Assabet River NWR Final CCP - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

General Refuge Management
Chapter 4: Management Direction
The following management direction applies to various refuge goals and
across program areas. Some of this direction is required by Service policy
or legal mandates. Refuge management is organized by topic area.
Refuge Access and Fees
The Complex will charge an entrance fee at the Oxbow and Assabet River
NWRs, and at the Concord impoundments of Great Meadows NWR, and a
user fee for hunting on the Complex. Our fee program will be established
under the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program (Fee Demo Program),
a program which Congress initiated in 1997 to encourage Department of
Interior agencies that provide recreational opportunities to recover costs
for their public use facilities, improve visitor facilities, promote activities for
visitors and address the maintenance backlog of visitor service projects
(USFWS 1997a). Congress re-authorized the Fee Demo Program in 2004
for 10 years. The Fee Demo Program requires at least 70% of revenue
remain at the collection site. Currently, 80% of the funds raised from user
fees on a particular refuge in this region stay at the refuge. The other 20%
is sent to the region to be distributed to other refuges. No more than 15%
of the fees collected can be used for fee collecting or fee collection systems.
The Complex has received money from these regional funds in previous
years for public use facilities. If the program does become permanent, the
percent of revenue remaining on site could change, however it will never be
less than 70% and could be as much as 100%. Visitors with a current duck
stamp, Golden Eagle Pass, Golden Age Pass or Golden Access Pass do not
have to pay entrance fees.
The following entrance fee program will be initiated at the Complex.
• A one day entrance fee will be charged per car or per group if arriving
via foot or bicycle. Our proposed fee will be $4 per day.
• An annual pass for three refuges in the Complex (Assabet River, Great
Meadows and Oxbow) will be available for $12.
• Daily entrance fees will be collected by refuge staff stationed on site or
at self-service fee collection stations.
• Self-service fee collection stations will likely consist of a secure box with
envelopes to register and pay the daily or annual fee.
• We will attempt to make purchase of the annual pass available by fax
and on-line. The pass will also be available at the Refuge
Headquarters.
The following Hunting Permit Fee Program will be implemented in
conjunction with the hunting program described earlier in this chapter.
• We will charge an annual fee of $20 for a hunting permit. This permit
will be valid for all unrestricted hunting seasons open on the Northern
refuges (Assabet River, Great Meadows, and Oxbow NWRs). Hunters
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