Utah State Office
| Contacts: | Matt Blocker, (435) 636-3600 |
BLM Price Field Office Proposes to Convert
Desolation-Gray Canyons River Permit System to Recreation.gov
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Price Field Office is announcing a 30-day opportunity for the public to provide input on proposed changes to its river permitting system for the Desolation and Gray Canyons of the Green River. The proposal would convert the existing permitting system for private boaters from a first-come, first-serve call-in reservation process, to an online lottery reservation process on the Recreation.gov. If the proposal is approved, private river permit lottery applications for the 2013 season would be accepted between December 1, 2012 and January 31, 2013. The proposal is summarized in the below table, and a detailed analysis of the proposed changes is included in the BLM Price Field Office’s Draft Business Plan for Desolation Gray Canyons of the Green River.
The proposed conversion to Recreation.gov would provide Desolation and Gray Canyon boaters with numerous benefits, including simpler fee rates, a more streamlined and convenient process to apply for a river permit, more flexibility and less stringent timeframes to make changes to group sizes, and the ability to instantly print river permits from home. Most importantly, customer service would continue to be provided by staff at the BLM Price Field Office, in addition to new customer service support that would be provided by Recreation.gov staff. In conformance with the BLM’s legal mandate to establish the minimum number of recreation fees and avoid the collection of multiple or layered recreation fees, the conversion to Recreation.gov would also reduce the number of fees required to obtain a river permit. Recreation.gov serves as the federal government’s collective source of outdoor recreation opportunities on federal lands and waters administered by 12 different government agencies, and the Desolation-Gray Canyon river permitting process would become more consistent with other river permit systems across the country.
Summary of Proposed Changes to the BLM Price Field Office’s River Permit Reservation System for Desolation Gray Canyons of the Green River | ||
Private River Permits | ||
Component of Reservation Process | Existing First-Come, First-Served Call-In Reservation System | Proposed Online Recreation.gov Lottery Reservation System |
Reservation Fees | $20/launch 5 months in advance of launch date | $0 |
Lottery Application Fee | $0 | $6/application applications accepted December 1 to January 31 standard Recreation.gov fee |
Special Recreation Permit Fee for Desolation Canyon | $25/person all fees due 30 days prior to launch | $25/person minimum $25 due March 15 if selected in lottery all fees due 7 days prior to launch |
Transaction Fee for Each Change to the Original Reservation | $10/change may only add additional passengers | $0 may add or subtract passengers up to seven days prior to launch |
Commercial River Outfitter Permits | ||
Component of Reservation Process | Existing First-Come, First-Served Call-In Reservation System | Proposed Online Recreation.gov Lottery Reservation System |
Permanent Launch Reservations | $0 | $0 |
Temporary Launch Reservations | $0 | $6.00/reservation standard Recreation.gov fee |
Cancellation Fees | $75 when launch canceled 30 to 44 days prior to reservation, and no replacement launch permitted | $150 when launch canceled within 21 days of reservation, and no replacement launch permitted standard Recreation.gov timeframe |
$150 when launch canceled 29 days or less prior to reservation, and no replacement launch permitted | ||
No Show Fees | $300 | $300 |
$25/passenger Special Recreation Permit Fee for Desolation Gray Canyons | All Special Recreation Permit fees for the entire river season are due to the BLM at end of year | All Special Recreation Permit fees for each launch are paid on Recreation.gov seven days prior to launch date |
BLM’s National Commercial Special Recreation Permit Rate | 3% of gross revenue generated on public lands and waters due to BLM at the end of the year | 3% of gross revenue generated on public lands and waters due to the BLM at the end of the year |
The Federal Land Policy and Management Act provides the BLM with the authority to issue permits related to the administration of the public lands, and the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act authorizes the BLM to collect Special Recreation Permit fees for specialized uses of the public lands and waters under its administration. The potential changes to the BLM Price Field Office’s river permit reservation system are being proposed in conformance with this law and other applicable BLM policy related to encouraging public participation in the development of federal recreation fee programs, including involvement from the Utah Recreation Resource Advisory Committee. All public comments must be received in writing via letter at the BLM Price Field Office, 125 South 600 West, Price, Utah, 84501 or email at mblocker@blm.gov by November 10, 2012.
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The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.