The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is one of the nation's largest federal outdoor recreation providers, managing nearly 257,000 facilities across 43 states. Visitors to these sites can enjoy traditional activities like fishing, boating, hiking, camping and hunting.
Surprisingly, unlike National Park and U.S. Forest Service sites, local USACE site managers cannot retain revenue from fees collected onsite. Fees collected at a given site do not necessarily support the operations and maintenance of that site.
Fortunately, the Lake Access Keeping Economies Strong Act (LAKES) Act has been introduced in Congress to correct this. The LAKES Act would allow the USACE to retain 80% of recreation fees collected onsite, enter into cooperative agreements with local nonprofits, and return partner-collected fees to the site.
The LAKES Act should improve access to local fishing opportunities and infrastructure like boat ramps and other facilities.
Tell your Members of Congress to support the LAKES Act today!
