USERS WILL PAY AT CORPS OF ENGINEERS FACILITIES THIS YEAR

When people start making plans for activities in the great outdoors this year, the plans may also include a day-use pass from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

This is the first year for the user permit on properties in the Corps of Engineers' St. Louis District, said Roger Hase, coordinator of the district's visitor programs.

Corps facilities in the St. Louis District include thousands of acres of recreational ares in five giant lake areas: Lake Wappapello in parts of Wayne and Butler counties in Southeast Missouri; Mark Twain Lake in Monroe and Ralls counties of Missouri; Rend Lake, North of Benton, Ill.; Carlyle Lake near Vandalia, Ill.; and Lake Shelbyville near Shelbyville, Ill.

The fee schedule is effective May 1.

However, in some areas, the fees may not start until June 1, Hase said, adding that that may be the case at Lake Wappapello.

"We don't have an approved plan for our area yet," said Michael McClendon, of the Wappapello Lake Management Office. "It will probably be June 1 before we start issuing the user permits."

Three areas will be included in the fee program at Lake Wappapello -- People's Creek and Redman Creek, swimming and boat launching facilities, and Rockwood Creek, swimming only.

The Corps user fees were a part of President Bill Clinton's 1993 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act.

Clearwater Lake, which is in the Corps' Little Rock District, started collecting user fees in 1994.

Annual passes for use of boat ramps and swimming beaches are now available at all Corps facilities.

They will be available throughout the season.

The annual pass is a sticker placed on the windshield side of the rear view mirror. People with more than one vehicle may obtained a second sticker for $5.

The passes are good for one calendar year.

Daily passes will be available, starting May 1, at all facilities.

The daily fee amount, said Mark Milholland, project manager at Clearwater Lake, depends upon the number of people in the party. The swimming fee is $1 a person for people 12 or older and up to $3 a vehicle.

Boat launching fees are $2.

No launching fees are charged for boats registered to a rented boat slip at marinas on the lake. Proof of stall rental and the boat's registration number should be visibly displayed.

Federal Golden Age or Golden Access card holders receive a 50 percent discount on the purchase price of daily or annual passes.

Day-use fees apply to visitors who are not camping. Visitors who rent camping space are not required to pay the user fees.

When Clinton's Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act was passed, all boat launching and swimming areas on Corps properties were required to charge user fees.

But, another bill, signed into law in 1994 by Clinton, eliminated a portion of user fees, from boat launching ramps in lightly and undeveloped boat areas.