Off Road: BLM making changes for rec users By IMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS STAFF
Thursday, April 3, 2008 11:04 PM PDT
There will be two major changes in the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area fee program next season, the Bureau of Land Management announced Thursday.
BLM will be soliciting bids for the administration of the fee program in the 2008-2009 season and beyond. Officials hope to have a contractor on board in early spring to ensure a seamless transition over the summer. Parties interested in bidding on this contract should visit the Federal Business Opportunities Web site at www.fbo.gov
The second change could impact how much you pay to recreate in the ISDRA. Off-site permit sales have been offered through the Internet, over the phone, at sand shows and from vendors for several years.
An estimated 86 percent of all visitors still wait to purchase their permits after they arrive. This causes unnecessary traffic in the dunes and diminishes the recreational experience of visitors, officials said. To create an incentive to purchase permits prior to arrival, the BLM and ISDRA Technical Review Team have developed a two-tiered plan.
During the 2008-2009 season, dunes permits will remain at the same price if purchased off-site. In other words, the permits will be $25 per week or $90 per season if purchased at a vendor outside the ISDRA, over the Internet, over the phone or at an off-highway vehicle show.
If a visitor chooses to purchase a permit upon arrival in the ISDRA, then it will cost $40 per week or $120 per season. This on-site adjustment will allow additional revenues to be allocated for the ever increasing expenses in the ISDRA. The on-site adjustment is comparable to fees charged in other locations like Dumont Dunes, Sand Mountain, Nev., and St. Anthony Dunes, Ind.
Officials said it is imperative that ISDRA visitors stay updated on the ever-changing situations by visiting the following Web sites:
If you have an account already, just enter your Member ID and Password to access this page.
If you're new to our site, please create a new account.
Register FREE
To use certain features of ivpressonline.com, you must register FREE on the form provided. The Imperial Valley Press’ use of any personally identifying information you provide as part of registration is governed by the following privacy policy:
ivpressonline.com does not, and will not, release your personal information to any third party without your consent. We may, however, share some of the information we gather, in aggregate or demographic form, with advertisers and other partners. That is, we may provide general information about ways people use our site without identifying any particular individuals.
The opinions above are from readers of ivpressonline.com and in no way represent the views of the Imperial Valley Press staff or Schurz Communications Inc.
ivpressonline.com encourages readers to offer their opinions on our local stories. We ask readers keep their comments on topic and avoid derogatory comments about fellow readers. Our goal is to promote a civil discussion about the news.
We will never edit or alter comments, but we do reserve the right to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain:
Subscribe Get the Imperial Valley Press every morning at your home or office. Start a subscription for your family, for yourself or give it to someone special. Click here.
Text Message AlertsReceive text message alerts on breaking news, latest updates, sports scores, offers and much more on your cellphone or PDA. Sign up here.
RegisterRegister free and start receiving email alerts on breaking news, a sneak preview of upcoming stories, reminders and much more. Click here to begin.
About UsWant to know more about the Imperial Valley Press? Want to contact us? Get general and contact information. Click here.
