Fees have been collected at USDA Forest Service recreation sites and parking areas for many years. Traditionally, the Forest Service has relied on staffed entrance stations or self-service fee depositories (fee tubes or "iron rangers"). More recently, daily and seasonal passes or permits have become popular methods for fee collection.

In 1996, Congress authorized the Forest Service to initiate the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program (Figure 1). The aim of the program is to collect recreation fees for the use of a specific facility, to experiment with different fee-collection systems, and to evaluate public acceptance of new fees. With the Fee Demo Program, up to 95 percent of the fees remain with the field unit for site maintenance and improvement, rather than being deposited in the U.S. Treasury's general account. Although acceptance has been varied, the link between fees paid and improvements made at a site has helped sell the Fee Demo Program in some parts of the country.

Figure 1—The Fee Demonstration Program was authorized
by Congress in 1996 as a test in which fees generated at a
site could remain there rather than being deposited
in the U.S. Treasury.

The need to collect more revenue and sometimes increase fees at recreation facilities has prompted Forest Service managers to look beyond conventional collection techniques, especially in heavily used areas. The costs of collecting fees, concerns about the safety of employees who handle money, vandalism, and the need for detailed record keeping are some reasons for considering different methods.

To help those considering investing in electronic collection equipment, the Missoula Technology and Development Center (MTDC) was asked to document onsite use of fee collection machines.

MTDC looked at two electronic fee-collection machines used by the Forest Service, the Lexis 901 Pay Station and the VenTek Pay Station. This report includes information about the machines and installations at Vancouver's Stanley Park, the Cave Creek and Tonto Basin Ranger Districts of the Tonto National Forest, and the Mt. Baker Ranger District of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Contact information and machine specifications can be found in the appendixes at the end of this report.

The fee-collection equipment hasn't been used long enough for a thorough assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. MTDC made field visits to equipment installation sites and reviewed specifications provided by manufacturers to evaluate the Lexis 901 Pay Station and the Ventek Pay Station. MTDC has not tested the equipment.

Another electronic fee-collection machine, the QBS Pay Station, has recently come to our attention. It is distributed by Dominion Self- Park Systems, Ltd. We didn't have a chance to review the machine under field conditions. However, this report includes technical specifications and contact information for the Dominion equipment.