OCR Text |
Show ' Page 4 fc. .tn.o - rMarch'7, 1997 Cross' Currents mi Well pay more to use U.S. parks, forests ... By Ellen Miller fees, recreation trail fees, fees, golf fees. The idea of user fees to fund d recreation isn't public going to go away and will get more Access taxpayer-supporte- expensive. And since those of us out here in the big square states have more national parks, recreation areas and forests at our doorstep, well pay a big share of those fees. The idea behind municipal swimming pools or golf courses usually is pretty simple. Taxpayers okay building the thing, and then the city charges whatever fees it needs to cover the operation. The city types discriminate, of e course, usually by offering fees to kids and senior citizens. The seniors get better rates than anycut-rat- body. The feds are a different matter. For years, all the entrance fees collected at national parks w ent to Washington, D.C., there to disappear w ho are we to say that congressmen, into the giant black hole known as who haul down $133,500 a year, federal finance. should pay for anything, even a From time to time. Congress parking place? would dribble some back out to the In effect, busy parks like parks, perhaps to upgrade roads, sometimes to pay more rangers, Yellowstone and Yosemite build more campgrounds, or mainsubsidized lesser-visite-d tain restrooms and the like. In effect busy parks like parks. In the Four Comers Yellowstone and Yosemite subsiregion Mesa Verde National d dized parks. In the Four Comers region Mesa Verde Park draws the most visitors, National Park draws the most visi633,628 in 1996. tors, 633,628 in 1996. Among others, Aztec Ruins and Chaco Culture Now the feds say that 80 percent National Historical Park each draw few er than 100,000. But the money of certain new fees collected by still wasnt a fair reflection of what some of the parks w ill remain w ith since it most were the of paying people parks that collect them. For the time being, well take them at their went to the federal black hole. word. Its instructive to remember that In theory, this should mean the most of the places along the mall in w here Congress hangs Washington, very busy parks should make a relad tive the National Park are run out, killing while the by Service and charge no fees at all. So ones won't. Now lesser-visite- lesser-visite- Helping Children Cope With Hospital Stays A hospital stay can be scary and unsettling for a child. But with proper planning,you can alleviate some of the fears. Before entry, parents should explain why the visit is necessary and talk honestly with children about what to expect Don't say that the procedure will be pain-freif it won't You may close the child's trust and raise doubts about other reassurances you have made. e, Take your child's questions seriously. Hospital equipment and strangers in gowns and masks wiU seem foreign and frightening. If possible, take the child to the hospital before admission to familiarize him or her with the surroundings. Find a nurse or other medical personnel who can provide answers you don't know. Pack some familiar objects from home, such as a favorite blanket or teddy, as well as family pictures. Books, homework, or crayons and coloring books may help pass the time if the child is weU enough to use them after the procedure. Many hospitals are now prepared to let parents stay overnight Younger children especially benefit from the presence of a family member. Southwest Memorial Hospital 1311 N. Mildred Rd., Cortez, Colorado 81321 (970) 565-6666 tion. The Golden Eagle Pass, available to Americans 55 and older, is a nice thing. Until you figure out that those folks have the money and the time to visit the parks. If user fees are designed to pay for users, shouldn't the users pay? To enforce the Golden Eagle discount, the feds sometimes card the lest anybody younger So if the feds want to use one. might start carding people, why not card for citizens? If there's to be rate discrimina- -' tion. why not one fee for American citizens and a higher one for non- -' citizens, whether they be foreign tourists or resident aliens? What about illegals? And thats just the national parks. The harder fees for every body, whether to pay or collect, are com-- ! ing to recreation areas, national forests and trails everywhere. Permits have been in place for years on some places, like rafting stretches of the Green River through Dinosaur National Monument, and they're spreading. For now, most of them will be collected on the honor system through drop boxes. But eventually, this being government work, theie w ill be rangers at the post collecting fees or circulating around them to collect the money on a daily basis or more. There are going to be fewer and few er spots to get out away from every body else, and those spots are going to be more expensive. Let's just keep an eye on the money and make sure the feds really keep most of it where its collected, whether thats a trail into the Gunnison Gorge or a road into Yellowstone. And thats life in the West. (Ellen Miller is a writer who lives in Grand Junction, Colorado.) pass-holde- j lets look at fee discrimina- rs Editors note: Barry Cooper of Aztec Ruins said the 80 percent poli-c- y applies only to new, additional fees that are approved for locations that have proposed them. Mesa erde. Great Sand Dunes, and Petrified Forest are among parks in the National Park Sen ice system with approved fees under the new policy |