[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 120 (Friday, June 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34477-34478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12136]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management, Interior

[MT-070-1220-FV]


Notice of Intent To Collect Fees on Public Land in Lewis and 
Clark County, Montana Under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 
Act (REA)

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to applicable provisions of the Federal Lands 
Recreation Enhancement Act, 16 U.S.C. 6801 et seq., the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM)'s Butte Field Office is proposing to begin collecting 
fees in the spring of 2008 at the White Sandy Recreation Site on Hauser 
Lake, Lewis and Clark County, Montana. (Township 11 N, Range 2 W, 
section 5).

DATES: The public is encouraged to participate during the public 
comment period that will expire 30 days after publication of this 
notice. Effective six months after the publication of this notice, the 
Bureau of Land Management, Butte Field Office will initiate final 
preparations to implement fees in the spring of 2008 at the White Sandy

[[Page 34478]]

Recreation Site, unless BLM publishes a Federal Register notice to the 
contrary. The Western Montana Resource Advisory Council (RAC) has 
reviewed the proposal to charge a fee at the White Sandy Recreation 
Site. Future adjustments in the fee amount will be modified in 
accordance with the Butte Field Office Recreation Fee Business Plan, 
consultation with the Western Montana Resource Advisory Council and 
other public notice prior to a fee increase.

ADDRESSES: Mail: Field Manager, Butte Field Office, 106 N. Parkmont, 
Butte, MT 59701.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Hotaling, Field Manager Butte 
Field Office, 106 N. Parkmont, Butte, MT 59701. (406) 533-7600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under section 3(g) of the REA, the White 
Sandy Recreation Site on Hauser Lake qualifies as a site wherein 
visitors can be charged an ``Expanded Amenity Recreation Fee.'' 
Visitors wishing to use the expanded amenities BLM has developed at the 
White Sandy Recreation Site (e.g. camping and picnic areas, boat 
launches, day use areas) could purchase a recreation use permit as 
described at 43 CFR part 2930. Pursuant to the REA and implementing 
regulations at 43 CFR subpart 2933, fees may be charged for day-use 
facilities, overnight camping, and group use reservations. Specific 
visitor fees will be identified and posted at the site. Fees must be 
paid at the self-service pay station located at the site. People 
holding the America The Beautiful--The National Parks and Federal 
Recreational Lands--Senior Pass (i.e. Interagency Senior Pass), a 
Golden Age Passport, the America The Beautiful--The National Parks and 
Federal Recreational Lands--Access Pass (i.e. Interagency Access Pass) 
or a Golden Access Passport will be entitled to a 50 percent fee 
reduction on all fees except group reservations.
    The White Sandy Recreation Site is a highly developed 30-unit 
campground and day-use site located along the Missouri River on Hauser 
Lake. The site is about 18 miles northeast of Helena, Montana, and is 
accessible via Interstate I-15, Highway 453 (Lincoln Road) and the 
Hauser Dam County Road. The BLM is committed to provide and receive 
fair value for the use of developed recreation facilities and services 
in a manner that meets public use demands, provides quality experiences 
and protects important resources. It is BLM's policy to collect fees at 
all specialized recreation sites or where the BLM provides facilities, 
equipment or services, at Federal expense, in connection with outdoor 
use. In an effort to meet increasing demands for services and 
maintenance of developed facilities, the BLM would implement a fee 
program for the White Sandy Recreation Site. Implementing a fee program 
at the White Sandy Recreation Site will help ensure that funding is 
available to maintain existing facilities and recreational 
opportunities, to provide for law enforcement presence, to develop 
additional services, and to protect resources. This entails 
communication with those who will be most directly affected by 
establishing fees at the White Sandy Recreation Site, for example, 
recreationists, other recreation providers, partners, neighbors, as 
well as those who will have a stake in solving concerns that may arise 
throughout the life of the White Sandy Recreation Site.
    Acquisition and development of the White Sandy Recreation Site is 
consistent with the 1984 Headwaters Resource Management Plan, and was 
analyzed in the White Sandy Recreation Site Development and Acquisition 
Project Environmental Assessment (EA) of December 2004 (No. MT-070-05-
06, DR/FONSI signed 12/15/04). Information concerning the proposed new 
fees is analyzed in that EA, which states that fees would be consistent 
with other established fee sites in the area and coordinated with other 
managing agencies, specifically, the Montana Department of Fish, 
Wildlife and Parks (MFWP). Future adjustments in the fee amount will be 
made in accordance with the Butte Field Office Recreation Fee Business 
Plan, consultation with the Western Montana Resource Advisory Council, 
and after other public notice.
    In December 2004, the REA was signed into law. The REA provides 
authority for 10 years for the Secretaries of the Interior and 
Agriculture to establish, modify, charge, and collect recreation fees 
for use of some Federal recreation lands and waters, and contains 
specific provisions addressing public involvement in the establishment 
of recreation fees, including a requirement that Recreation Resource 
Advisory Committees or Councils have the opportunity to make 
recommendations regarding establishment of such fees. The REA also 
directed the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to publish 
advance notice in the Federal Register whenever new recreation fee 
areas are established under their respective jurisdictions. In 
accordance with the BLM recreation fee program policy, the Butte Field 
Office Recreational Fee Business Plan explains the fee collection 
process, and outlines how the fees will be used at the White Sandy 
Recreation Site. BLM has notified and involved the public at each stage 
of the planning process, including the proposal to collect fees. The 
Western Montana Resource Advisory Council has reviewed the fee proposal 
as well. Fee amounts will be posted on-site and at the Butte Field 
Office. Copies of the Business Plan will be available at the Butte 
Field Office, 106 N. Parkmont, Butte, MT 59701 and the BLM Montana 
State Office, 5001 Southgate Drive, Billings, Montana 59101.
    The BLM welcomes public comments on this proposal. Before including 
your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal 
identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire 
comment--including your personal identifying information--may be made 
publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to 
withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 6803(b).

    Dated: June 1, 2007.
Rick Hotaling,
Field Manager, Butte Field Office.
[FR Doc. E7-12136 Filed 6-21-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-$$-P