Plan to charge fee at Hells Canyon stalls

LEWISTON – Efforts to charge a small fee for visiting the Hells Canyon Recreation Area have stalled.

Steve Ellis, the new supervisor of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, recently met with Forest Service employees, members of Idaho’s congressional delegation and the Nez Perce Tribe.

Two years ago, forest officials shelved a plan that would have charged rafters and jet boaters a small daily fee to run the Snake River through Hells Canyon.

The agency had hoped to release a draft plan in 2002. But details about how the fee will be collected and how much will be charged were never finalized.

Congress recently reauthorized the program that allows the Forest Service to charge a fee to national forest visitors.

Ellis would not rule out a Hells Canyon fee in the future, but says there are currently no plans for such a program.

“I know it’s a sensitive issue.”

The forest has struggled with shrinking recreation budgets the past few years. At one time, the agency considered closing its office in Clarkston.

Ellis says that option is off the table.

“I think there is a benefit to having a Forest Service presence in this community. This is the gateway to Hells Canyon on the north. I think having an office here is important.”

People will continue to be able to get Forest Service permits, maps and information at the office on State Route 129 on the southern edge of Clarkston.

But Ellis says seasonal staffing levels and hours could be changed to save money.

For example, Ellis says volunteers will run some of the recreation programs in Hells Canyon and at the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area.