Glacier Park fee increase not likely this year

A hike in entrance and other fees for visitors to Glacier National Park is not likely this year, Park officials said last week.

Last November, the Park proposed a number of fee increases to be effective by May 2015, including raising the annual Park pass that is popular with locals from $35 to $60.

The proposed fee changes came after National Park Service director Jonathan Jarvis issued a memo to regional directors last August outlining the protocol for raising fees.

The Park took comments on the proposed changes and drew a negative reaction from the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, which represents about 650 businesses across the Flathead Valley.

The chamber said it favored increasing the cost of the annual pass similarly to the seven-day pass so as not to overly penalize locals but still provide the Park Service with the revenue increase it sought.

Park spokeswoman Denise Germann said last week the Park was “waiting for concurrence from Washington, D.C.” before proceeding with the proposed fee changes.

“We haven’t received an answer, so we don’t anticipate an increase this year,” she said.

Germann said the National Park Service was seeking consistency across America’s national parks.

Entrance and other fees are an important part of national park budgets. Parks get to keep 80 percent of the fees they collect each year under the Federal Recreation Lands Enhancement Act.