Backpackers who frequent Grand Teton National Park
scored a partial victory in their fight to keep the backcountry
experience almost free.
When Park Superintendent
Jack Neckels unveiled an extensive backcountry fee program at a
recent meeting organized by the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance,
the audience of over 200 people vehemently protested. Many Jackson
residents told Neckels his proposal was discriminatory, unethical
and expensive.
“These backcountry fees are double
taxation,” said Jim McCarthy, former president of the American
Alpine Club. “We already pay a user fee when we pay the entrance
fee.”
Last year, Grand Teton started charging
$20 for a seven-day pass per car at park entrance stations as a
part of the federal Recreational Fee Demonstration Program (HCN,
10/13/97).
After the meeting, Neckels scaled back
the backcountry proposal. Beginning Jan. 1, the park will charge a
$15 advance reservation fee but no nightly charges. Neckels says
the fees will raise about $15,000 per year – down from $70,000 that
the original plan, which included per-night fees, would have
brought in.
“I think he did it for the right
reason, which is, he wants to step back and take an objective
look,” said Jackson Hole resident Mark Barry. “I’m pleased he heard
the public and listened to our concerns.”
Neckels will meet with other Greater Yellowstone
land managers in April to discuss a coordinated ecosystem-wide fee
system, a proposal local environmentalists like.
* Rachel Odell
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Keep the backcountry free.
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