U.S. plans new pass for public lands
Federal officials are creating a new pass that will allow visitors to use national parks, national forests and public lands without paying separate fees.
The America the Beautiful pass, set to go on sale in 2007, will cover lands managed by the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Forest Service.
Officials say they have not set a price for the pass, but it will be free to those who are disabled and carry a onetime $10 fee for seniors older than 61.
The pass was mandated by legislation passed in the 2005 federal appropriations bill that gave federal agencies a 10-year authority to charge fees to access national forests and other public lands. Opponents charged that the government should not collect fees to access public lands already funded with taxpayer dollars.
-- Charles Duhigg
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
