The U.S. Forest Service is proposing to add new recreation fees at two sites on the Croatan National Forest and the public is invited to provide input to proposed new fees for 60 days ending on August 22.
The goal of these changes is to establish a consistent fee approach for the National Forests in North Carolina and to improve visitor experiences through site upgrades paid for by the collected fees.
These fee changes are only proposed. After public comment is received, the Forest will assess the comments and concerns and then present the fee proposals to the Southern Region Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (RRAC) at a future date.
“The Croatan National Forest provides an amazing diversity of outdoor recreational opportunities, including access to water, campgrounds, trails, and day-use areas,” said Ron Hudson, District Ranger on the Croatan Ranger District. “As part of an agency-wide strategy to ensure these great recreational opportunities are available for years to come, the Forest Service is proposing fees for the Cedar Point Day Use Area and Flanners Beach Day Use Area.”
The proposed fee changes are:
-Cedar Point Day Use Area – new $5/vehicle per day or new $30 annual pass*
-Flanners Beach Day Use Area – new $5/vehicle per day or new $30 annual pass*
*Fee is waived for visitors that have paid for a campsite at either Cedar Point or Flanners Beach Campgrounds during their duration of stay. The full suite of Interagency Passes would be honored.
In 2004, Congress passed the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) which allows the Forest Service to retain funds collected at certain recreation sites and used these funds locally to operate, maintain, and improve these sites. The resource derived through collection of fees helps provide quality recreation opportunities that meet the modern expectations of visitors and creates a more financially sustainable developed recreation program for the benefit of future generations.
Under REA, all new fees and any fee changes must be proposed to and approved by a citizen’s advisory committee. Committee members represent a broad array of recreation interest groups to help ensure that the Forest Service is proposing reasonable and publicly acceptable new fees and fee changes.
The public is invited to comment on the proposed fee changes by August 22nd, 2023. For more information visit our webpage at www.fs.usda.gov/goto/nfsnc/recfeeproposals. To provide comments about this fee proposal for the RRAC to consider, please comment online at our Recreation Fee Proposal Mapping Tool or contact Logan Free at 828-257-4256, by email or by mail at: ATTN: Recreation Fee Proposals, 160A Zillicoa St., Asheville, NC 28801.
By U.S. Forest Service