Last Updated 7/13/2004
Americans for Responsible Recreational Access (ARRA) today expressed outrage at efforts by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to use camper fees totaling nearly $1 million from California's Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area to fund an environmental study.
"Those fees were clearly earmarked for recreational improvements at the Imperial Sand Dunes," said ARRA Executive Director Larry E. Smith. "For the BLM to arbitrarily divert the fees to fund a biological monitoring study is an absolute violation of the intent of Congress."
Based in Washington, D.C., ARRA represents the interests of millions of families and individuals who are outdoor recreation enthusiasts. It speaks to the Congress and the federal public lands regulatory agencies on behalf of people who want to enjoy the nation's great open spaces.
In its new Recreation Area Management Plan (RAMP) for the Imperial Sand Dunes, the BLM included a requirement for an intensive monitoring effort for various plant species costing about $1 million. Since funding for the monitoring program from state off-highway vehicle grant money was not available at that level, the BLM decided to make up the shortfall using recreation fee receipts.
"ARRA has no problem with biological studies per se," Mr. Smith said. "What we find inexcusable is the use of camper fees to fund the study when those fees are supposed to be used for improvements like maintenance of access roads, trash removal and rest rooms."
Mr. Smith urged all recreation enthusiasts to take a stand against this misuse of funding by visiting the ARRA website at www.arra-access.com.
"We need to send a message to the BLM and to our representatives in Congress that this kind of diversion of funds from their intended use will not be tolerated," Mr. Smith said.