Free admission days will be held at U.S. national wildlife refuges, national parks, and other public lands during 2015. The fee holidays are scheduled each year to encourage Americans to visit public lands.
Federal land management agencies that will offer fee-free days in 2015 include: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service.
2015 National Wildlife Refuges System Fee-Free Days:
January 19 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
February 14-16 – Presidents’ Day Weekend
September 26 – National Public Lands Day
October 11 – First Sunday of National Wildlife Refuge Week
November 11 – Veterans Day
“Our National Wildlife Refuges System is an unparalleled network of public lands dedicated to the conservation of native wildlife and their habitats. This national treasure provides Americans with places to hunt, fish, observe the natural world and experience the outdoors in many exciting ways,” said Service Director Dan Ashe.
There’s at least one national wildlife refuge in every state and one within an hour’s drive of most major metropolitan areas. National wildlife refuges also help support local communities, pumping $2.4 billion into the national economy and supporting more than 35,000 jobs, according to a 2013 federal report. More than 46 million people visit refuges every year.
Of the nation’s 562 national wildlife refuges, 464 are open to the public. Of those, only 35 refuges charge an entrance fee, generally ranging from $3 to $5. Admission to the others is free. The entrance fee waiver does not cover concessionaire or license fees for some activities such as hunting, fishing or special tours.
National wildlife refuges are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the Department of the Interior. For more information about the National Wildlife Refuge System, visit www.fws.gov/refuges.
source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service