The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will increase recreation day use fees effective January 1. Fees for the issuance of special event permits will also increase for the 2003 recreation season.
More than 375 million Americans visit Corps lakes for recreation purposes each year. One quarter of them come to fish. Others come to camp, hike, hunt and view wildlife.
“The Corps operates these facilities for the use of all Americans,” said Maj. Gen. Robert H. Griffin, director of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “These fees will help us sustain the quality of our facilities for the enjoyment of our visitors.”
Recreation use fees collected are used to help offset operating and maintenance costs at Corps facilities, to assure public demand for high quality recreation opportunities is met.
The Baltimore District of the Army Corps of Engineers operates recreational facilities at four project sites – Raystown Lake, Tioga-Hammond Lake and Cowanesque Lake in Pennsylvania, and Jennings Randolph Lake located on the Maryland/West Virginia border. At these sites, day use fees are only collected for launching boats.
Beginning Jan. 1, a maximum fee of $3 will be charged for boat launchings. The current fee is $2.
An annual pass to only Raystown Lake may be purchased for $10. This permits the holder and accompanying passengers to unlimited boat launchings at only Raystown Lake for the calendar year. A second Raystown annual pass may be purchased at the reduced rate of $5. This fee is unchanged from last year.
For all other Corps sites, an annual pass may be purchased for $30. This permits the holder and accompanying passengers to use all day use facilities at Corps-operated parks for the calendar year. A second annual pass may be purchased for $15. The current fee is $30 for an annual pass and $5 for a second pass.
Golden Age and Golden Access passports will be honored. Holders will receive a 50 – percent discount on all recreation use fees.
The basic fee to issue a special events permit will be $50. The current fee is $25.
In addition to the fee changes, the Corps is conducting a stringent review to ensure Corps recreation use fees are comparable to those charged by other providers for similar facilities and services in the local area. This is being done to assure unfair competition with private industry is avoided and may result in increased camping fees at some locations.
The Corps charges fees under the authority of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act for recreation sites, facilities and services provided at government expense.
Additional information about the Corps’ recreation program can be found at http://www.usace.army.mil/recreation/.
