The U.S. Forest Service will waive fees at most of its day-use recreation sites several times in 2015, beginning with Jan. 19, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“These fee-free days are our way of thanking our millions of visitors but also to encourage more people to visit these great public lands,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “These lands belong to all Americans, and we encourage everyone to open the door to the great outdoors.”
No fees are charged at any time on 98 percent of national forests and grasslands, and approximately two-thirds of developed recreation sites in national forests and grasslands can be used for free. Check with your local forest or grassland or on Recreation.gov(link is external) to see if your destination charges a fee. Fees are used to help cover the cost of safe, clean facilities. Use the Forest Service map to find a national forest or grassland near you.
The 2015 scheduled fee-free days observed by the Forest Service are:
• Jan. 19: the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which honors the legacy of the civil rights leader and encourages Americans to participate in the MLK Day of Service
• Feb. 16: Presidents Day, honoring our nation’s Presidents with particular attention towards commemorating President Washington and President Lincoln.
• June 13: National Get Outdoors Day, a day when federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and the recreation industry encourages healthy, outdoor activities.
• Sept. 26: National Public Lands Day, the nation’s largest, single-day volunteer effort in support of public lands
• Nov. 11: Veteran’s Day, commemorates the end of World War I and pays tribute to all military heroes past and present.
Agency units plan their own events. Contact your local forest or grassland for more information. The last fee-free period for 2014 is Nov. 8-11 in honor of Veteran’s Day.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
Friday, October 10, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
National Park Service Announces Free Admission on Nine Days in 2015
There are nine more reasons to enjoy national parks next year! The National Park Service will be offering free admission to every visitor on nine days in 2015. The 2015 entrance fee-free days are:
* January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
* February 14-16: Presidents Day weekend
* April 18 & 19: National Park Week’s opening weekend
* August 25: National Park Service’s 99th birthday
* September 26: National Public Lands Day
* November 11: Veterans Day
“Every day is a great day in a national park, and these entrance fee free days offer an extra incentive to visit one of these amazing places,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “As we prepare to celebrate the National Park Service’s centennial in 2016, we are inviting all Americans to discover the beauty and history that lives in our national parks.”
A national park may be closer to home than you think. National Park Service sites are located in every state and in many major cities, including New York City which is home to ten national parks. They are places of recreation and inspiration and they are also powerful economic engines for local communities. Throughout the country, visitors to national parks spent $26.5 billion and supported almost 240,000 jobs in 2013.
Generally, 133 of the 401 National Park Service have entrance fees that range from $3 to $25. While entrance fees will be waived for the fee free days, amenity and user fees for things such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours will still be in effect.
Other Federal land management agencies that will offer their own fee-free days in 2015 are: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service. Please contact each for dates and details.
The National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service also participate in the America the Beautiful National Parks Pass and Federal Recreational Lands Pass programs. These passes provide access to more than 2,000 national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, grasslands, and other federal lands. Four passes are available:
* free annual pass to current military members and their dependents
* free lifetime pass for U.S. citizens with permanent disabilities
* $10 lifetime senior pass for U.S. citizens aged 62 and over
* $80 annual pass for the general public.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
* January 19: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
* February 14-16: Presidents Day weekend
* April 18 & 19: National Park Week’s opening weekend
* August 25: National Park Service’s 99th birthday
* September 26: National Public Lands Day
* November 11: Veterans Day
“Every day is a great day in a national park, and these entrance fee free days offer an extra incentive to visit one of these amazing places,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “As we prepare to celebrate the National Park Service’s centennial in 2016, we are inviting all Americans to discover the beauty and history that lives in our national parks.”
Generally, 133 of the 401 National Park Service have entrance fees that range from $3 to $25. While entrance fees will be waived for the fee free days, amenity and user fees for things such as camping, boat launches, transportation, or special tours will still be in effect.
Other Federal land management agencies that will offer their own fee-free days in 2015 are: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service. Please contact each for dates and details.
The National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service also participate in the America the Beautiful National Parks Pass and Federal Recreational Lands Pass programs. These passes provide access to more than 2,000 national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, grasslands, and other federal lands. Four passes are available:
* free annual pass to current military members and their dependents
* free lifetime pass for U.S. citizens with permanent disabilities
* $10 lifetime senior pass for U.S. citizens aged 62 and over
* $80 annual pass for the general public.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Big Thompson Ponds SWA To Reopen Today
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has announced that Big Thompson Ponds State Wildlife Area (SWA) will open again today, October 4th, after being closed since the flooding of September 2013.
The 51-acre property was completely inundated by water for several days during the flood and took a substantial amount of structural and superficial damage. The property was historically bounded by the Big Thompson River and contained 4 ponds ranging in size and depth. During the flood the property sustained an avulsion (sudden loss of land in contact with water) and the river re-routed through the property destroying 2 of the 4 ponds. The property now has 2 remaining back ponds and about a 1/2 mile stretch of the Big Thompson River. The two remaining ponds will still be managed as a warm water fishery with bass, catfish, and bluegill as the main species. The river will likely repopulate with trout to some extent. In addition, the property will now be managed for more waterfowl opportunity than in previous years, and still has rabbits, doves, warm-water and trout fishing.
During the closure, CPW has had a great deal of work done to repair and improve the property. Flywater River Consulting and Construction worked on emergency stream stabilization before the spring runoff. Area 2 wildlife personnel have worked on the parking areas, roads, bathroom, and debris cleanup. Then, CPW had two volunteer days with approximately 175 volunteers on the property cleaning debris, removing damaged fence, and planting about 500 trees (mostly willow, some chokecherry). Finally, a fencing company replaced the fence based on a survey of the property boundary. In the future CPW will continue to clean up debris and possibly do some stream habitat work to improve the riffle-run structure of that stretch of river.
Caution to all users: the river has changed the property drastically from last year. Water depths are unknown and possible hazards exist. Be prepared for soft ground and lots of mud.
Big Thompson Ponds SWA is located west of I-25 between highway 402 and Highway 34. You must access the property from the frontage road along I-25.
While CPW has done a lot of work over the past months, the property will still require future work and maintenance for years to come. CPW extends their heartfelt thanks to all of the contractors, valued volunteers, and staff who contributed to getting this property open again for the public.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
The 51-acre property was completely inundated by water for several days during the flood and took a substantial amount of structural and superficial damage. The property was historically bounded by the Big Thompson River and contained 4 ponds ranging in size and depth. During the flood the property sustained an avulsion (sudden loss of land in contact with water) and the river re-routed through the property destroying 2 of the 4 ponds. The property now has 2 remaining back ponds and about a 1/2 mile stretch of the Big Thompson River. The two remaining ponds will still be managed as a warm water fishery with bass, catfish, and bluegill as the main species. The river will likely repopulate with trout to some extent. In addition, the property will now be managed for more waterfowl opportunity than in previous years, and still has rabbits, doves, warm-water and trout fishing.
During the closure, CPW has had a great deal of work done to repair and improve the property. Flywater River Consulting and Construction worked on emergency stream stabilization before the spring runoff. Area 2 wildlife personnel have worked on the parking areas, roads, bathroom, and debris cleanup. Then, CPW had two volunteer days with approximately 175 volunteers on the property cleaning debris, removing damaged fence, and planting about 500 trees (mostly willow, some chokecherry). Finally, a fencing company replaced the fence based on a survey of the property boundary. In the future CPW will continue to clean up debris and possibly do some stream habitat work to improve the riffle-run structure of that stretch of river.
Caution to all users: the river has changed the property drastically from last year. Water depths are unknown and possible hazards exist. Be prepared for soft ground and lots of mud.
Big Thompson Ponds SWA is located west of I-25 between highway 402 and Highway 34. You must access the property from the frontage road along I-25.
While CPW has done a lot of work over the past months, the property will still require future work and maintenance for years to come. CPW extends their heartfelt thanks to all of the contractors, valued volunteers, and staff who contributed to getting this property open again for the public.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
National Visitor Use Monitoring Kicks-off Today in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests
On Saturday, October 4th, the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland will launch a year-long effort to gain a better understanding of how many visitors recreate in the national forest. This process known as National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) is geared toward collecting data on what types of recreational activities visitors engage in and how satisfied they are with the facilities and services provided.
These surveys are conducted every five years. The last survey conducted in 2010 estimated 5.4 million annual visits to the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland. Downhill skiing was found to be the most popular activity. Hiking or walking was the second most popular activity taking place.
Visitor participation in these surveys is voluntary. Forest and Grassland managers hope you will choose to participate so they can collect accurate data. Interviews can last from three to thirteen minutes. The questions visitors are asked include where they recreated on the Forest; how many people they traveled with; how long they were on the Forest; what other recreation sites they visited while on the Forest; and how satisfied they were with the facilities and services provided. About a third of the visitors will also be asked to complete a confidential and voluntary survey on recreation spending during their trip. Frequent visitors may be asked to participate more than once over the course of the year.
The information gathered is used primarily for forest planning and is useful with local community tourism planning. It provides National Forest managers number of visits; kinds of activities; and how satisfied people are with their visit; and the economic impact of forest recreation visits on the local economy.
Surveys will be conducted through a contractor. National Visitor Use monitoring data collection will utilize road counters, trail counters and interviews conducted at recreation sites such as campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, roadsides and other locations. Survey sites will be clearly marked with large orange signs and cones.
For more information about the survey please click here.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
These surveys are conducted every five years. The last survey conducted in 2010 estimated 5.4 million annual visits to the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland. Downhill skiing was found to be the most popular activity. Hiking or walking was the second most popular activity taking place.
Visitor participation in these surveys is voluntary. Forest and Grassland managers hope you will choose to participate so they can collect accurate data. Interviews can last from three to thirteen minutes. The questions visitors are asked include where they recreated on the Forest; how many people they traveled with; how long they were on the Forest; what other recreation sites they visited while on the Forest; and how satisfied they were with the facilities and services provided. About a third of the visitors will also be asked to complete a confidential and voluntary survey on recreation spending during their trip. Frequent visitors may be asked to participate more than once over the course of the year.
The information gathered is used primarily for forest planning and is useful with local community tourism planning. It provides National Forest managers number of visits; kinds of activities; and how satisfied people are with their visit; and the economic impact of forest recreation visits on the local economy.
Surveys will be conducted through a contractor. National Visitor Use monitoring data collection will utilize road counters, trail counters and interviews conducted at recreation sites such as campgrounds, picnic areas, trails, roadsides and other locations. Survey sites will be clearly marked with large orange signs and cones.
For more information about the survey please click here.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
Thursday, October 2, 2014
"Mega Deals" at REI
With fall hiking season already in full gear, and winter just around the corner, you may be finding yourself in need of some new gear. If money's a little tight, you may want to check-out REI's current sale - which they're calling "Mega Deals at REI OUTLET".
Thru October 13th REI will be offering up to 70% off on a wide array of outdoor gear and apparel.
For more information simply click on the graphic Ad:
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
Thru October 13th REI will be offering up to 70% off on a wide array of outdoor gear and apparel.
For more information simply click on the graphic Ad:
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
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