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Description
Recreation Fee Program: The Heritage Expeditions program is one of several pilot projects of recreation being conducted by the USDA Forest Service as a part of the fee program: Recreation Fee Demonstration project. Congress authorized this program in 1996 to test the feasibility of user-generated cost recovery for operating and maintaining recreation sites and public services. The test period will run for 3 years. Fees collected will be retained by the agency for protection and management of the fee areas instead of being returned to the Treasury.
Specifically, it allows for:
- The collection of "fees for admission to the area or for use of outdoor recreation sites, facilities, visitor centers, equipment and services..."
- Contracting with "any public or private entity to provide visitor services..."
- "Private investment and partnerships to enhance the delivery of quality customer services and resource enhancement."
Heritage Expeditions: Heritage Expeditions is a national fee demonstration project that potentially includes a wide range of individual projects on National Forests and Grasslands. Some may involve agreements with private tour providers and some will be run entirely internally. All focus on heritage experiences from rock art interpretation to retracing the steps of early American Explorers. Heritage Expeditions are recreation experiences focusing on education, interpretation, conservation, and enhancement of heritage resources on federal lands.
Expeditions may be proposed by the private sector, universities, or the Forest Service. They enhance private enterprise by adding value to traditional recreational activities. Instead of just selling a raft trip, river guides can sell a "learning vacation." The agency gains another opportunity to reach the public with conservation messages, and equally as important, to reach private outfitter guides who operate on public lands with the same message and encourage them to increase their business by focusing on resource conservation and user ethics.
How to Use This Tool
How Visitors Interact with Resources: The experience will vary depending on the type of project. With the two rock art expeditions, the public will visit prehistoric sites with professional archaeologists, where they will help record rock art panels, collect pigment samples for dating, and assist with restoration. They may also recreate rock art using traditional materials and techniques. During stabilization workshops, participants will have hands-on experience repairing and restoring damaged portions of historic structures under the supervision of a stabilization expert.
Visitor Experiences: Participants will experience soft-adventure white water river running and back country hiking and camping, combined with gourmet dining and lodging at resorts and high-quality education through lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on learning experiences.
Examples
During the first year (FY97), 3 pilot projects are planned. These include: 1) a whitewater river trip focusing on rock art in Hell's Canyon along the Oregon/Idaho border; 2) a resort-based rock art tour of the Umpqua River in Oregon; and 3) a series of building stabilization workshops based at an historic Forest Service station in Montana.
Contacts
Jill Osborn 208-373-4162, FAX 373-4111
Materials available include: National Business Plan, National Communications Plan, Questions and Answers.
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Funding
Education & Interpretation
Protection & Conservation
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