Happy Camping?

     It’s Gonna Cost You!

By Shannon Hicks

If you visit the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection’s website for its No Child Left Inside program (NoChildLeftinside.org) and click on the tab for Our State Parks, you’ll learn lots of neat things about the parks and historic sites within the Nutmeg State.

There are more than 800 miles of hiking trails on state land in Connecticut, for instance, and another 2,000 miles of rivers and streams. There are 1,300 campsites in 14 parks, another nine historic sites available, and 237 lakes and ponds.

“There’s nothing like a day of fresh air and adventure to bring the family together,” totes the website. “And whether you like to hike, fish, climb, ski or swim, you’ll find a Connecticut State Park or Forest that’s just right for you.”

What the website fails to mention is that the entrance fees for these locations have, in the time of an economic downturn, doubled. In the same state where Governor M. Jodi Rell introduced the idea of a Staycation in July 2008, hoping to induce residents to stay close to home and spend their hard-earned dollars on local businesses, and continued to promote that idea during 2009, summer plans for state-owned locations are going to come with some sticker shock this year.

For those of you who are starting to plan for summer 2010 vacations in one of Connecticut’s campgrounds, get ready: fees adopted by the state legislature that took effect October 1, 2009, have doubled the price of camping, parking, and admission at our state parks and museums.

The camping fee at Hammonasset in Madison has been $15 a day for years. That was after hovering at $12 for years, and even $10 for years before that.

It has now jumped to $30 daily, part of a decision by the state legislature to double all fees under $150.

According to figures released late last year by the state Department of Environmental Protection, the change in these fees is expected to bring in $144 million over two years, while general government fees and licenses will add $97.2 million to state revenues for the biennial budget.

How did Connecticut go from Staycation to Double The Fee?

“It was a decision by the legislature, as part of their efforts to address the state budget situation [last year],” said Dennis Schain, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the state’s parks and forests, among other properties.

“The DEP does not set the fees,” he emphasized.

The fee increases (and a higher marginal tax rate for families making more than $1 million) were adopted to help close an $8.56 billion deficit over the next two years. The fees were proposed by Gov Rell, but the Democrats quickly incorporated the revenue producer into their budget, while the fight over a new tax mix took months to settle.

For out-of-state campers, it is a larger increase than was faced last year. Beginning April 17, 2009, out of state campers were being charged a daily $5 fee differential for campsites. This year the differential is $10.

“Those prices doubled also,” said Mr Schain. “There has always been a more attractive rate for state residents, because that’s our primary focus, serving the people who live here and pay taxes here. We’re trying to give them a discounted price, across the board.”

Anyone who booked for a camping date for this season before October 1 was able to the lower (2009) rate. The state continues to use ReserveAmerica.com, and bookings can be made 11 months in advance.

Not surprisingly, those who learned of the opportunity to save money this year took advantage when they could.

“There was a significant uptick in reservations in September, just before the fee increase went into effect,” Mr Schain confirmed this week. “There was a fall-off of reservations made in October, November, and December for this spring-summer.”

While the DEP has not yet had an opportunity to analyze feedback is has received or to fully quantify the impact of fee increases on reservations so far this year, Mr Schain also said that the average number of nights reserved per reservation is off.

“In other words, when people are reserving they are do so oftentimes for fewer nights,” he said.

Unfortunately for the state, campers who can afford the $30 fee now being charged by the state parks will be more than willing to fork that money out, and perhaps even more, for privately own campgrounds that offer more activities and, in most cases, better security and upkeep.

State campgrounds basically offer the space to park a camper or pitch a tent, and do not offer power, water or (yes, for some who cannot do without while camping) cable and/or wi-fi. These are basic amenities for most private campgrounds.

Also, when people have to spend more money on their reservations, it also means they will be spending less money in the towns that are home to these state sites. Local businesses will see less revenue for groceries, day trips and local attractions, restaurants, etc.

Other Fee Increases

In addition to campground and state park passes, the fees for DEP issued licenses have also increased this year. Any current professional license or charge up to $1,000 will increase by 25 percent, and $250 will be added to any charges now over $1,000, such as a coliseum beer permit.

An inland fishing license, a firearms hunting license, and a combination inland fishing-hunting license will all cost twice as much now than it did 12 months ago, increasing from $20 to $40, $14 to $28, and $28 to $56, respectively.

Boating licenses have also doubled. A Safe Boating Certificate, which is issued for motor boats and sailboats over 19½ feet, are now $50, as is a Certificate for Personal Watercraft Operator (jet ski).

State park museums such as Fort Trumbull in New London, Gillette Castle in East Haddam, and Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill have also doubled. A day pass is now $10 adults, $4 for children.

It could be worse. At least none of Connecticut’s state parks have faced what parks in Arizona and California have dealt with recently. The Arizona State Parks Board voted on January 15 to keep nine parks open and close the remaining 13 state parks in a phased series of closures starting February 22 due to six different state parks funds being swept of $8.6 million. In addition, four parks remain closed due to previous budget reductions.

California, meanwhile, continues to grapple with what to do after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had initially threatened to close 100 of the Golden State’s parks because of a $60 billion budget shortfall last spring. Instead of closing the parks, however, the governor and parks officials have reached a compromise: reduced maintenance and administrative staff and shortened hours.