BLM to collect overnight camping fees in Uncompahgre field office; day-use charges deferred amid public concern

The Bureau of Land Management(BLM) said it will implement a proposed $12-per-night fee for overnight camping at developed campgrounds in the Uncompahgre Field Office and defer a controversial $4-per-person day-use fee after public comment and internal review.

Dan Ben Horan, a BLM representative with the Uncompahgre Field Office, briefed the Ouray County Board of County Commissioners during a Feb. work session on the agency—s recreation business plan for the field office. "We're only gonna implement that overnight camping portion of it," Ben Horan said of the fee proposal, adding that the BLM had included the day-use fees in a Federal Register notice but would not put them into effect immediately.

The business plan covers developed recreation sites in the field office (excluding the Dominguez-Escalante and Gunnison Gorge national conservation areas). Ben Horan identified the Ridgeway Area Trails (RAT) as the primary developed day-use site within Ouray County. The BLM had proposed three elements: the $12 overnight camping fee; a $4 per-person day-use fee at developed day-use sites meeting certain amenity thresholds; and a $20-per-year annual pass to cover day-use sites agency-wide. The annual pass would not cover overnight camping.

Ben Horan said the day-use fee component drew strong public opposition during an August—September comment period and that the agency expects public confusion about jurisdiction and enforcement. "We have one law enforcement ranger for the entire 800,000 acres," he said, noting the BLM would rely heavily on voluntary compliance and partnerships if day-use fees were ever adopted.

Commissioners and BLM staff discussed local effects at the RAT: commissioners warned that motorists might simply park along the county road instead of using the official lot if day-use fees were collected, and they described logistical and enforcement challenges tied to mixed jurisdiction along the roadside. Ben Horan said BLM will track revenue from overnight fees first to determine whether that funding stream can be used to expand maintenance capacity and to inform future public processes on day-use charges.

Funding and maintenance remain core issues. Ben Horan said the field office has a dedicated trails staffer whose salary is partly supported by recreation fees; motorized trail maintenance receives funding from Colorado—s OHV sticker program. He said the office relies heavily on volunteers for trail work and that some routine tasks, such as bathroom cleaning and snow removal on boardwalks, are difficult to fund and to provide quickly.

Commissioners and attendees raised specific maintenance concerns at local sites: snow removal for the RAT boardwalk, which is damaged when heavy municipal equipment is used, and trash and illegal shooting at an isolated BLM parcel northwest of Ridgeway. Ben Horan said that for some hazard-prone cleanup sites BLM now must contract professional remediation services because of lead and hazardous-material risks, which adds cost and creates a recurring clean-up cycle for parcels close to town.

Ben Horan also told commissioners that where informal shooting sites are heavily used and repeatedly trashed, BLM is exploring whether creating a developed, managed shooting range with amenities could reduce dumping and unsafe activity. He noted recent federal funding opportunities for developed ranges through the Dingle Act (2019) and the EXPLORER Act, which could provide grant funding for formalized shooting facilities.

Ben Horan said other planning efforts in the region include a campground proposal near Electric Hills (NEPA and engineering still under way) and a West End Trails Alliance single-track proposal outside Naturita and the West End of Montrose County, for which BLM hopes to start environmental analysis this summer after additional community engagement.

The commissioners did not take a formal action on BLM—policy but heard the updates and discussed local logistics for parking, maintenance, volunteer support and intergovernmental coordination. Ben Horan said the federal register notice remains on file but the agency will not implement day-use fees now and would return to another public process if it later pursues such fees.