National Park Service hosting open houses on mountaineering use fee

DENALI NATIONAL PARK — The National Park Service (NPS) is examining approaches to recover more of the cost of the mountaineering program in Denali National Park and Preserve. As part of the public involvement process, the NPS is hosting two public open houses in December and two in January to provide information on the mountaineering program and how the special mountaineering use fee is used. The cities, dates, locations and times of local open houses are:

• Talkeetna: Dec. 7, Talkeetna Ranger Station, 5 to 7 p.m.

• Anchorage: Dec. 8, REI 1200 W. Northern Lights Blvd., 5 to 7 p.m.

Park staff will give two 20-minute presentations on the mountaineering program and fee at each open house, beginning at 15 minutes after the hour. Official public testimony will not be taken, but park staff will be available before and after the presentations to provide additional information and answer questions.

Each climber of Mount McKinley and Moujnt Foraker pays a cost recovery mountaineering use fee of $200. Income from this special use fee funds some of the cost of the mountaineering program, including preventative search and rescue (PSAR) education, training for rescue personnel, positioning of patrol/rescue personnel (including volunteers) at critical high-altitude locations on the mountain, the CMC (human waste) program and administrative support. Since the cost recovery fee was implemented in 1995, the number of fatalities and major injuries has decreased significantly. This is directly attributable to the increased educational and PSAR efforts made possible through the cost recovery program.

When the special use fee was initially established, it covered about 30 percent of the cost of this specialized program. Even though the fee was increased from $150 to $200 in 2005, current fee revenue only covers 17 percent of the cost. McKinley/Foraker climbers make up less than one-half of 1 percent of the park’s visitors, and in 2011 Denali will expend approximately $1,200 in direct support of each permitted climber. The average cost for all other visitors is expected to be about $37. In recent years, the park has diverted funds from other critical park programs in order to fully fund the mountaineering program. This has negatively impacted funding available for interpretation, wildlife protection, resource management, and maintenance.

The NPS is seeking input and ideas regarding two key questions:

• Is the current mountaineering program the most cost effective, efficient and safe program we can devise?

• How much of the cost should be recovered from users and what options are there for how these costs can be distributed?

Comments from the public will be accepted through Jan. 31, 2011. Comments may be submitted via e-mail to: DENA_mountainfeecomments@nps.gov or faxed to 683-9612. They may also be sent to: Superintendent, Denali National Park and Preserve, P.O. Box 9, Denali Park, AK 99755.