A proposal to increase fees to Haleakala National Park has been approved by the National Park Service. Beginning on June 1, daily park fees will increase incrementally over the next three years; the new fee structure was designed to meet national standards for parks with similar visitor amenities.
The per-person fee will go up in two-to-three dollar increments per year. The current rate of $5 per-person will raise to $12 in 2017. The motorcycle fee will go from $5 to $20 by 2017; the motorcycle fee will go up in $5 annual increases. The per-vehicle pass will also be raised in $5 increments from the current price of $10 to $25 in 2017.
The tri-park annual pass, considered by many to be a “locals” pass, will remain at the current rate of $25 in 2015 and 2016, and then increase to $30 in 2017. The tri-park annual pass permits unlimited entry into Haleakala National Park, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will implement the same fee changes as Haleakala National Park. The park proposed a $30 fee for the tri-park annual pass instead of the national standard of $50, based on public input.
In 2014, from mid-October through mid-December 2014, a public comment period on the proposed fee increase was held. Comments were gathered via a variety of channels including at visitor centers; online; via postal mail and email; and at two public meetings, one in Hana and one in Pukalani. The park received 58 comments fully supportive of the proposed increases; 23 supportive comments if the fees were phased in or lowered; 56 comments opposed to any fee increase; and 16 miscellaneous comments. The park modified the proposed fee structure based on this input. The modified proposal was approved by national fee managers in Washington.
Since 1997, fee revenues have funded $36.6 million in Haleakala National Park projects. Some past examples of work include: $2.75 million of improved visitor amenities in Kīpahulu (new rest rooms, potable water, new parking lot); restoring trails throughout the park ($500,000 annually); and completing archeological surveys ($499,500 in 2010). Entrance fees also supported the control of invasive species ($299,000, in 2013); stabilization of Silversword populations ($60,000 annually, 2012-13); and restoration of native landscapes ($113,000 in 2013).
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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