Gifford Pinchot National Forest

	USDA Forest Service Gifford Pinchot National Forest Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
For Immediate Release: October 14, 2005
Contact: Steve Nelson (360) 891-5175

Concession Opportunities Offered at the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

VANCOUVER, WA ––Concessionaires are being sought by the Gifford Pinchot National Forest to provide a broad range of visitor services at sites located throughout the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.

Opportunities are being offered in four areas: Sites along State Route 504 including Johnston Ridge Observatory, Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center; sites along Forest Roads 99, 26, and 25 such as the Cascade Peaks Concession site, Windy Ridge Interpretive site, Bear Meadow area; sites along Forest Roads 83 and 81 including Ape Cave, Marble Mountain Sno-Park; and the Pine Creek Work Center compound.

Services offered include restaurant operation, retail gift sales, educational book sales, mobile food and sundries vending, recreational equipment rentals, outfitter guide services, theater operation, development and operation of concessionaire-owned and operated rustic lodging facilities, and conversion of the Pine Creek Work Center facility to public recreational uses such as an organizational camp or RV campground.

A complete description of potential opportunities is found in A Prospectus for the Delivery of Visitor Services, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, which is available for download at http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/purchasing/solicitations/proposals.shtml or by contacting Steve Nelson at the Forest Headquarters in Vancouver at (360) 891-5175 or by e-mail at smnelson@fs.fed.us.

The term of the permit will be five years, with longer terms possible depending on the nature of the proposed service and level of investment.

A pre-application informational meeting for prospective applicants is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Thursday November 3, 2005 at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest Headquarters, 10600 NW 51st Circle, Vancouver, WA.

The purpose of the meeting is to answer questions about the prospectus and the facilities and opportunities included in the Volcanic Monument recreation complexes.

The deadline for receipt of applications is 4 p.m. on Friday January 27, 2006.

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US Forest Service
Gifford Pinchot National Forest - Vancouver, WA
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Amboy, WA
Last Modified: Thursday, 20 October 2005 at 12:47:04 EDT