State park patrons deserve some answers before big fee increases
Ichallenge and quibble with the proposal to drastically hike fees that visitors pay at state parks. That said, I am willing to pay more, but not the proposed rates.
Over the past 15 years, my wife and I have spent scores of nights at state parks. We love it. We have a small RV.
First, and especially significant, I want to point out that the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, created in 2023, has a hoped-for kitty of $350 million, some of which is to be spent on state parks.
This year, 2024, some $50 million of that fund is to be spent. Information I found online says the fund is to be used “for outdoor recreation and infrastructure.”
The intent of the fund is to grow the state’s “outdoor recreation economy.” Knowing such information – that such a huge sum of money exists for state parks — one might even suggest that the state eliminate park use fees. Of course, that won’t happen.
Must of the information I found for the article you are reading I found online on state websites and in past issues of the Albuquerque Journal.
Recently, I booked four nights at RV site No. 9 at Villanueva State Park. The total fee was $28, which included the park fee and the Reserve America fee of $12. The fee I pay is discounted because every year I pay $100 for a senior citizen annual camping pass.
Based on how I interpret the proposed new fee structure, the park fee for four nights at Villanueva would skyrocket to $200, which includes $20 per night for a campsite and $10 per night for water and $10 per night for electricity and $10 per day to dump wastewater. That’s an increase of more than 700%.
I found those figures in a PowerPoint image shown in a 2-hour, 15-minute video that I found on the website of the state’s Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department. On the video, state officials discussed and explained, in detail, their reasons for proposing higher fees for park users.
I must point out that I suspect those higher figures online are not accurate, yet were part of the video I watched in early April.
I also will say that the current fee structure is an incredible bargain and that higher fees can be justified, and that I am willing to pay more to visit state parks.
My beef is that the proposed rates are excessive.
Earlier this year, I and hundreds of other state park visitors wrote memos to state park officials to express our viewpoints. Those emails can be read at the Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department website.
Also: Campers now do not pay a fee to dump wastewater they collect while staying at a state park campsite. A fee to dump, I fear, would encourage some campers to depart from their campsite with full tanks of wastewater, and then finding an isolated spot along a road somewhere and dumping.
Also, will there be a padlock on the lid of the dumpsite? Who would have a key? Who would collect the “poop fee?” It would be a nightmare. Also, not every state park has a wastewater dump site.
Also: The fact that only four states, according to information from EMNRD, sell an annual camping pass is not reason enough to justify eliminating New Mexico’s pass. To me, the pass is a generous perk offered to New Mexicans. Figures collected by state park officials say sales of the annual camping pass generated $862,500 in revenue. Eliminating that source of revenue makes no sense.
Also: Is there a list of improvements envisioned for each state park that would be funded by higher fees? If yes, where can it be seen? If not, there should be such a list. Would there be a schedule for doing such work?
Also: What percentage of new fees would go to administrative expenses? And what percentage would go to park improvements and maintenance?
Also: Were state park visitors surveyed about higher fees during their visits to the parks? I suspect not. No one asked me.
Also: Some RV owners actually live in state parks in their RV, full-time. Existing rules prohibit that, saying a park visitor may spend a maximum of 14 days at a campsite. After 14 days, the visitor must vacate the site.
This measure is not enforced rigorously, based on my observations. This should be a law enforcement issue, carried out by the park rangers who patrol our parks. Campground hosts could alert the park rangers to violators. Again, our parks are for recreation, not for semi-permanent residency.
Also: One of the proposals would eliminate the day-use fee. It’s a mere $5. Is there data that shows that park use would go up, or down, if park entry was free? Information available online says the state has no data showing how much day-use revenue is collected or even how many day-use visitors there are. Seriously?
Also: What about reducedrate camping fees for senior citizens?
In conclusion, I believe that the leadership of the state Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department and of the state House and Senate, and even the Governor’s Office, owe answers to visitors of New Mexico’s state parks before drastically higher fees can be justified.