Recreation Use Data Report, Part I - Managing Partners

RECREATION USE DATA REPORT

PART I, Form 7-2534 – Managing Partners

INTERPRETIVE GUIDE FOR FILLING OUT THE QUESTIONS

Paperwork Reduction Act: The purpose of this form is to provide information to the Bureau of Reclamation for evaluating and improving the recreation services and programs that it provides to the public. Response is voluntary. No action may be taken against you for refusing to supply the information requested. The reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 30 minutes, which includes the time for reviewing instructions and completing and reviewing the form. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. Please direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of these forms to the Bureau of Reclamation, Attention: 84-53000, PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225.

Privacy Act Statement: No Privacy Act Information is being collected; therefore, no direct link to the individual(s) filling out this form will be available.

General Instructions for Completing Recreation Use Data Report, Part I – Managing Partners

The following explanatory information will assist the preparer(s) when completing this form:

• This form will be completed by Reclamation partners that have a management agreement with Reclamation and by Reclamation when it is the sole managing entity. Note: Information will not be collected from those Federal agencies where jurisdiction for land resources management has been permanently transferred (e.g., jurisdiction for resource management has been transferred to the United States Forest Service via a Public Law 89-72 agreement).

• When reporting specific units of measurement for this form (i.e., miles, acres, visitors, expenditures, activities, etc.), those units should only be associated with the management of the recreation/wildlife area. The only two exceptions to this rule are:

1. When you are reporting the number of shoreline miles in Section 2 of this form. In Section 2, enter the total shoreline miles of the entire reservoir no matter who manages the shoreline.

2. When you are reporting the Total Reservoir Surface Acres in Section 2. In Section 2, enter the total water surface acres at the site no matter who manages the shoreline adjacent to the reservoir.

• If there is more than one managing entity for the area, each managing entity should fill out a separate form.

• Information concerning concessions is to be collected exclusively in the Recreation Use Data Report, Part II – Concessionaires, Form 7-2535.

• If a managing partner exists, the shaded areas of this form will be filled out by Reclamation. Other cells will be completed by the managing partner. If a recreation/wildlife area is not managed by a partner, the appropriate Reclamation office with oversight of the recreation/wildlife area will fill out the entire form with the appropriate information.

• This form should be filled out by those agencies that have a long-term recreation or wildlife management agreement with Reclamation or, as mentioned above, by Reclamation when it is the sole managing entity.

• The defined recreation/wildlife management area is typically a designated area within a Reclamation Project (i.e., it may not cover all the Reclamation project lands that are in the vicinity of the recreation/wildlife area or immediately contiguous to it).

• Information collected in this form should only pertain to items that occur on a Reclamation project. For example, if a State managing partner has purchased land adjacent to a Reclamation project and those lands are managed in conjunction with the recreation/wildlife area on Reclamation land, do not report any information regarding what may occur on the State-owned property. If this situation exists, it is recommended that a brief description of what occurs on the State-owned property be included in Section 16, Comments/Notes/Additional Information.

• If there is both a defined recreation and wildlife area within the area (e.g., within the reservoir area) and this form is being completed by separate entities, the acres should be calculated separately, when applicable. This also applies to other units of measurement that are addressed in this form.

• When entering total acres within a recreation/wildlife area, the total land acres within the defined area will be entered no matter if there are certain tracts of land within the defined recreation/wildlife area that may be temporarily or permanently closed to public use.

Definitions

Exclusive Use: Exclusive use, aka private recreational or residential use, means any use that involves structures or other improvements used for recreational or residential purposes to the exclusion of public uses and are not associated with the official management of a Reclamation project. Public uses include, but are not limited to, those uses specified in 43 CFR part 21, Occupancy of Cabin Sites on Public Conservation and Recreation Areas, and 43 CFR part 429, Use of Bureau of Reclamation Land, Facilities, and Waterbodies. Note: Exclusive use information for this form does not include concession operated or managed facilities.

Non-surfaced Roads: Non-surfaced roads are those roads that have not been improved by the addition of road base from outside sources. A non-surfaced road can be a two tract road that is not maintained or a road that receives periodic maintenance such as grading.

Operation and Maintenance (Including replacement)

(1) Operation: Activities that relate to the normal performance of the functions for which a facility or item of equipment is intended to be used.

(2) Maintenance/Replacement: Upkeep of constructed facilities and structures and capitalized equipment that is necessary to realize the originally anticipated useful life of a fixed asset. In this instance, maintenance can also include replacement which is defined as the substitution or exchange of an existing facility, facility component, or item of equipment for another having the capacity to perform the same function.

Reclamation Project: A Reclamation project means any water supply, water delivery, flood control, or hydropower project, together with associated facilities for fish, wildlife, recreation, or water treatment, constructed or administered by Reclamation under the Federal reclamation laws (the Act of June 17, 1902 [32 Stat. 388, chapter 1093; 43 USC 371 et. seq.] and acts supplementary thereto and amendatory thereof).

Recreation Area: A recreation area can be considered a recreation complex consisting of, among other things, campgrounds, day use areas, parking areas, boat ramps, restrooms, road and trail systems, and visitor centers. It usually encompasses an entire reservoir area defined by an established boundary. A recreation area may have multiple recreation sites. A recreation area may also contain sites that could be considered a wildlife area but it would only be incidental to the overall management of the area for recreation purposes.

Surfaced Roads: Surfaced roads are those roads that have been improved with the addition of source materials (e.g., gravel or asphalt) transported from other locations and maintained accordingly.

Total Project Lands: Total Project Lands are the number of land and water surface acres that are part of an official Reclamation project. Refer to definition of Reclamation Project.

Total Recreation Land Area: Total Recreation Land Area is the number of land acres that encompass the defined recreation area and that are under a management agreement with a partner, or a defined recreation area that is solely managed by Reclamation. This total should also include those land acres within the recreation area that may be designated as special use areas that are closed to public use pursuant to 43 CFR part 423, Public Conduct on Bureau of Reclamation Facilities, Lands, and Waterbodies, and any interior ponds or open water areas that are not part of the main reservoir water surface area.

Total Reservoir Surface Area: Total Reservoir Surface Area is the contiguous water surface acres at the site where there is a defined recreation and/or wildlife area that is being reported on this form. This total should also reflect those water surface acres that may be designated as special use areas that are closed to public use pursuant to 43 CFR part 423.

Total Wildlife Land Area: Total Wildlife Land Area is the number of land acres that encompass the defined wildlife area and that are under a management agreement with a partner, or a defined wildlife area that is solely managed by Reclamation. This total should also reflect those land acres within the wildlife area that may be designated as special use areas that are closed to public use pursuant to 43 CFR part 423, and any interior ponds or open water areas that are not part of the main reservoir water surface area.

Visitor: A visitor is defined as an individual who visits the recreation/wildlife area to recreate no matter how long that individual stays at the area (e.g., a person that stays overnight, 2 days, or 1 hour should be counted as one visitor).

Wildlife Area: A wildlife area can be considered a defined area that is managed primarily for wildlife purposes by a wildlife management agency under an agreement with Reclamation. A wildlife area may also contain sites that could be considered a recreation area but it would only be incidental to the overall management of the area for wildlife purposes.

Specific Instructions for Completing Recreation Use Data Report, Part I – Managing Partners.

1. Background Information: Identify background information related to the recreation/wildlife area that is being reported. This section should be completed by Reclamation.

• Reclamation Project: Enter the official name of the authorized Bureau of Reclamation project where the recreation/wildlife area is located.

• Recreation/Wildlife Area: Enter the most commonly used name of the recreation/wildlife area. This is typically the name of the reservoir where the defined recreation/wildlife area is located and not the name of the dam, or a unique name given by the managing partner. Note: The name of the recreation/wildlife area should have the same name that is indicated on Reclamation’s January 2008 Recreation Area Brochure/Map.

• Recreation/Wildlife Management Entity: Enter the primary managing entity of the recreation/wildlife area (Example: Reclamation, California State Parks, Delta County, Colorado Division of Wildlife Resources, City of Scottsdale, Shoshone/Heart Mountain Irrigation District, etc.)

• Address: Enter the address of the local entity that is managing the recreation/wildlife area.

• City, State, Zip Code: Enter the City, State, and Zip Code of the local entity that is managing the recreation/wildlife area.

• E-mail address: Enter the e-mail address of the local entity that is managing the recreation/wildlife area.

• Contact Name: Enter the name of the person that can be contacted concerning the recreation or wildlife area information provided in this form.

• Contact Phone: Enter the telephone number of the person that can be contacted about the recreation or wildlife area provided in this form.

• Management Contract Agreement Number: Enter the number that has been assigned to the contract agreement by Reclamation.

• Approval Date/Expiration Date: Enter the date that the last approving official signed the contract agreement and the date that the contract agreement will expire.

• Last Reclamation Review/Inspection date: Enter the date of the last “Recreation Review/Inspection” conducted at the site by Reclamation that is in compliance with Reclamation Manual Directive and Standard, Recreation Program Management, LND 01-03, and any type of review or inspection conducted at a wildlife area that was associated with contract compliance.

2. Recreation/Wildlife Area: Check for any changes, corrections, additions, or deletions in the following information related to the recreation/wildlife area that is being reported. This may require a review of Reclamation’s Dataweb Site, Project Data Files, Definite Plan Reports, etc. and where necessary, field measurements. Any significant changes made to this section that differ from the previous year Part I report should be noted here and further explained in Section 16, Comments/Notes/Additional Data.

• Total Project Lands: Enter the total acres within the Reclamation project including those areas that may be officially closed to public use for specific reasons. Include both water acres and land acres in this total. Refer to definition of Total Project Lands. Note: Adding the Total Recreation Land acres, Total Wildlife Land acres, and the Total Reservoir Surface acres will not likely equal the sum of the Total Project Lands of an authorized Reclamation Project. This part should be completed by Reclamation.

• Total Reservoir Surface Area: Enter the total surface acres at normal water surface elevation. Information can be located from Definite Plan Reports, or capacity curves, etc. If the defined recreation/wildlife area does not have a reservoir associated with it, enter non-applicable in the appropriate cell. This part should be completed by Reclamation.

• Total Recreation Land Area: Enter the total land acres above the normal water surface elevation that are only within the defined recreation area. Acres should also include those lands where Reclamation has less than fee title interest (flood easements, etc.), and lands that may be permanently or temporarily closed for public use. Typically, this will include all the lands that have been developed (e.g., campgrounds, day use areas, parking areas), as well as those lands that are used by the public for dispersed recreation purposes. Only enter the acres that are part of the Reclamation project; not adjacent lands that may have been purchased by a partner for recreation purposes. This part should be completed by Reclamation.

• Total Wildlife Land Area: Enter the total land acres that have been established for wildlife purposes. Acres should also include those lands where Reclamation has less than fee title interest (flood easements, etc.). This is typically a tract of land surface area that is managed for wildlife purposes by a game and fish agency (State or Federal) and managed under an agreement with Reclamation. The total acres will include those areas that may be permanently or temporarily closed for public use or open to the general public for wildlife viewing, photography, hunting, etc. Only enter the acres that are part of the Reclamation project; not adjacent lands that may have been purchased by a partner for wildlife purposes. This part should be completed by Reclamation.

• Reservoir Shoreline: Enter the miles of measured shoreline at normal water surface elevation. Include the shoreline that may be closed to public use. Reclamation is interested only in the total number of shoreline miles at the reservoir. If the defined recreation/wildlife area is not part of a reservoir, etc., enter not-applicable in the appropriate cell. In this instance, also include the miles of shoreline that may be under a concession permit and the miles of shoreline that might not be managed for recreation and/or wildlife purposes. This part should be completed by Reclamation.

• Total of all Designated Trails and Paths: Enter the total mileage, in decimals (i.e., 1.5), for all motorized vehicle trails (e.g. OHV trails) and non-motorized, multi-use trails (e.g. biking, hiking, jogging, and horse riding trails) managed by Reclamation or a managing partner within the boundaries of the defined recreation/wildlife area. Do not include surfaced and non-surfaced roads that are used by the general public for ingress and egress to the recreation/wildlife area. Note: The mileage breakdowns for specific types of trails are accounted for in Section 8.J.

• Recreation/Wildlife Area Surfaced Roads: Enter the total number of miles, in decimals (i.e., 1.5), of surfaced roads within the defined recreation/wildlife area used by the general public. Do not include the miles of maintenance roads used solely by the managing entity.

• Recreation/Wildlife Area Non-Surfaced Roads: Enter the total number of miles, in decimals (i.e., 1.5), of non-surfaced roads within the defined recreation/wildlife area used by the general public. Do not include the miles of maintenance roads used solely by the managing entity.

3. Identify Management Authorities: Identify and enter the authorities used to manage and/or collect fees at the recreation/wildlife area such as the Land and Water Conservation Fund (only used in a few areas in Reclamation), Public Law 89-72 as amended (generally used for States, Counties, other non-federal public entities and the U.S. Forest Service), or other project specific authority. This also includes specific legislation such as legislation that authorizes a National Recreation Area, etc. This information is generally found in the Explanatory Remarks or Preamble of the contract agreement with the managing entity or in the project authorizing legislation. This part should be completed by Reclamation.

4. Twelve Month Reporting Period: Enter the reporting period starting date (Month/Day/Year) and ending date (Month/Day/Year). This should total to 12 months. Any changes or irregularities in reporting such as changes in reporting periods and/or partial information, etc., should be entered in Section 16.

5. Number of Visitors: Enter the number of visitors during the 12 month reporting period. Document in Section 16 any significant or unusual changes in use from previous reporting period(s). This can include such things as: bad weather on weekend/holidays, expanded facilities, closed facilities, poor fishing/hunting, low water, economy, etc.

6. Season of Operation: By season, list the months and days that the recreation/wildlife area facilities are open to the public. This is for the entire recreation season that facilities are available for public use (peak and non-peak seasons). The peak recreation season is typically Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend with off seasons occurring prior to or after the peak recreation season. Also enter the length of season(s) that facilities are open to the public but considered to be a non-peak season. In Section 16, note any changes from previous reporting periods and identify why there was a change in the season of operation.

7. Non-profit Organizations/Facilities: Identify all the non-profit organizations, the type of use provided, and the general location where the facilities/use occurs within the recreation/wildlife area. The information should be for those non-profits that are authorized directly by Reclamation or its recreation or wildlife managing partner. Non-profits that are in operation pursuant to a concession use authorizations will be collected in Part II, Concession Use Data Report.

8. Inventory of Recreation Facilities, Designated Areas, and Opportunities: Enter the quantity/number of available items and place a check mark (ü ) in the appropriate cell indicating whether the facility, area, or opportunity that is being provided has drinking water, electricity, or sewer available. If the item is not available, leave the appropriate cells blank. To avoid double counting, this information should reflect only those facilities, areas, and opportunities specifically provided by the partner or Reclamation; not those provided by a concessionaire. Concession information is collected in Form 7-2535, Recreation Use Data Report, Part II – Concessionaires.

• Several components are repeated for different activities (e.g., vault restrooms are mentioned in camping, day use area, and OHV area sub sections). Therefore, if components, such as a vault toilet, service more than one activity, make sure that the component is only counted once and that it is accounted for in the most appropriate sub section of Section 8.

• If a campground has several loops and each loop has an individual name, it still should be considered as a single campground.

• If tents are allowed in an RV site, the site will be considered as an RV site and accounted for in the appropriate cell.

9. Activity Ranking: Enter the letter of the most popular four activities listed in Section 8 with the most popular listed first and the second most popular activity listed second, etc.

10. Exclusive Uses: List the quantity and type of each exclusive use and a very brief description of the use and the general location. This section applies only to areas managed by Reclamation or a partner; it does not apply to exclusive use that may exist within a defined concession area.

11. Special Recreation Use Authorizations (Recreation): List the quantity of each special recreation use authorization, purpose for which the use authorization was issued, a very brief description of the use authorization, and the general location where the use occurs.

12. Fee Charges: Enter the type of fee charged for a certain category of fees and the appropriate daily dollar amount for each type of fee charged at the recreation/wildlife area. This category deals with one dollar amount charged for the most commonly used type of fee. In other words, don’t list all the use authorization fees charged during the reporting period; only the fee charged for the most popular activity for which a use authorization is issued. Examples may include a daily entrance fee of $5.00, a daily use fee of $20.00 for a group site, a $4.00 tour fee, and $600 a day use authorization fee for a weekend fishing tournament . Note: The total amount of fees collected for each fee category is accounted for in Section 13.

• Entrance – Enter the most commonly charged fee assessed by a managing partner for use of the recreation/wildlife area. Note: This can only be one dollar amount and should be independent of all other fees. This is often used instead of a use fee. Note: Reclamation managed areas cannot charge an entrance fee.

• Use – Use the most commonly charged fee for a certain activity. This includes, among other fees, the use fee charged for camping, picnicking, boating, parking, etc. This is the most common fee charged by Reclamation and is typically the second most common fee charged by a managing partner. This can only be one dollar amount and should be independent of all other fees.

• Visitor Center/Tour – Enter the most commonly charged Visitor Center/Tour fee. This can only be one dollar amount and should be independent of all other fees.

• Use Authorization – Enter the most commonly charged use authorization fee (e.g. weekend bass fishing tournament). This can only be one dollar amount and should be independent of all other fees.

• Other Fees – Enter the most commonly charged fee, if any, which cannot be addressed in the other above-mention fee categories.

13. Total Collected Revenues from All Fees: Enter the letter O if the fee is not applicable and round all dollar amounts to the nearest $100.

• Entrance – Enter the total reported amount of all recreation entrance fees collected by a managing partner for the12 month reporting period.

• Recreation Use Fee – Enter the total reported amount of all recreation use fees (including boating, camping, picnicking, etc.) collected by Reclamation and/or managing partner for the 12 month reporting period.

• Visitor Center/Tour – Enter the total reported amount of Visitor Center/Tour fees collected by Reclamation and/or a managing partner for the 12 month reporting period.

• Use Authorization – Enter the total reported amount of recreation permit fees (including guides, special recreation event permits, etc), collected by Reclamation and/or a managing partner for the 12 month reporting period.

• Other – Enter the total reported amount of other recreation fees collected by Reclamation and/or a managing partner for the 12 month reporting period that cannot be accounted for in the other fee categories.

14. Concessions: List each concession and a description of the services provided. Make sure that each concessionaire receives and completes a Form 7-2535, Recreation Use Data Report, Part II – Concessionaires, for each concession operation listed in this section.

15. Operation, Maintenance, and Capital Improvement Expenses: Enter the operation and maintenance expenses and capital improvement expenses for the 12 month reporting period. Replacement expenses as well as salaries will be considered as an operation and maintenance expense. A capital improvement expense is to be considered those funds that have been allocated for construction of new facilities and components within the recreation/wildlife area regardless of how the finance departments of Reclamation or its managing partners capitalize annual expenses in their records.

16. Comments/Notes/Additional Data: Enter any information that is needed to explain any significant changes in information reported from the previous year Recreation Use Data Report. Care should be taken to indicate what section the explanatory notes refer too.

17. Preparer’s Contact Information: Enter the contact information of the person from Reclamation or managing partner who completed the shaded portions of this form.

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