".....And now news on some key fronts:
Recreation Fee Demonstration Program
An unlikely alliance of liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives tried to remove the provision in the Interior appropriations bill that extended the program for two more years. We worked closely with program supporters, both in Congress and the Executive Branch, to defeat this effort. We were successful - by a wide margin. However, this episode offers lessons that should not be ignored. We plan to work with the federal agencies to help identify and eliminate reasons for strong localized opposition to the program.
Infrastructure Initiative
ARC is working on another way to improve recreation facilities and services on public lands: our infrastructure improvement initiative. The concept, which is still in the drafting stage, has several facets, including a demonstration program to encourage the use of private funds to build, upgrade and replace facilities like campgrounds and marinas, thus freeing up appropriated dollars for services like trail maintenance and interpretation.