[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 91 (Thursday, May 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39636-39637]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10163]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_CA_FRN_MO4500174427]


Notice of New Recreation Fees on Public Lands in Humboldt, 
Trinity, and Shasta Counties, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of new recreation fees.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the 
Northern California District Office of the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) is providing notice that the Arcata Field Office, King Range 
National Conservation Area (NCA) is implementing a new Individual 
Special Recreation Permit (ISRP) fee for overnight use in the King 
Range Wilderness, and the Redding Field Office is implementing a new 
fee for overnight camping at Steiner Flat Campground and Ohl Olsen 
Campground.

DATES: The new fees at the King Range NCA and Ohl Olsen Campground will 
take effect November 12, 2024, and the new fees at the Steiner Flat 
campground will take effect when the upgrades listed in this notice are 
complete or November 12, 2024, whichever is later.

ADDRESSES: Please send comments to the BLM Northern California District 
Office, 6640 Lockheed Dr. Redding, California 96002, or by email at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Public Affairs Officer Joseph J. 
Fontana, telephone: 530-260-0189; email: [email protected]. Individuals 
in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have 
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to contact Mr. Fontana in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Fees help ensure that those who recreate on 
public lands make a greater, but reasonable, contribution toward 
protecting and enhancing those opportunities than those who do not 
utilize recreation opportunities. Information about the use of the fee 
revenues will be posted at one or more kiosks within the fee areas 
annually.

King Range NCA

    The BLM will implement a fee of $12 per person per overnight trip 
(maximum stay per trip is 14 days) in the King Range Wilderness. There 
will be no fee for children 16 and under and no fee for day use.
    The King Range NCA encompasses 68,000 acres of public lands along 
35 miles of coastline, draws people from all over the world to visit 
the ``Lost Coast'' of California, and offers one of the only coastal 
backpacking opportunities in the contiguous United States. Providing 
safety and trip planning support for visitors is important due to the 
unique safety issues associated with a coastal wilderness environment, 
including the influence of tides, waves, and storms.
    The King Range NCA is managed as a ``Special Area'' and is a 
component of the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System. Special 
Areas are defined as areas officially designated by statute, 
Presidential decree, or Secretarial order and include components of the 
National Wilderness Preservation System. The 2005 King Range NCA 
Resource Management Plan directed the BLM to establish visitor carrying 
capacities, a permit system, and a fee schedule for overnight 
backcountry use. Since 2017, overnight visitation in the King Range 
Wilderness has been managed with a free ISRP issued through 
www.recreation.gov.
    In accordance with the BLM recreation fee program policy, the King 
Range NCA developed a business plan in 2023 to establish future 
management goals and priorities to determine how the BLM intends to use 
fees to improve and maintain visitor services. As discussed in the 
business plan, the ISRP fee for overnight visitation in the King Range 
Wilderness is consistent with other established fee sites for similar 
areas. The BLM has notified and involved the public throughout this 
process and released the draft business plan for a public comment 
period from April 21 to May 22, 2023. The BLM presented the proposed 
project and the results of the public comment period to the Northern 
California Resource Advisory Council (RAC) on October 26, 2023. The RAC 
supported the fees as provided in the business plan.

Redding Field Office

    The BLM will implement a new $15 fee for overnight camping at 
Steiner Flat Campground, located near Douglas City, California, along 
the Trinity River. The campground will be upgraded to include the 
following amenities: toilets, trash service, increased park ranger and 
law enforcement presence, and campsites with campfire rings, tables, 
bear-proof food storage boxes, and tent pads. The upgraded amenities 
will help reduce environmental impacts and improve the experience for 
those using the site. Fees will begin when all the amenities are 
available in the campground or 6 months after this notice is published, 
whichever is later.
    Ohl Olsen Campground is a group-use campground near Shasta Lake 
City, California, in the Chappie-Shasta Off-Highway-Vehicle Area. The 
BLM will implement a new fee of $60 per night for the lower site 
(maximum of 30 people) and $80 per night for the upper site (maximum of 
50 people).
    In accordance with the BLM recreation fee program policy, the 
Redding Field Office finalized a business plan in 2023 to establish 
future management goals and priorities for the recreation fee program. 
As discussed in the business plan, the overnight camping fees for 
Steiner Flat Campground and Ohl Olsen Campground are consistent with 
other established fee sites for similar areas

[[Page 39637]]

and services. The BLM has notified and involved the public throughout 
this process and released the draft business plan for a public comment 
period from October 4 to November 2, 2021. The BLM presented the 
proposed project and the results of the public comment period to the 
Northern California RAC on October 26, 2023. The RAC supported the fees 
as provided in the business plan.

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

Elizabeth Meyer-Shields,
Deputy State Director, Natural Resources.
[FR Doc. 2024-10163 Filed 5-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-15-P