News you can use
News you can use
Press release
Bureau of Land Management planners invite public input on the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument’s draft updated recreation business plan, which includes proposed fee changes. The plan, river-use fees and campground fees were last updated in 2016.
The plan addresses a large and diverse recreation program that includes developed campgrounds, general recreation sites and boat launches, along with visitor amenities such as vault toilets or dump stations.
“The expenses associated with maintenance supplies, fuel, and labor have significantly outpaced our fee revenues over the past five years,” Acting Monument Manager Jesse Hankins said. “To ensure the sustainability of our site maintenance, it is essential that we reevaluate our user fees.”
Hankins said that inflation, the COVID-19 pandemic and various other factors have led to a swift rise in costs for campground supplies, services, wages, and related items. One example highlighted in the draft updated business plan indicates that the cost of servicing a vault toilet has risen by over 25% from 2017 to 2024.
The draft plan update proposes fee increases at developed recreation sites where fees are currently charged and visitor amenities require frequent maintenance, such as campgrounds.
Two significant proposed changes include the elimination of visitor fees for touring the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center and the introduction of a new fee for overnight camping at sites adjacent to the boat launch at the Wood Bottom Recreation Area.
Special Recreation Permit fees for commercial outfitters and large groups will not change under the monument’s updated recreation business plan. Special Recreation Permit fees are managed at the national level.
Current fees at the monument’s developed campgrounds range from $5-12 per night for a camping site (most sites accommodate RVs or tents; no electric/water hookups). In comparison, similar campgrounds operated by other federal, state and commercial entities range from $15-35 per night for a tent site and $20-45 per night for an RV site (higher-priced RV sites have limited or full hookups).
“Our recreation sites that implement fees offer amenities that frequently necessitate contracted services to ensure a positive experience for visitors,” Hankins said. “While fee increases are never popular, we hope the community understands the necessity of reevaluating our current fees, especially considering our business plan was last updated in 2016.”
Other than a small number of developed recreation sites with fees that are being evaluated in the proposed plan update, the monument offers more than 300,000 acres of public lands that are free to visit and explore.
The draft business plan and supporting documents are available on the e-Planning website for a two-week public comment period — Dec. 20, 2024, through Jan. 3, 2025 — https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2035865/510.
Planners are seeking substantive comments on the draft recreation business plan that will help refine their analysis prior to issuing a decision. Substantive comments are those that reasonably question the accuracy or adequacy of the information analyzed or present new and reasonable alternatives within the scope of the business plan. Non-substantive comments are those that do not pertain to the project area, “vote” for an alternative, or agree or disagree with the analysis without sufficient rationale or justification.
Comments may be submitted using the following methods:
Electronic (preferred): BLM e-Planning — https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2035865/510 — click on the green “Participate Now” button.
U.S. Postal Service: Bureau of Land Management
Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument
ATTN: UMRBNM Recreation Business Plan Update
P.O. Box 1389
Fort Benton, MT 59442
Providing recreational opportunities is central to the BLM’s mission to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
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