fees 150% without public input during these tough economic times is shocking and is likely to result in lower numbers of Americans able to afford the unique mountaineering experiences found at Denali. This extraordinary mountaineering fee increase is a national issue and we believe that Denali managers may simply be unfairly shifting more of the burden of the park’s budget onto climbers. We’re also skeptical that the current fee level for mountaineering is warranted. Rainier’s fee increase appears similarly unjustified. We fear that these added costs will make the unique mountaineering opportunities available at Denali and Rainier too expensive for many Americans.
So we can better understand the National Park Service’s specific management challenges related to mountaineering (and thus inform our members and the public generally), we request your cooperation in providing us with as much information as possible related to mountaineering programs and any associated plans or programs at both Denali and Rainier. To that end, we request the following information from these two parks:
· Any costs, expenses, and budgeting documentation, correspondence or related information (including years) concerning the mountaineering programs (or other park operations affecting climbing management) at Denali and Rainier, specifically:
 Search and rescue and any emergency medical services
Visitor use statistics (numbers, categories and attributes of park users)
General park operations and law enforcement
Interpretation
Visitor and resource protection
· Any National Park Service records or correspondence related to the establishment and maintenance of the current mountaineering fee at Denali and Rainier national parks.
· Any National Park Service records or correspondence related to any proposals to increase the mountaineering fee at Denali and Rainier national parks.
· All public or individual notices provided by the National Park Service concerning the preparation of any management plans or policies that have any proposals or influence on recreation fees at Denali and Rainier national parks.
We will be filing a Freedom of Information Act request to both Denali and Rainier to obtain the information outlined above. If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact any of us at your convenience. We look forward to working with the National Park Service to preserve the world-class mountaineering opportunities found at Denali and Rainier national parks.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Brady Robinson
Executive Director
The Access Fund
303-545-6772 x101
brady@accessfund.org
Phil Powers
Executive Director
American Alpine Club
303-384-0110 x12
ppowers@americanalpineclub.org
Betsy Novak
Executive Director
American Mountain Guides Association
303-271-0984 x101
betsy@amga.com
Cc:
The Honorable Patty Murray, US Senate
The Honorable Maria Cantwell, US Senate
The Honorable Lisa Murkowski, US Senate
The Honorable Mark Begich, US Senate
The Honorable Don Young, US House of Representatives
The Honorable Dave Reichert, US House of Representatives
US Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee
US Senate National Parks Subcommittee
US House of Representatives Interior Appropriations Subcommittee
US House of Representatives National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands Subcommittee
Will Shafroth, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, US Interior Department
Garry Oye, Chief of Wilderness Stewardship & Recreation Management, National Park Service
Rick Potts, Chief of Conservation & Outdoor Recreation Division, National Park Service
Paul Anderson, Superintendent, Denali National Park
Dave Uberuaga, Superintendent, Mount Rainier National Park
Mike Gauthier, Liaison to the National Park Service, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, US Interior Department
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MTucker
Ice climber
Arizona
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$200 to $500 per climber
That is a 250% increase.
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MTucker
Ice climber
Arizona
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Time to climb in the Ruth and not Denali or Foraker.
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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Sep 10, 2010 - 01:12am PT
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What happened? Last time both increased fees, there was a public process, and lots of us went to hearings, wrote letters. There was actual changes made to the proposed fee increase based on the input received.
They are counting on us being too small a user group to cause a ruckus. They will hear from me, and every member of my family, 45 first cousins, .......
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Sep 10, 2010 - 01:23am PT
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It's interesting that they say: "The Access Fund, American Alpine Club, and American Mountain Guides Association are national climbing advocacy organizations dedicated to climbing access, conservation, advancing the climbing way of life, and advocating for American climbers." It may be more accurate to describe the AMGA as a body representing many climbing US guides and instructors, providing services to them, and promoting their interests. In this case, their interests may be much the same as those of the climbing public. That isn't necessarily always the case.
It will be interesting to see what the document-trawl reveals about the backstory to what's happening. Maybe nothing more than cash-starved agencies grabbing for what seems low-hanging fruit. No shortage of people wanting to climb Denali and Rainier - it's big business.
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Acer
Big Wall climber
AZ
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Sep 10, 2010 - 03:04am PT
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Fee increases sure make it hard for me to get on the mountain.
Since I climbed Denali a few years ago the price on glacial flights has doubled and now the possibility of "Mountaineering Fee" increase.
That will be a $1000 just to touch the ground at 7000'.
Once again the government is pricing out the average person that already pays to administer this public land.
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Bldrjac
Ice climber
Boulder
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Sep 10, 2010 - 09:11am PT
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I can never remember if this is officially a user's fee, peak fee, or whatever else it may be designated as. I have two friends who both independently skied up to 14,500 feet with just the intention of hanging out up there to admire the view, acclimatize for another climb and then leave the area. Because one had climbing gear (crampons and ice axe) he was escorted off the mountain and fined $4,500. The other did not have climbing gear and while he was detained in Talkeetna, he was never fined because it was determined he did not intend on going above that camp.
Seems to me that the feds figure that the mountain is a money-maker for them and so they can charge what they want. It doesn't matter how much. The alloted amount of slots to climb the mountain will always be filled no matter how much the fees are.
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Sep 10, 2010 - 11:41am PT
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Once again the government is pricing out the average person that already pays to administer this public land.
Exactly.
This stinks.
I have always been against this "Pay to Play" sceme, no matter what public lands involved and/or the administrators charge for the use of these public lands to do so.
We pay taxes. These taxes must be used to cover all operating costs and improvements to all public lands and parks. These are our lands, these are our taxes. Having to pay on top of taxes just to visit and enjoy our parks, is a massively wrong way to steward the public lands.
What about the poor family who would like to go and have a pick-nic on their public lands that charges access fees just to park your car and have an access pass. Bull dung. Eventually, only the rich will be able to go and enjoy these lands at the rate that access fees keep going up. I'm against any. We already pay for it. THESE LANDS ARE OURS.
Stop the illegal, pre-emptive wars, and glutenous Military-Industrial Complex and re-direct these tax monies to what really matters, such as stewarding our public lands for the good of all the people, rather than blowing up people and making the World hate us.
I will write my letters. I hate this crap.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 10, 2010 - 12:03pm PT
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Couldn't we just sign a waiver for rescues, interpretive services, and
being totted up as a statistic?
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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Sep 10, 2010 - 12:17pm PT
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We are a very small minority - easy pickin's and not politically importnat. Add to that the public image of reckless adrenaline junkies. That equals no sympathy from anyone else. The feds want us to stay in the car, on the bus, or in the train and just pass through.
Then we wonder why people are environmentally illiterate,
Then we wonder why obesity rates are skyrocketing,
Then we wonder why our national health is deteriorating,
Before you know it, our mountains will be privileged playgrounds.
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Sep 10, 2010 - 01:20pm PT
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*(sigh)*
I gotta go with FortMental on this one. ^^^
As for the fee increases..yikes. Pretty sad when only the rich are permitted access to these peaks. It's just so wrong on a lot of levels.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Sep 10, 2010 - 01:30pm PT
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The increase is from $200 to $500, in other words $300. $300 is 150% of $200. The increase is therefore 150%.
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Sep 10, 2010 - 02:34pm PT
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One must be careful how we say things . . .
$200 --> $500 is a 150% increase from the original amount of $200 to $500
$500 is 250% (or 2.5 x) the amount of $200
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WallMan
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Sep 10, 2010 - 02:59pm PT
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The proposed increase is 150%.
A 10% increase would be $200 * (1 + 10%) = $200 * (1 + 0.1) = $220.
A 100% increase would be $200 * (1 + 100%) = $200 * (1 + 1) = $400.
A 150% increase would be $200 * (1 + 150%) = $200 * (1 + 1.5) = $500.
Wally - math geek
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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Sep 10, 2010 - 06:14pm PT
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You would be surprised to see how many moms and pops with kids are on Rainier.
You would also be surprised to see how many people merely hike to Muir, use the toilets, talk to the rangers, and pay $0. Climbers stay at Muir where there is room for 25% in the shelter, lug up their tent knwoing that they probably will use them, use the toliet, might talk to the ranger. Rescue is more likely with the hikers than climbers. So why do they have to pay when the hiker or back country skier does not? Because we are "reckless" climbers that make up a very small percentage of the population, because many climbers pay guide services (fee envy), because we seldom can rally enough political support to make sufficient noise......
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BooYah
Social climber
Ely, Nv
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Sep 10, 2010 - 07:02pm PT
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I will pay no one to climb my own mountains. Not now, not ever.
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divad
Trad climber
wmass
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Sep 10, 2010 - 07:38pm PT
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Outrageous, where's Doug Buchanan?
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Porkchop_express
Trad climber
Springdale UT
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Nov 24, 2010 - 01:13am PT
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Whatever happened with this? has it been implemented yet? Id be interested to see some of those stats alluded to in the OP.
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yosguns
climber
Durham, NC
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Nov 24, 2010 - 04:36am PT
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Porkchop,
Last I knew (first week of November), NPS in Denali decided to return to the drawing board. (Though this doesn't mean they won't decide on the fee increase, it's looking better for future permit seekers.) The fee increase is still a possibility, but park officials will be entertaining other possibilities to make up for the large park deficit which has been largely attributed to disproportionately funded programs exclusively for climbers. I am working on a paper on the subject right now as a staff editor for the Alaska Law Review which is hosted by my law school.
The Fairbanks local paper reported the fee increase was no longer a given: http://www.newsminer.com/view/full_story/10159278/article-Park-Service-backs-off-talk-of-increase-in-Denali-climbing-fee?instance=home_features_window_left2
If anyone has constructive comments on how the park can help make up for the deficit without targeting climbers or any other specific use group (when officials report climbers cost $1200 each per visit vs. $37 for other visitors):
Public comments will be accepted through Jan. 31 and can be submitted via e-mail to DENA_mountainfeecomments@nps.gov or faxed to 907-683-9612. Written comments may also be mailed to: Superintendent, Denali National Park and Preserve, P.O. Box 9, Denali Park, AK, 99755.
There will also be public meetings in Alaska, Washington, and Colorado in December and January, though I read somewhere else, the last time the fee was raised in Denali (a few years ago), only about a dozen people went to the public meeting held in Alaska. This was part of the rationale behind the proposed fee increase now (the seeming lack of public discourse and interest). This is a bad argument, however, since climbers are a small minority, therefore, it's hard to judge how many people should go to a public meeting on the subject in order for the disparate impact on the use group to have been demonstrated adequately. Blah blah blah.
Oh, also, before the NPS decided to "return to the drawing board," the fee increase wasn't scheduled to be implemented till 2012. These things take time to write into specific park policy and then enact.
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