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The Recreation Enhancement Act

The Huron-Manistee National Forests encompass almost 1 million acres of public land in lower Michigan, and receives approximately 4 million recreation visits per year. Many of these visits are directly attributable to the use of nationally recognized Wild & Scenic Rivers , trails, River Road National Scenic Byway, Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness area, and many camping opportunities. The Forest Service is caring for and managing these lands for today and future generations. We encourage you to use and enjoy the many recreation opportunities on the Huron-Manistee National Forests. If you would like additional information about the many recreational opportunities available, please contact one of our offices, or visit the Huron-Manistee National Forests home page.

Recreation Enhancement Act

Outdoor recreation on America 's public lands is popular! More than 800 million recreational visits were made to National Forests in 1996.  Even as the number of visitors continues to climb, government funding available for recreation necessities, such as building repairs, facility maintenance, and visitor protection has not kept pace with this increasing demand. In an effort to address these needs, US Congress and the President enacted laws giving the USDA Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service the option to collect user fees at recreation facilities under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. This Act will help spread some of the costs for managing these lands among those who use them and directly benefit from them.

Why are fees necessary?

Managing our public lands is a major financial investment. While most of that investment comes from our general tax base, those who use these public lands and facilities for recreation receive a greater benefit from and place a greater burden upon recreation resources than the public at large. Previously, fees have been charged for certain recreation services and facilities, such as campgrounds, trails, and boat launches. These new fees expand the "user pay" philosophy to benefit more people who value forest recreation.

How will the fees collected be used?

One of the advantages of Recreation Enhancement Act is that most of the fees collected (80%) will be available to reinvest in the recreation services and facilities available on the Huron-Manistee National Forests.

Some examples of how your fees will be used:

• Visitor facility maintenance and repair
• Visitor services and interpretation
• Habitat enhancement and resource conservation
• Law enforcement and patrol of recreation sites
• Trail maintenance and signing

For specific information on how the fees are currently being spent, please check out Your Fees at Work!

2006 Recreation Enhancement Act Accomplishments

USDA Headquarters

USDA Eastern Region

If you would like to make a comment to the USDA, please proceed to the Customer Service Comment Card.

If you would like to contact the Huron-Manistee National Forest: r9 hmnf website@fs.fed.us or contact one of our Offices directly.