Standing on a dock at a Lamoille River fishing access last week, Andrea Shortsleeve said that ballooning expenses and high demand are making state land and infrastructure harder and harder to manage.Moments later, Shortsleeve, who is the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department chief of operations, watched an enthusiastic motorboat pilot crash into the dock, leaving the structure shuddering and sending a passenger sprawling.“Crunch,” Shortsleeve said. “It’s a strong current today.”Shortsleeve’s funding concerns are echoed in state and federal public land agencies alike. The Fish and Wildlife Department is readying what will be one in a string of recent proposals to raise more fee revenue from people enjoying Vermont lands. Visitors may also see more frequent, gradual price hikes for state parks and increased costs to access recreation sites in Vermont’s federal forests under proposals currently open for public comment.
With both state and federal agencies feeling the fiscal pinch, officials are weighing needed services on public lands against Vermonters’ affordability concerns.In a Wednesday press conference, Gov. Phil Scott said he supported the recent state fee proposals but stressed that he didn’t take such steps lightly. His administration wants to keep state parks and lands accessible, he said, especially for “blue-collar families who are struggling to get by and just need some relief, and want to have some fun with their kids.”
