NPS Mission - National Park Service

National Park Service FY 2013 Budget Justifications
FLREA authorizes the NPS to retain all
recreation fee revenue, with a minimum of 60
percent retained at the collecting park. Parks
collecting under $500,000 in fees annually
retain 100 percent of what they collect. For
parks which collect over $500,000 annually,
National Park Service policy designates that a
park may retain 80 percent of their recreation
fee collections except when their annual
carryover balance exceeds 35 percent of their
gross revenue in that year. In those cases, the
collecting park is reduced to 60 percent
retention of funds in the next year and remains
at 60 percent until their carryover balances fall
below 35 percent of gross revenue. In FY
2011, no parks collecting over $500,000 failed
to meet the carryover target of less than 35
percent of fee revenues.
The fees not retained by the parks are
consolidated into a central discretionary
account and used for projects in other parks.
Parks compete for funding and proposed
projects are evaluated on a servicewide level.
Projects are chosen by the Director and must
be obligated within one year of selection.
RecFee-2
At a Glance…
NPS policies and processes have resulted in
improved reporting, efficiency, and accountability of
recreation fee revenues.
• To date, the NPS has obligated approximately
$2.1 billion in Recreation Fee dollars through the
end of FY 2011. The NPS restructured its
spending priorities and established more
proactive policies from 2009 to 2012 to improve
obligation rates.
• The obligation rate increased to 128 percent of
the gross revenue in FY 2011.
• Approximately 29 third party agreements with
select vendors have been established for sales of
the Interagency Pass.
• In 2011, a new customer service improvement
was implemented making lifetime passes
available through the mail and via a toll free
phone number.
In recent years, the NPS has made great strides in reducing the carryover balance in the recreation fee
program. The NPS obligated $222 million in fee receipts during FY 2011 for high priority projects, or
about 128 percent of annual gross revenue. The end of FY 2011 unobligated balance was $98 million; a
significant reduction of unobligated fee balances of $257 million at the end of FY 2008 and $217 million at
the end of FY 2009.
Fee receipts are also used to fund collection and program administrative costs. The Recreation Fee
Program provides central and regional office oversight and management of the fee program. FLREA
allows the expenditure of revenues to improve the program’s management and customer service through
fee management agreements, reservation services, direct operating, or capital costs. Legislation caps the
use of revenues for administration, overhead and indirect costs at 15 percent. By improving efficiencies
and monitoring expenses, the NPS has been able to reduce direct collection costs. There is, however, a
key relationship between revenue generated and collection cost percentages. Collection expenses are
paid for from the recreation fee funds retained at each park. Actual and estimated budgetary resources
for FY 2010 through FY 2012 are shown in the following table.
FLREA fee receipts are dependent upon a number of factors including visitation, gas prices, economic
impacts, tour and travel industry trends, weather, construction, new NPS initiatives and many other park
specific variables. The NPS continued to offer fee free days in 2011 as a good will gesture to the public
during the economic downturn. The publicity and positive public response prompted NPS Managers to
continue to offer additional fee free days in 2012. The dates chosen for 2012 include: Martin Luther King
holiday weekend January 14-16, National Park Week April 21-29, Get Outdoors Day June 9, National
Public Lands Day September 29 and Veterans Day Weekend Nov 10-12. Additionally the NPS expects to
keep its fee moratorium in place on new entrance fee increases in 2012 with only a few case by case
exceptions as approved the NPS Director.