White Sands National Park is planning new and enhanced amenities for visitors, including ranger-led hikes and a new astronomy program. To cover the cost, the National Park Service is proposing an amenity fee increase.
Proposed changes to the amenity fees would be implemented in Summer 2025.
Proposed fee changes:
| Activity | Current Fees Per Person | Proposed Fees Per Person |
| Moonlight Hike | Adult age 16 and older: $8.00 Youth age 15 and younger: $4.00 | Adult age 16 and older: $10.00 Youth age 15 and younger: $5.00 |
| Lake Lucero Tour | Adult age 16 and older: $8.00 Youth age 15 and younger: $4.00 | Adult age 16 and older: $10.00 Youth age 15 and younger: $5.00 |
| Starry Night Astronomy Program | None | Adult age 16 and older: $10.00 Youth age 15 and younger: $5.00 |
The proposed program amenity fee increases are based on comparable fees for similar services at nearby museums and land managing agencies.
Two programs will be offered beyond normal hours of operation, the Moonlight Hike, and the Starry Night Astronomy Program. The proposed amenity fee increases for these programs will provide for visitor and staff safety during the evening programs and while exiting the park.
The Lake Lucero Tour is offered in a remote location of the park. The proposed amenity fee increases will allow the park to provide for improved visitor and staff safety and visitor services.
The Starry Night Astronomy Program is a new program that will provide access to a highly requested resource at the park, the New Mexico night sky, that is currently unavailable to the public. The proposed amenity fee will ensure that the park can provide appropriate staffing and supplies required to offer a safe and positive visitor experience.
The Federal Lands and Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) authorizes the NPS to collect and retain revenue, in the form of entrance and amenity fees, and requires these funds to be used to enhance visitor experiences. Eighty percent (80%) of the fees collected at White Sands will remain at the park to fund projects that will allow the park to continue to provide a top-quality visitor experience and for visitor and staff safety and make site improvements for these amenities. The remaining twenty percent (20%) will be utilized agency wide.
The park invites and is accepting public comments from September 9, 2024, through October 24, 2024. Public scoping is a federal legal requirement that invites the public, local governments, and stakeholders in local communities to present comments to the National Park Service.
Your comments may be submitted through the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/WHSA_InterpTours. Written comments submitted by U.S. mail can be sent to Superintendent, White Sands National Park, PO Box 1086 Holloman AFB, NM 88330.
White Sands National Park wants to hear from you and values your input on the proposed amenity fee increases. The public feedback the park receives will be considered and help inform the decision to implement the fee changes.
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Comments
The Federal Lands and Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) authorizes the NPS to collect and retain revenue, in the form of entrance and amenity fees, and requires these funds to be used to enhance visitor experience
Yet, there's precious little evidence that the NPS (or USFS or BLM) uses these extra FLREA funds to actually enhance visitor experiences.
The Western Slope no-fee coalition used to do a good job of monitoring these FLREA abuses and failures, but sadly, has lost its leader and funding... apparently.
AJ, you're using your broad brush again.
I'll be near the front of the line in opposing these fees, believing Congress should be funding the projects these fees are paying for, but these fees have paid for campground improvements, trail work, museum exhibits, paving parking lots, even gone towards that new water line at Grand Canyon, and more.
If you're going to criticize the program, your argument would be stronger with some examples of wastefulness. I've spent five minutes to find examples of where the funds were used to improve the visitors' experience.
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2024/04/rocky-mountain-national-park-proposing-campground-fee-hike
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2023/09/fee-hikes-proposed-camping-backcountry-travel-death-valley-national-park
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2023/11/new-closures-coming-grand-canyon-national-park-pipeline-work
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/03/paving-project-mather-campground-grand-canyon-np-will-create-issues
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/12/congaree-national-park-boosting-camping-fees-cover-reservation-costs
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/08/great-smoky-mountains-announces-2023-fee-program-changes
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2021/08/fee-increases-proposed-hovenweep-natural-bridges-national-monuments
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2017/02/fort-union-national-monument-receives-funding-new-exhibits
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/12/congaree-national-park-boo...
This situation is indicative of my brush: Congeree NP explains why it's raising campground reservation fees and then touts PAST improvements! Huh? As I painted earlier, it's very difficult to determine how these increases are eventually used, and if one delves far enough, you find some convuluted explanation that cites PAST improvements like at Congeree.
As far as supporting my point, one can look over the Western Slope No Fee Coalition site to find how the implementation of these fees leads to well...nothing.
It would be great if someone could tract fee increases, the promises of using those FLREA fee increases for improvements, and whether the plans came to fruition. But I doubt the NPS (or USFS or BLM) gathers such information. In all likelihood, these FLREA funds eventually find their way into the general operation fund or capital construction fund for the park that too often have little to do with enhancing visitor experiences.
Or this story at White Sands indicates that the fees will be used to increase visitor and staff safety while exiting a park program. How? Is there a genuine safety issue for visitors that will be alleviated by the increased fee, or just another way to fund a law enforcement ranger? Is there an ombudsman that ensures the increased fee will go where promised? Typically, we never find out, do we?
Do you actually think one can trace FLREA funds to NEW visitor improvements at NPS properties?
AJ, at Congaree they clearly said the increase was due to the costs they have to pay recreation.gov.
As far as tracking whether the fees are used, it should be relatively easy by contacting individual parks and asking.
I also don't think it's surprising that parks point to past uses of FLREA funds. Pointing to proposed uses might not pan out for whatever reason.
We'll see if we can't shed more light on this matter. In the meantime, some past Traveler stories on these fees (the second one goes into more detail on how the fees are determined):
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2023/02/travelers-view-past-time-t...
https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2007/06/growth-amenity-fees-parks-0