Wilmington, NC - The U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers (USACE) announced
that beginning Jan. 1, 2016, approximately 240
of its recreation projects nationwide will begin issuing America
the Beautiful National Parks and Federal
Recreational Lands Interagency Passes.
Currently, USACE accepts
the Interagency Senior and Access passes at its recreation projects,
but is not allowed to sell or issue
the passes.
The Water Resources
Reform and Development Act of 2014, signed into law on June 10,
2014, granted the Secretary
of the Army the authority to participate fully in
the America the Beautiful
Interagency Pass Program.
Beginning in January, visitors
to the approximately 240
designated USACE recreation projects
will be able to
purchase or obtain
the following interagency recreation passes --
Interagency Senior Pass, Interagency Access Pass,
Interagency Annual Pass,
Interagency Military Pass, Interagency Every Kid
in a Park 4th Grade Pass, and Interagency Volunteer Pass.
These passes will allow their holders free access to boat launches
and swimming beaches
managed by USACE.
The senior and access America
the Beautiful passes also provide
holders a 50 percent discount on campsites
at USACE-managed campgrounds. For information on the America the Beautiful passes, visit http://store.usgs.gov/pass/annual.html, or phone
1-888-275-8747, option 3.
Additionally, the Interagency Pass
Program allows each
of
the federal agencies to retain and reinvest
revenues collected from the sale
of passes at the project level. USACE
plans to reinvest
its revenues at the projects where
the fees are
collected.
USACE will
continue to sell its own annual
day use pass, which
allows visitors free access
to boat launches
and swimming beaches managed
by USACE.
The cost of the USACE Annual Day Use Pass will increase to $40 beginning in
January.
USACE is the
nation’s largest federal
provider of
outdoor recreation, managing more than 400 lake and
river projects in 43 states and
hosting more than 370 million visits per
year. With 90 percent of these recreation
areas within 50 miles
of metropolitan areas they provide a diverse range
of outdoor activities close to home and to people of all
ages.
For
more information
on USACE recreation sites and activities, visit www.CorpsLakes.us