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Fee Increase at Shelf Road

Original Post
Kitty Benzar · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 0

The BLM wants to increase camping fees at Shelf Road Recreation Area (near Canon City) by 250% from $4 to $10. Their "Business Plan" is posted at
blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/rgfo/Re…

In the plan, dated April 2009, they say they are going to solicit public comment by posting at Mountain Project. Can anyone tell me whether they ever did that?

Does the climbing community know about this, and if so what is the general opinion?

Looking for feedback so I can write informed comments for the Colorado Recreation Resource Advisory Committee, which will have to approve the increase for it to go forward. Thanks.

Jon Cheifitz · · Superior/Lafayette, Co · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 90

You can find info on the original topic here.
mountainproject.com/v/color…

and

mountainproject.com/v/color…

however, I do not know what this all amounted to. I have not been down to shelf in a while.

-Jon

Bapgar 1 · · Out of the Loop · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 90

There was a bunch of posts related to this topic when it first happened a year ago. I haven't heard or seen(at Shelf) anything since then...?
cheers,
BA

Kitty Benzar · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 0

Thanks for those prompt replies. Exactly the information I was looking for.

As an update, the BLM's Shelf Rock fee increase proposal must be reviewed by the Colorado Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (RecRAC), and they cannot by law recommend approval unless there is "documentation of general public support." From reading the forums you pointed me to, it looks like there is pretty general opposition to the magnitude of the increase, less so to raising it by a lesser amount. Is that fair?

Currently the Committee does not have their next meeting scheduled because there are so many open seats they can't muster a quorum. They are seeking applications - perhaps someone from Mountain Project would like to join? Currently climbers are not represented.
Info at
fs.fed.us/r2/recreation/rra…

Even though the RecRAC doesn't have a meeting scheduled, they have posted Shelf Rock as a "future proposal" at the above site under Meetings Home Page, so it looks like it will be on the next agenda whenever that happens.

I will be submitting comments to the RecRAC on behalf of the Western Slope No-Fee Coalition, and most likely attending the meeting in person. More about my organization at WesternSlopeNoFee.org

Thanks again for the info.

Kitty Benzar · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 0

Yikes I just realized it's Shelf ROAD not Shelf ROCK. But I guess you knew what I meant. Sorry.

JasonT · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 250

Your name is Kitty so we let it go and didnt say anything. We understand.

Derek Lawrence · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 695
Kitty Benzar wrote:From reading the forums you pointed me to, it looks like there is pretty general opposition to the magnitude of the increase, less so to raising it by a lesser amount. Is that fair?
From talking to my friends and from what I've also seen here - Yes. Other thoughts that have been mentioned (which I dont know if the committee has any say over) is the addition of sites to both campgrounds, and an additional pit toilet at each campground. Lately the campgrounds seem to spill over on popular weekends so the need seems to be there.
kirra · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 530

kitty thanks for writing that letter and for your time

I seems to remember one of the rationals for raising the rates were to keep on par with other camping areas. Shelf's unique appeal to the majority of folks is obviously climbing. Raising rates for *improvements* is not a good idea for many reasons imo. Parks that build in higher maintenence costs sometimes have to close as a result of people going elsewhere in a bad economy

I may possibly head down there this weekend, pm me if you want to hook-up

cheers ~

Kitty Benzar · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 0

The RecRAC meetings are open to the public and always have some time set aside for public comments. I'll post a message here when the date of the next meeting is announced, and hopefully some climbers can attend to speak for themselves. I will make sure that printouts of all the comments posted to Mountain Project forums are part of the record, so that those who can't attend will be heard anyway.

loc · · colorado springs co · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 125

stop going to shelf then simple as that. i still be down there. i love that place.

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

camped at the campground (bank) this last weekend, and i was pretty blown away by how cheap it was. $4 for a campsite per night, shared between 2 couples (2 cars). wow. that would be $20 in a lot of places i have been the last few years.

nice layout, flat, nice table, junipers providing decent privacy. i had not been down there in several years, and we had a great time. just need to get my fingertips back in shape and get down there some more.

Kitty Benzar · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2010 · Points: 0

Here is an update on the Shelf Road camping fee increase. The BLM admits to getting negative feedback about the magnitude of the proposed increase from $4 to $10, so they modified the proposal to be $7. But they have not gone back out to the public for comments about that, so the proposal as currently formulated has really not had any chance for public input at all.
In their current proposal they say "Approximately one half of the comments received opposed the proposed amount."
I've learned it's always important to ground-truth statements like that, so I filed a Freedom of Information Act request to see the actual verbatim comments. Last week they complied and I received what I asked for. They sent me 41 public comments, of which two were not relevant to the topic. Then I did my own count and produced a summary chart.
Of the 39 relevant comments, 22 (56%) thought the increase was excessive. And here's what they left out: 13 commenters opposed any increase at all! So altogether 35 of the 39 comments (89%) opposed either any increase at all or the size of the increase. The verbatim comments and my summary chart have been posted at the Western Slope No Fee Coalition website, here's the link to that page.
I'm also wading into the financials they posted and finding that they are full of interesting information. Like the fact that at current fee levels the Shelf Road campgrounds are actually turning a profit. It looks like they want this increase mainly so that they can shunt their appropriated funding elsewhere instead of spending it at Shelf Road.
No word yet on when the advisory committee will meet, but I'll post it here when they announce it.

Phil Lauffen · · Innsbruck, AT · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 3,098

Wow. Way to do some investigative reporting!

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520
"At current fee levels the Shelf Road campgrounds are actually turning a profit."

This bears repeating.
Casey Flynn · · Boulder, CO · Joined May 2006 · Points: 140

Hi Kitty,

Thanks for doing all this research and keeping us posted. I love Shelf, and it is a pleasure to be able to camp at a nice campground without prohibitive fees pushing me elsewhere, and so close to the climbing.

Please keep us updated as the process continues.

Casey

kirra · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 530
Kitty Benzar wrote:"Approximately one half of the comments received opposed the proposed amount." ....And here's what they left out: 13 commenters opposed any increase at all! So altogether 35 of the 39 comments (89%) opposed either any increase at all or the size of the increase.
impressive ~nice work thanks..!

(ahemmm... so which slimeball blm person enhanced the exec-report-verbage from the responses -and WHY?? -is salary dependent upon office location &/or bottom line, I thought this was a govt. job-?)
Ben Walburn · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 680

Once again, thank you to those who have the time and resources to follow up on these issues. :-)

Monomaniac · · Morrison, CO · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 17,295

Does anybody know if the Shelf camping fees are still $4/night?

Alvaro Arnal · · Aspen, CO · Joined May 2010 · Points: 1,535
Monomaniac wrote:Does anybody know if the Shelf camping fees are still $4/night?
I was there 3 weeks ago and it was still $4/night.
Monomaniac · · Morrison, CO · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 17,295

Danke!

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Colorado
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