New ‘Interagency’ Federal Campground Pass Program
Provides Camping Discounts
on Federal Recreation Sites

The federal government has issued a new comprehensive interagency recreation pass, the “America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass”.

The new pass replaces the Golden Eagle, Golden Age, and the Golden Access Passports as well as the National Parks Pass. Existing passes will remain valid until expired, lost or stolen.

The pass covers recreation opportunities on public lands managed by four Department of the Interior agencies – the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Reclamation, and by the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service. In addition, the Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Valley Authority may honor the Senior Pass.

Access to most public lands remains free.
This pass applies to those locations that currently have entrance or standard amenity fees.

The four different passes in the new program are:

1. a new annual interagency pass costing $80 - For visitors to multiple federal sites, the pass offers unlimited coverage of entrance and standard amenity recreation fees for a specific period of time, typically a year, beginning from the date of first use.

2. a $10 lifetime Senior Pass* for U.S. citizens 62 or over (obtained in person from a participating Federal recreation site or office); (See Below)

3. a free lifetime access pass for citizens with permanent disabilities ; and

4. a new, free annual volunteer pass for volunteers acquiring 500 hours of service on a cumulative basis.

For more information, contact DOI’s U.S. Geological Survey http://store.usgs.gov/pass or phone 1-888-275-8747, Option 1. The annual pass is available for sale through the USGS store and through the government’s federal lands recreation web portal at www.recreation.gov.

About the ‘SENIOR PASS’

The Senior Pass provides a 50 percent discount on some Expanded Amenity Fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launching, and specialized interpretive services. In some cases where Expanded Amenity Fees are charged, only the pass holder will be given the 50 percent price reduction. The pass is non-transferable and generally does NOT cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessionaires.

Check directly with the local recreation site about their discount policies.

‘The Senior Pass is not valid at State Parks or local city/county Recreation sites.’

a list of “State Park Passes"

Discounts at Texas Campgrounds

The TACO (Texas Association of Campground Owners) Directory for 2002 has been published and is available free.

Inside the book is a card that entitles you to a discount at participating commercial campgrounds in Texas and New Mexico. Discounts are either 10% or 15% and are on daily rates, not weekly or monthly rates. You don't have to join anything and the card is free.

You can order the directory and card through their website at www.texascampgrounds.com or call them at 1(800)657-6555.

If your travel plans will be taking you through Texas and/or New Mexico, you may want to check it out.

Tips on Saving GAS at the pump

The rising price of a gallon of gas has changed my traveling habits. Bet it has yours too. The following information was forwarded to us by one of our readers.

1. 1. Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening .... your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.
   
   
2. 2. When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money.
   
   
3. 3. One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up - most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Hope this will help you get better value for your money.

When Should You Authorize a Company
to Withdraw Money from Your Account?

N-E-V-E-R

It’s OK for YOU to tell your bank where and when to send money
— but you should never authorize anyone else (a camping club, for example) to take money from your accounts.

Once it is started, your bank may require you to get the other person/company’s permission to stop it.

You increase the likelihood that your account information will be accidentally or fraudulently disclosed.

NAM has had complaints from people who had difficulty trying to cancel a campground’s authority to automatically take annual fees from their checking or credit card accounts.

Pass the Word !

Dan Hopper, NAM

Your friends need to know:

• Never pay money up-front to sell a campground membership or a time-share.
• Always find out, before the purchase, how you terminate your membership when you no longer wish to pay annual dues.
• Never try to settle a dispute over the phone.
• Get it in writing. If it isn’t in writing ­— it didn’t happen.

Can you think of anything I’ve forgotten?

Eight Money-Saving Tips for the Road

By Harry Basch & Shirley Slater, May 30, 2006
http://www.frommers.com

• Buy local produce. Shopping at roadside fruit stands or farmers’ markets will usually net the freshest and the cheapest local produce and give you a chance to chat with the locals.

• Watch for pick-your-own farms and orchards in season, where a few minutes of work can save a lot of money on luxuries like fresh raspberries and cherries. One national park campground in Utah is set in the midst of fruit orchards where campers pick their own.

• Clip coupons locally. Pick up local newspapers or free throwaways in towns where you overnight and use the ads and supermarket discount coupons to save grocery money.

• Take advantage of capitalism. If you see a gas station having a price war with a neighboring station, go back and fill up your tank. While price wars are uncommon during these days of high gas prices, every penny counts when you have a 75-gallon gas tank on a vehicle that gets under 10 miles to the gallon.

• Cash or charge? Some gas stations charge more when you use a credit card than when you pay cash. Keep your eye out for stations that list the same price for credit or cash. If there’s no sign that says so, ask before filling the tank.

• Don’t skimp on service. Spend that extra money for regular engine and vehicle upkeep on a long haul. This saves a lot of money in the end.

• Be rational about your campground needs. When overnighting in campgrounds that charge based on hookups and facilities used, opt for the most basic, since RVs are designed to be self-contained. Instead of paying extra for a sewer connection, use the free (for registered campers) dump site at a campground as you’re pulling in for the night or out in the morning. Opting for water and electric only may save as much as $5 a night.

• Buy out of season (antifreeze, for instance, in summer) and in quantity. When canned or paper goods are on sale in bulk, buy two or three for the house and two or three for the RV.