Benefits of Fee Demo
Information provided by the US Forest
Service
| Benefits of Fee Demo | |
| With Fee Demo | Without Fee Demo |
| Scenic Area Visitor Center | |
| Increased visitor services (MLC note: Despite the fee demo, visitor services have decreased). | Decreased visitor services |
| Increased dollars into the local economy | Possible negative impacts to the local economy |
| Increased hours of operation: Oct. and May open daily (MLC note: Despite the fee demo, it was not open daily in May 2004) | Decreased hours of operation: Oct. and May open 5 days/week (no holidays) |
| Increased hours of operation: Nov.-April 5 days/week in 1998-1999 (no holidays) (MLC note: Also, the visitor services at the Lee Vining Ranger Station were consolidated with the SAVC to help keep it open longer in 1998-1999. In recent years it has been only open 3-4 days a week in winter.) | Decreased hours of operation: Weekends only (no holidays) (MLC note: Even with both the Fee Demo and consolidated Ranger Station visitor services, the SAVC is now only open on weekends (as of 1999).) |
| Increased hours of operation: Summer 9AM to 5:30PM (MLC note: despite the fee demo, it is only open until 4:30) | Decreased hours of operation: Summer 9AM to 4:30PM |
| Grounds and maintenance work | Very limited grounds and maintenance work |
| South Tufa | |
| Increased visitor services | No staffing at site |
| Increased resource protection | Decreased resource protection |
| Increased education | Decreased education |
| Increased visitor assistance | Decreased visitor assistance |
| Interpretation and Education | |
| 326 naturalist programs for over 6,000 people were presented in 1998. Tours at Panum Crater, Lundy Canyon, Bennettville, June Lake Campgrounds, and patio talks at the Scenic Area Visitor Center were presented by the Forest Service. Three tours daily at South Tufa were presented in partnership with the Tufa State Reserve, the Mono Lake Committee and the Forest Service. | Reduced to campground programs, star talks, and South Tufa tours only. (MLC note: Despite the fee demo, campground programs and star talks have been eliminated. The Fee Demo has no effect on programs provided by the Mono Lake Committee and the Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve). |
| Over 1,000 students, primarily from the Eastern Sierra, attended educational programs presented in partnership with the Tufa State Reserve, the Mono Lake Committee, and the Forest Service. | Reduced school programs. (MLC note: as the Forest Service has decreased its school programs, the Mono Lake Committee and the Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve have taken over where possible). |
| Projects | |
| Restoration exhibit at SAVC | Emphasis would be on searching for project funding, with questionable project completion. |
| Exhibit repair at SAVC | |
| Mill and Wilson Creeks monitoring | |
| Trailwork on nature trail at SAVC | |
| Mono Basin Fee Demo Public Meetings 7/12/99, 9/22/99 | |
MLC Note: This information was provided to the Mono Lake Committee by the US Forest Service and has been posted here for your convenience; it does not necessarily represent the views of the Mono Lake Committee.
Back to "Why the Change in Fees?"
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