Just posting the actual numbers for Visual effect.

Total

You would think they would eliminate things and stay within a budget.............amazing. The budget should be based on the most recent season, not 5 years ago.

anyway you cut it, we pay more for less.

$60.00 for out of towners to come to the dunes for a weekend since they most likely can not buy passes where they live!

now you know why they wrote so many bs tickets last season.
they had to show that they needed all those positions.
Now they are poised to justify a fee increase over a reduction in 'services' (unnecessary-enforcement)

The whole pass system is anyways.

Even this season when I went to 4 different offsite locations that were supposed to have passes...ONLY sold the yearly.


I miss the Machines.
They were there 24/7 and were simple to use.

Where exactally is this upcoming meeting going to be held? it says that the Meeting Information: The Recreation RAC is holding a meeting on May 13, 2009 at the Region 5 Regional Office located at 1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA

time to Google this address to see if I can make it there...

367 miles from lancaster.

it's not like going to San Diego, doesn't look like i'll be attending that meeting.. Well 6 1/2 days left to make noise and make sure they know our views

They will always find a way to increase fees.If this keeps up i guess i will spend more time with other hobbies.The weekend user fees are what hurts the ones who go here and there.IMO i'd rather go to pismo and spend 7-10 bucks a night to camp vs 60 bucks for a weekend.

They ought to consider nightly fees vs forcing you to buy the weekly so called deal.Ones who are from out of town who might have to drive in the area and only a have a day to ride get REAMED WITH NO LUBE!!

I say counterfeit passes will be on the rise !
I have heard they have already had problems, and now they want fifty more snaps,
Just sayin.

Its all B.S !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TTT

If this shows true, they better have a new wash road immediately.

Don't you mean create budget to pay the out of town LEO's overtime, hotel rooms and per diem?

According to ASA email I just got...the fee increase is on hold.....its a start.

On May 7, 2009 members of the ASA board along with representation from the United Desert Gateway(UDG) met with BLM Desert District Manager, Steven Borchard, and his staff to discuss issues addressed in earlier email to the membership regarding the pending fee increase at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (ISDRA).

What is important to note is that the BLM initiated this meeting. Mr. Borchard felt it was important for us to sit down together and discuss face to face what our concerns are and what together we can do to resolve them. This meeting did confirm to ASA that the BLM is, and continues to be, a strong and committed partner. We do have some challenges to work through but we are confident we can do that.

We would like to highlight two very important outcomes from our meeting. The BLM has decided to NOT present a fee increase proposal to the RRAC at this time. Mr. Borchard felt that the public participation requirements outlined in the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) have not been sufficiently fulfilled. He firmly believes that a robust, interactive, and open dialogue between all stakeholders and constituents must happen before the BLM can present a proposal to the RRAC with any degree of confidence.

Any future proposed fee increase will be communicated to the public and public input will be received before the proposal is submitted to the RRAC for approval. It is anticipated that some level of fee increase will still be required for the 2009-2010 dune season.

Another important outcome is that we have commitment from the BLM Desert District management to get the Dunes subgroup quickly transitioned from its former TRT designation. The first order of business for the subgroup will be to develop a revised fee collection program for the Dunes. By tasking the subgroup, we can be assured that public input will be a critical part of the development of that program.

Numerous other items were discussed along with resolutions, all of which assures us that we do have a productive, working dialogue with the BLM Desert District. It will take the kind of commitment we observed today from the BLM to help us work through the many issues and concerns facing the ISDRA. Be assured that your ASA Board will keep the communication lines open with the BLM and keep you advised of issues important to the dune users.

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God bless the ASA...



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I'm sure glad I sent my email oppossing this Fee Increase.


Some folks actually think that the dunning community does not have a voice.





Well....NOT taking action of any sort is simply bending over and accepting what they'll give you.

No Thanks.



This is great news.

Thank you aSa and UDG.


Now can someone please provide more info on the Dunes Sub-Committee?

Information on the DAC Sub-Group formation.

DAC Sub-Group

River, thanks for posting that up..you da man!!

And thank you to every one of you who took the time to send emails, make a phone call, etc. As a community, we must stay involved, otherwise, we'll have no one to blame but ourselves.

That said, please do not think this issue is "dead" and that things aren't going to change. The budget, and the fees that pay that budget, and how those fees are collected are real. This is not the BLM saying they give up, and won't increase fees. They realize they are bound by law to take and consider public input from the users who pay those fees, and that this did not happen here. I'm sure it took Mr. Borchard some serious fortitude to make the right decision, and I believe it shows they want to be good partners. This is real progress, as I'm certain that just a couple years ago, they would have simply pushed this through, and that would be that.

We will now have to do our part...when we are given the opportunity to comment on their proposals, we will need to take a serious look from both sides, and make some tough personal decisions, and most important of all, let them know what we think...good and bad. I personally will always advocate from a zero fee position, and I expect the BLM to be somewhere above that. I think we'll hit the proper number when neither extreme is particularly happy with the outcome.

Stay tuned..more to come!!!

Just copy and pasted the e-mail. No big.

What I really want to see is the itimized budget for last year, and the one they propose for this year. Jason said that Mr. Holiday would have that info, and I could get it thru e-mail from him. IF you could get this info, my self, and I'm sure others, would like to see it as well.

To write an informed letter/opionion on this, I feel the need to see those numbers.

Thanks in advance for the help!

I have to admit, I'm surprised the BLM decided to give the appearance of following protocol.

I still don't think the BLM will be negotiating the amount of the fee increase based on any letters submitted, but at least they appear to be following the proper procedures. I suppose not doing so would have left them open to future lawsuits. I sincerely hope there is no fee increase, or if there is, it is minimal.

Will FED passes work at Glamis?



And:





Seems like the FED pass ($80 per year) should actually cover BLM sites like OUR Glamis dunes

Nope.


This is why:



There is no entrance or standard amenity fee charged at the dunes. In order to charge such a fee the BLM would have to provide "campgrounds" which include things like fixed grills, shade structures, picnic areas, showers and other ammenities that thankfully do not exist in the dunes.

The fee charged at the dunes is a Special Recreation Permit for motorized recreation. If you're not taking part in motorized recreation at the dunes then you DO NOT need a pass. That is the only thing the BLM is allowed to charge for at the dunes and one of the reasons why this proposed fee increase has run into trouble - the way the BLM is collecting the fees is on questionable ground legally since they are NOT authorized to charge any kind of entrance fee but are treating the SRP's as an entrance fee through the way they are enforcing them.

The benefit of this is that the fees the BLM charges all stay in the dunes (other than the overly large but legal percentage spent to collect the fees) while the fees for the "America the beautiful" passes end up going into a big federal piggy bank and seldom find their way back to the places they were collected.

Let's see:

$20k for sand rail
$30k for toy hauler
$35k for truck to haul toyhauler
$6k for upgrade to wife so she looks good in desert t-shirt
$5k miscellaneous - beer, ice, food, beer, maintenance, firewood, band-aids, poker money, more beer and a couple bottles of jack, rubber duck
$2k gas for season
$100 some LEO ticket for something

Holy freekin heck - they raised it $50 bucks for a pass? g-d it, I'm out.