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In a previous thread there was a bunch of discussion on some unclear new boat launching fees at Strawberry.
I setup my long term camp at Soldier Creek campground this weekend and got the details from the camp host.
The new management company Utah Recreation Company (385-273-1100) is trying to charge anyone camping and additional $9.00 per day to launch their boat. They do not appear to be trying to chase down float tubers, kayakers, and paddle boarders to charge them this fee though.
This new fee has "supposedly been approved" by the forest service local manager and it is not posted anywhere. This additional fee supposedly only applies to campers and not anyone paying the $9.00 day use fee. So only campers get penalized and have to pay.
We need to have everyone we can call both Utah Recreation and the Heber Forest Service office ((435) 654-0470) to complain about this. I also question whether we should pay this until is is clarified that this is an approved fee structure by the Forest Service and published.
I also want to see the details of the Utah Recreation management contract. I'd like to know the structure ie; who is responsible for the maintenance of facilities such as fish cleaning stations which are still not open at Soldier Creek. What is the structure of the contract, ie; are they paid a management fee by the forest service, or do they have total "ownership" of all the forest service facilities to charge whatever they want and run as they please with no oversight for whatever profit they can get, or is there some sort of profit sharing, etc.
Don't know if you agree with me but my opinion is that the Forest Service property is public land and was never designed to be operated For Profit and should not be. Fees should be based on what is required to maintain the facility above and beyond what the forest service budget can handle. The revenue generated from logging, oil/gas, and mining leases as well as appropriations from the federal government should roll into this. Public land should Not be Privatized!
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Sunrise on the water
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The fee structure seems backwards, if you camp there should be a break not a penalty . Are these the same people who are now overseeing Pineview, I hear the fees there have changed. I guess it is whatever the consumer will pay.
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No idea about Pineview. I don't believe that Public land Ie; Forest Service should be Privatized, ie; run for Profit.
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Sunrise on the water
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I do agree that nation forest is public land.
For one thing that company that runs the campgrounds and boat marina, they get paid by us, should be REQUIRED the clean the toilets more than once a year!#
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One piece of information that is different at Strawberry, is that it is not Public land. Strawberry and Soldier Creek are owned, or at least they were owned, by the Strawberry Water Users. They have a contract with the Forest Service to allow public access, so different rules may apply.
I'm honestly no expert on this, and I don't understand the relationship, however, as I have been told, there are significant differences. For example, you can't use a State Parks or National parks pass to gain access to Strawberry because it does not fall into either category.
Doesn't change the fact that new additional fees stink, but maybe provides additional insight into who is running things. My understanding is that it is a joint effort between DNR and Strawberry Water Users and USFS.
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I don't believe that's accurate. The Strawberry Water Users own the water and the management of the water but they don't own the land. All the non-private land up there is part of the national forest, specifically the Uinta National Forest.
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You’re probably right. Just seemed like part of the conversation. I e been told that was the reason none of the passes work there by the DNR folks at the booth.
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They are Forest Service campgrounds managed by a private company. They aren't a state or national park and don't have any DNR employees.
I know it's confusing given that the majority of lakes/reservoirs in Utah have all the campgrounds and access owned and controlled by the state, making them state parks and thus DNR employees but that is not the case with Strawberry.
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Not really sure how land leases work, but my land ownership maps show it is all part of the National Forest. The Strawberry Water Users probably own a certain amount of the water, but they do not own the land.
I'm sure the companies do make a profit, otherwise they wouldn't be in business. It would be nice to know what cut they get for managing the areas. So far I haven't been impressed with them. I don't think they should be able to charge you for launching if you are already paying to use the campground.
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The person in charge of recreation for the Heber Ranger District is Matt Lane. Ask for him when you call. When I asked him about the fee structure he said it is in their contract to charge the boat launch fee to everyone and those fees go into maintaining the boat trailer parking, cleaning stations etc.. I asked what percent went to infrastructure and what percent went to Utah Recreation. He could not tell me. I agree both the Forest Service and Utah Recreation need to hear about it. He asked where else I went that if you camped you could launch no charge I told him every other place I have stayed in Utah I was not charged to launch if I camped.
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Pineview fees are $18 to launch at all launches per watercraft . Season pass $155 good for PV and Strawberry. If camping at Anderson Cove on PV it’s one time $18 for entire camping trip not per day. If you have a season pass and camping no additional fee
Here’s Utah Recreation Company contact info see attachment
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If the highway robbery fees at Pineview were set to discourage high boating traffic, they've worked for me. I won't be going there during fee times.
Damn shame; it's a fine bass, perch, and crappie lake.
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Well won’t disagree plus they’ve posted a lot of no parking signs around PV. I attached the contact information and if you like many see this as highway robbery contact individual At Utah Recreation Company. Plus another contact would be head FS Ranger Sean Harwood see attached.
There’s also Get Gephart and ask him to investigate. It’s involvement if it’s really worth ones time. And yes before one asks I’m involved but don’t necessarily establish a whine line on Social Media. Again get involved and I provided contacts. The more folks that speak up and provide rationale minus emotions things could happen. Just saying
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I see this as a usurpation of public ground by the private sector. I have a hard time believing this company can prohibit parking around Pineview. Sounds like it should be against state law. The opening scene of "Cool Hand Luke" comes to mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bneviIHiIKs
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Everythings nice in America...They charge you twice in America...
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Just another reason we haven't been back to the berry in 4 years, plus the gorge has bigger fish!
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]There are several entities involved with Strawberry Reservoir and they date back to 1902. Settlers need water to irrigate their crops in Utah county. They cam up with the idea to dam the water in the Strawberry Valley and build a tunnel to carry it to Utah Valley. They couldn’t afford it, but the Federal Government could. So the Bureau of Reclamation came up with the plan and money and commenced building it. The Strawberry Water Users Association (SWUA) came into being and bought the project back from the Feds and the last payment was made in 1974.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]All of the surrounding land belongs to the US Forest Service (USFS) and they own all of the recreation facilities adjacent to the reservoir. However, Congress, in all its wisdom (???) decided it would be less costly to hire concessionaires to run a good portion of US holdings. Enter companies like American Land & Leisure and Utah Recreation Company (URC).[/size][/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]The USFS put out a Prospectus for Concession Special Use Permit to Operate Recreation Facilities on the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache (U-W-C) National Forest. The latest Prospectus was in April of 2018 and URC applied for and won the latest contract. So, now, URC manages all the recreation facilities within the U-W-C National Forest which includes Pineview & Strawberry/Soldier Creek. If you interested, here is a link to the Propectus: [url "https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd576454.pdf"]LINK[/url]. It’s 49 pages of US Government double speak but does tell you what URC is SUPPOSED to do and accomplish.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]An added thing this year at Pineview and why the launch fee went to $18 per water vessel. Weber County gets $3 per each water vessel at ALL boat ramps; not just the one on Cemetery Point. You may want to read how much it costs for law enforcement curtesy of the Sheriff’s Department – it ain’t cheap.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]There wasn’t much in the Prospectus about fees other than to reference an appendix which wasn’t included with the Prospectus. Didn’t want to research further to find it or the actual contract. I guess if I were going to camp and pay a camp fee and then have to pay a launch fee (which in years past under AL&L was included), then I guess I would most definitely be asking to see it in writing or tell them to go pee up a rope.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]So there you have it. The SWUA owns the water with the primary purpose to use it for irrigation. The USFS owns the adjacent land and has contracted with URC to manage all the recreational facilities. And URC is given a whole lot of waivers on recognizing and honoring Federal Passes such as free launches. They do give a 50% discount on the basic camping fees with a pass, but not on electric, water, or sewer hookups.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000][size 3]We are taking it in the shorts big time under the concessionaire policy and have ever since they started it 10 to 15 years ago. We can bitch and moan all we want, but don’t expect a sympathetic ear from ANY Federal source. Be sure to fill your wallets/purses before going to ANY U-W-C facilities.[/size][/#800000][/font]
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
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first thing ive been to strawberry 4 times this year (both sides) if i ever find a employee i will gladly pay them what is posted ,(8 bucks to launch ,posted on the booth as you enter the marina ) . so far no fish cleaning station on either side of the lake and no rest room maintenance . i think there has been some confusion with the management that has not been resolved ,and i don't think they have staffed up yet . just sayin
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The booth was manned when we arrived on the Strawberry side last Sunday. They have a new board that says day use fee is $9 and they also have a boat launch fee listed as $9. I dont remember what the camping fee was. The lady at the booth charged us $9 total, and we were towing a boat.
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