[Federal Register: June 22, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 120)]
[Notices]
[Page 34477-34478]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22jn07-77]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management, Interior
[MT-070-1220-FV]
Notice of Intent To Collect Fees on Public Land in Lewis and
Clark County, Montana Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement
Act (REA)
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to applicable provisions of the Federal Lands
Recreation Enhancement Act, 16 U.S.C. 6801 et seq., the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM)'s Butte Field Office is proposing to begin collecting
fees in the spring of 2008 at the White Sandy Recreation Site on Hauser
Lake, Lewis and Clark County, Montana. (Township 11 N, Range 2 W,
section 5).
DATES: The public is encouraged to participate during the public
comment period that will expire 30 days after publication of this
notice. Effective six months after the publication of this notice, the
Bureau of Land Management, Butte Field Office will initiate final
preparations to implement fees in the spring of 2008 at the White Sandy
[[Page 34478]]
Recreation Site, unless BLM publishes a Federal Register notice to the
contrary. The Western Montana Resource Advisory Council (RAC) has
reviewed the proposal to charge a fee at the White Sandy Recreation
Site. Future adjustments in the fee amount will be modified in
accordance with the Butte Field Office Recreation Fee Business Plan,
consultation with the Western Montana Resource Advisory Council and
other public notice prior to a fee increase.
ADDRESSES: Mail: Field Manager, Butte Field Office, 106 N. Parkmont,
Butte, MT 59701.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Hotaling, Field Manager Butte
Field Office, 106 N. Parkmont, Butte, MT 59701. (406) 533-7600.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 3(g) of the REA, the White
Sandy Recreation Site on Hauser Lake qualifies as a site wherein
visitors can be charged an ``Expanded Amenity Recreation Fee.''
Visitors wishing to use the expanded amenities BLM has developed at the
White Sandy Recreation Site (e.g. camping and picnic areas, boat
launches, day use areas) could purchase a recreation use permit as
described at 43 CFR part 2930. Pursuant to the REA and implementing
regulations at 43 CFR subpart 2933, fees may be charged for day-use
facilities, overnight camping, and group use reservations. Specific
visitor fees will be identified and posted at the site. Fees must be
paid at the self-service pay station located at the site. People
holding the America The Beautiful--The National Parks and Federal
Recreational Lands--Senior Pass (i.e. Interagency Senior Pass), a
Golden Age Passport, the America The Beautiful--The National Parks and
Federal Recreational Lands--Access Pass (i.e. Interagency Access Pass)
or a Golden Access Passport will be entitled to a 50 percent fee
reduction on all fees except group reservations.
The White Sandy Recreation Site is a highly developed 30-unit
campground and day-use site located along the Missouri River on Hauser
Lake. The site is about 18 miles northeast of Helena, Montana, and is
accessible via Interstate I-15, Highway 453 (Lincoln Road) and the
Hauser Dam County Road. The BLM is committed to provide and receive
fair value for the use of developed recreation facilities and services
in a manner that meets public use demands, provides quality experiences
and protects important resources. It is BLM's policy to collect fees at
all specialized recreation sites or where the BLM provides facilities,
equipment or services, at Federal expense, in connection with outdoor
use. In an effort to meet increasing demands for services and
maintenance of developed facilities, the BLM would implement a fee
program for the White Sandy Recreation Site. Implementing a fee program
at the White Sandy Recreation Site will help ensure that funding is
available to maintain existing facilities and recreational
opportunities, to provide for law enforcement presence, to develop
additional services, and to protect resources. This entails
communication with those who will be most directly affected by
establishing fees at the White Sandy Recreation Site, for example,
recreationists, other recreation providers, partners, neighbors, as
well as those who will have a stake in solving concerns that may arise
throughout the life of the White Sandy Recreation Site.
Acquisition and development of the White Sandy Recreation Site is
consistent with the 1984 Headwaters Resource Management Plan, and was
analyzed in the White Sandy Recreation Site Development and Acquisition
Project Environmental Assessment (EA) of December 2004 (No. MT-070-05-
06, DR/FONSI signed 12/15/04). Information concerning the proposed new
fees is analyzed in that EA, which states that fees would be consistent
with other established fee sites in the area and coordinated with other
managing agencies, specifically, the Montana Department of Fish,
Wildlife and Parks (MFWP). Future adjustments in the fee amount will be
made in accordance with the Butte Field Office Recreation Fee Business
Plan, consultation with the Western Montana Resource Advisory Council,
and after other public notice.
In December 2004, the REA was signed into law. The REA provides
authority for 10 years for the Secretaries of the Interior and
Agriculture to establish, modify, charge, and collect recreation fees
for use of some Federal recreation lands and waters, and contains
specific provisions addressing public involvement in the establishment
of recreation fees, including a requirement that Recreation Resource
Advisory Committees or Councils have the opportunity to make
recommendations regarding establishment of such fees. The REA also
directed the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to publish
advance notice in the Federal Register whenever new recreation fee
areas are established under their respective jurisdictions. In
accordance with the BLM recreation fee program policy, the Butte Field
Office Recreational Fee Business Plan explains the fee collection
process, and outlines how the fees will be used at the White Sandy
Recreation Site. BLM has notified and involved the public at each stage
of the planning process, including the proposal to collect fees. The
Western Montana Resource Advisory Council has reviewed the fee proposal
as well. Fee amounts will be posted on-site and at the Butte Field
Office. Copies of the Business Plan will be available at the Butte
Field Office, 106 N. Parkmont, Butte, MT 59701 and the BLM Montana
State Office, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, Montana 59101.
The BLM welcomes public comments on this proposal. Before including
your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal
identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire
comment--including your personal identifying information--may be made
publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to
withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 6803(b).
Dated: June 1, 2007.
Rick Hotaling,
Field Manager, Butte Field Office.
[FR Doc. E7-12136 Filed 6-21-07; 8:45 am]