1). More Innovation and Better Coordination Can Improve Visitor Services

Being innovative is an important goal of the fee demonstration program. While some of the sites surveyed experimented with innovative types of fees and fee collection methods, room for improvement exists— particularly in the area of fee collection and coordination. 2). 3). According to fee-demonstration program managers, the agencies have shared information on best practices through informal methods such as attendance at conferences and email communications. Second, 80 percent of fees collected must be used at the site where they were collected, and thus, sites that collect most of the revenue use it to meet their local needs even if these needs are minor in comparison with those at other locations where funding is not as plentiful. Recommendations for Executive Action

In order to improve the performance and effectiveness of the program, we recommend that the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture require the agency head for each of the participating agencies to   develop specific program performance expectations and measurable performance criteria agencywide and for each participating site;   develop and implement a process for conducting systematic evaluations of the program to identify which fee designs, collection methods, and coordination practices work best; and to disseminate the information to all participating sites; and   develop an effective interagency mechanism to oversee and coordinate the program among the four agencies and resolve such interagency issues as developing standard definitions of “entrance” versus “user” fees. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

To determine the extent to which the National Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service used innovative fees and fee collection practices and coordinated their approaches in managing the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program, we developed an automated survey instrument that we posted on GAO’s Web site.
What GAO Found

Congress authorized the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program to help federal land management agencies provide high-quality recreational opportunities to visitors and protect resources. The program focuses on recreational activities at the following four land management agencies: the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Forest Service. Under the fee demonstration program, participating agencies can collect fees at several sites and use them to (1) enhance visitor services, (2) address a backlog of needs for repair and maintenance, and (3) manage and protect resources. The agencies applied "entrance fees" for basic admission to an area and "user fees" for specific activities such as camping or launching a boat. Under the law, 80 percent of program revenue must be used at the site where it was collected. The rest may be distributed to other sites that may or may not be participating in the demonstration program. Some of the sites GAO surveyed experimented with innovative fee designs and collection methods, such as reducing fees during off-peak seasons and allowing visitors to use credit cards, but room for additional innovation exists, particularly in the areas of fee collection and coordination. The agencies also need to make improvement in three program management areas: evaluating their managers' performance in administering the fee program, developing information on which fee-collection and coordination practices work best, and resolving interagency management issues.