NPS Senior Pass

[Colo_Native]

The price will go up on AUGUST 28th to $80 its official

[pnichols]

Because I didn't want to start some kind of bashing commentary, I left something out of my original statement about how much we would appreciate a National Fishing License.

What I intentionally left out was my desire for a national fishing license restricted to Seniors. State-income-wise, limiting it to Seniors probably wouldn't bust the budget of fish and game departments.

[dave54]

pnichols wrote:
...
Now ..... to make your situation complete ..... if only you (and I) could once a year, or better still once for life, buy a NATIONAL FISHING LICENSE...

Been discussed many times by various fishing organizations. Went nowhere. States are not interested.

The revenue from state fishing and hunting licenses funds that state's wildlife agency. With a national license there is no practical way to allocate the fees back to where you actually fished or hunted. For example, A Nevada resident buys a national fishing license in California, then fishes for two weeks in Colorado and two weeks in Wyoming, then snowbirds in Arizona and does more fishing. Who gets the money from the license? How do you determine how much goes where?

Most states have reciprocal agreements with adjacent states on common waterways. You can use a CA or AZ license on either shore to fish the Colorado River where it forms the state line, and the regulations (size and bag limits, et al) are the same. Same for the Columbia River between OR and WA. I am sure the regulars here could cite similar agreements for other states.

You are paying a national 'fee' of a sort anytime you buy any fishing tackle. A national excise tax on tackle (The Dingell-Johnson Act) is reallocated back to the states for fisheries and watershed restoration. However, it does not necessarily go back to the state where the tackle was purchased. It goes into a fund administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and individual states apply for matching funds grants for projects. This fund is so little known it has remained surprisingly apolitical. The FWS has been reasonably fair in allocating funds to all states. The big states have not been dominating the allocation process.

Many states now have online purchases for fishing licenses and a digital license can be stored on your phone. Really handy -- I may not always have my paper license on me, but I nearly always have my phone with me. I can just show the e-copy to the game warden and he/she will accept it as proof.

[Lwiddis]

Bukhrn, some states may agree and then the Congress must agree. Doesn't have to be all 50.

[bukhrn]

"can you imagine all 50 states agreeing to this?"
Never happen, for various reasons.

[Lwiddis]

And, mama, since the Congress must approve all state compacts along with the states involved, what's the issue? See Article One, Section 10.

[Lwiddis]

State compacts about many things are very common.

[mama_sylvia]

I can't even imagine 5 states agreeing to it! lol However, doesn't WM usually sell local fishing licenses? Seems like we are always stopping there for SOMETHING anyway.

lrover, good luck finding an older female willing to camp in a tent! lol

[vermilye]

pnichols wrote:

Irover wrote:
Received mine yesterday, ordered online 8/3/17! Also go my State Fishing License! Getting hyped to do some roughing it with my four person tent, canopy and supplies!

Now ..... to make your situation complete ..... if only you (and I) could once a year, or better still once for life, buy a NATIONAL FISHING LICENSE. :C

What a joy that would be as myself and my DW (who is a fisherwoman) could drop a line anywhere allowed in the U.S. as we wonder about in our small Class C. We usually have fishing gear along anyway, just in case we want to go through the hassle of finding out where to get, and then go through the inconvenience to get - a local fishing license. 😞

2X, but can you imagine all 50 states agreeing to this?

[pnichols]

Irover wrote:
Received mine yesterday, ordered online 8/3/17! Also go my State Fishing License! Getting hyped to do some roughing it with my four person tent, canopy and supplies!

Now ..... to make your situation complete ..... if only you (and I) could once a year, or better still once for life, buy a NATIONAL FISHING LICENSE. :C

What a joy that would be as myself and my DW (who is a fisherwoman) could drop a line anywhere allowed in the U.S. as we wonder about in our small Class C. We usually have fishing gear along anyway, just in case we want to go through the hassle of finding out where to get, and then go through the inconvenience to get - a local fishing license. 😞

[Irover]

:B:C Received mine yesterday, ordered online 8/3/17! Also go my State Fishing License! Getting hyped to do some roughing it with my four person tent, canopy and supplies!

Retired and had to downsize from my Class C to a MB diesel wagon, but happy to be able to act like a Teenage Boonie again! Just need a willing female to share my tent with!! LOL!

[dewey02]

hokeypokey wrote:
Parking at Mt Rushmore is $10. We pretty much knew our NPS pass wouldn't get us free parking, but we decided to ask anyway. Would you believe it was worth $5 off? There could've been signs, but I didn't see them.

The pass gets you free admission to an NPS run facility. At Rushmore, the parking is run by a concessionaire and is not considered an admission fee, but a parking fee. This is considered an amenity fee as is the camping fee at federal campgrounds. Often the amenity fees are discounted 50% with the Senior pass, but not always since it is at the discretion of the concessionaire.

You were wise to ask. It never hurts to ask, even if they say no.

[empty_nest]

Ordered mine on line on June 6th. Still have not received it. Not in any big hurry but I'd feel better if I had it in my posession.

[dave54]

The price increase has turned into a real fiasco. Our local FS office ran out of passes and ordered more. ALL the local offices have run out. The replacement passes are on backorder. So DW got a voucher for a pass at the old price, which (supposedly) will be honored whenever the new passes arrive.

I already had a Golden Access Pass. DW wanted one in case she needed to enter or reenter a Park without me.

[hokeypokey]

Parking at Mt Rushmore is $10. We pretty much knew our NPS pass wouldn't get us free parking, but we decided to ask anyway. Would you believe it was worth $5 off? There could've been signs, but I didn't see them.