Reservation System Puts Campers First
A new reservation system will give campers their earliest-ever chance to reserve a site at National Forest and Corps of Engineers campgrounds for next season.
Starting today, campers can begin making reservations for popular holiday weekends, such as Memorial Day 1999, at popular areas such as Priest Lake.
The toll-free number to telephone is 877-444-6777.
The Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have combined forces to create the National Recreation Reservation Service (NRRS), offering thousands of facilities throughout the country by advance reservation.
The facilities include campsites, group picnic areas, Forest Service lookouts, and cabins.
Corps of Engineers sites include those at Albeni Falls Dam on the Pend Oreille River.
Individual campsites become reservable 240 days prior to occupancy, group sites 360 days.
For example, a customer wishing to arrive on July 2, 1999, the start of 4th of July weekend, can reserve a site for that holiday weekend beginning November 4 of this year.
“Customers who don’t reserve well in advance may find few sites left,” said Steven McQuinn, NRRS marketing manager.
Additional campgrounds and other facilities will be added every Wednesday to the inventory list, posted on the Internet at ReserveUSA.com, he said.
Starting Nov. 16, customers will be able to make reservations from the World Wide Web site itself.
“During the advance reservation window for busy holidays, web access should be faster than phone access,” he said.
“For folks who already know exactly what they want, the actual time it takes to make a transaction for either the web site or by phone would be about the same.”
For campers who need more information before they make a choice, the Internet may be ideal. Instead of asking a reservations agent for details, web visitors can call up the same site-specific information the agent sees.
By next spring, customers should be able to choose from about 40,000 facilities in 2,000 locations across the U.S, McQuinn said.
Shooter third
Brian Martin of Coeur d’Alene finished third at the National Skeet Shooters Association World Championships in San Antonio, Texas.
Martin missed just two of 650 targets and finished behind Mike Schmidt of Minnesota and Todd Bender of Georgia.
Fee hike proposal approved
The Idaho Fish and Game Commission approved a legislative proposal which, if approved, would give the agency an additional $6.2 million annually in the first significant increase in resident license and tag fees since 1982.
Final details on fee changes for individual licenses will be worked out in conference calls as the legislation is drafted.
Commissioners separated the proposal into three topics.
The first will ask the Legislature to dedicate one-half of one cent of Idaho sales tax to Fish and Game, which would raise about $2 million.
The second vote was to increase license and tag fees, mostly for residents, to raise about $4.2 million. The third vote tied the future price of licenses to an indexing formula, so that they may increase or decrease in small increments each year, rather than waiting for a big increase to catch up with inflation.
Deer, elk tags available
Nonresident hunters have another chance to buy elk tags and the special Southeast Idaho deer tag for this fall.
Hunters who returned tags and outfitters required to turn in unsold tags have made these nonresident tags available. As of Oct. 8, Idaho Fish and Game had 218 Southeast deer tags and 253 elk tags for sale.
The Southeast deer tag is valid only in Units 75, 76, 77, and 78. Only 1,200 deer tags for this area were made available to nonresidents.
Wildlife art show set
The Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation invites the public to attend the 13th annual Idaho Wildlife Art Show Oct. 23-25 in the Boise train depot.
The show features the work of prominent wildlife artists from across the nation. There is no admission charge. The historic train depot is located at 2603 Eastover Terrace.
The show will be open from 11 a.m.8 p.m. on Oct. 24 and from noon-6 p.m. Oct. 25.