The Royal Gorge Field Office is accepting public comment on a business plan designed to address maintenance costs associated with a rapidly increasing use of facilities operated and maintained by the Bureau of Land Management. The business plan proposes a new fee structure for the Bank, Sand Gulch, and Turtle Rock campgrounds. It also sets the structure for any future fees that may be implemented on BLM-managed lands within the Royal Gorge Field Office, including those recently identified in Chaffee County.

“We have seen record growth in the public’s use of these camp sites, which necessitates an increase in the resources to maintain them,” said Royal Gorge Field Office Manager, Keith Berger. “We truly have something special, and we take the long-term management of these areas seriously.”

For these and future sites designated for fees, the charge will be $20 per night for a basic campground, $10 per night for a primitive campground, and $10 per night for overflow camping.

The plan is available for review here: https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/permits-and-fees/business-plans.

Comments on the plan should be submitted via email to Kalem Lenard, Royal Gorge Field Office Assistant Field Manager, at jlenard@blm.gov, or by mail to BLM Recreation Office, 3028 E. Main Street, Cañon City, CO 81212. 

For public enquiries, contact Kalem Lenard, Royal Gorge Field Office Assistant Field Manager, at (719) 269-8538. For media enquiries, contact Levi Spellman, Public Affairs Specialist, BLM Rocky Mountain District Public Affairs, at (719) 269-8553.

Original source can be found here.