Along the drive north from Denver, the man had been the epitome of high spirits, befitting his first outing of the year at a favorite reservoir whose primary purpose is as a limbering-up platform for the old casting arm.
If he happened to catch a couple, all the better. Mainly, it was an early opportunity to meet some friends and drift back into the old rhythm between arm and rod, fingers and line.
Only when he reached the kiosk serving as the entry point to this public fishery that’s part of a Longmont city park did the numbers hit him, flashing somewhere between his bifocals and that rebellious spot deep down in the brain where we hold the notion we are being taken advantage of.
“Don’t these people know there’s a recession going on, or maybe something worse?” this mild man thundered, no longer at ease with his outing.
The man was a retiree, and the $8 daily fee compared to $6 charge from the year before struck him as a royal rip-off. But what really got his goat was the thought that the Longmont Parks and Recreation Department hadn’t since laid out an extra cent to enhance the activity that had brought him here, which was fishing.
Further, that fishing opportunity from the very start had been provided by license money he had already paid the Colorado Division of Wildlife. DOW used that money to raise and plant the fish and hire the biologists who tend them.
Worse, this is the tip of an iceberg, a scenario repeated at dozens of lakes and ponds up and down Colorado’s Front Range, where a variety of park and recreation districts use state-stocked fish — free carrots, as it were — to lure visitors who now pay twice for the privilege of catching their own fish.
What is wrong with this picture?
The main problem is that DOW, ever playing the good guys while promoting fishing activity among all ages in an effort to boost license sales, is willing to keep providing free fish while getting little in return.
It reasonably can be argued that the various parks districts provide sanitary services, security patrol and certain other amenities that make these parks more agreeable. They feature walking trails, picnic tables, exercise apparatus, and even designated places for canines to relieve themselves.
But without these fish, given to the parks department for free, no one ever would show up carrying cash and a fishing rod.
During a Cook’s Tour of various parks fisheries around the Denver area, a certain pattern emerged. Despite the general economic tightening and a mounting conversation about the desirability of close-in and inexpensive places to fish, we found costs spiraling rather than declining.
Nowhere was this more true than the popular waters managed by Aurora Open Space and Natural Resources, where parks entry fees spiral upward so rapidly you would think bailout money was involved.
Aurora fees grew substantially for three consecutive years — from $3 to $5 to $7 at Quincy Reservoir and $5 to $7 to $10 at Aurora Reservoir. It now costs an extra $10 each year to launch any kind of watercraft, even the simplest kickboat.
Not surprisingly, complaints have been pouring in, and many anglers have been speaking with their feet. On a sunny weekend in late March when anglers reported good trout action, the Quincy parking lot virtually was deserted.
“A lot of people are upset,” the parks attendant said.
Pat Schuler, manager of Aurora’s Open Space and Natural Resources Department, defends the increase as “simply a matter of trying to stretch the budget far enough to cover the cost of operations.”
This now includes, Schuler said, the expense involved with inspection for zebra mussels and other invasive species.
“We generate roughly 50 percent of the revenue required to meet our costs,” Schuler said. “There’s no disputing that it’s now harder for people to find the extra money for fees, but we couldn’t find another way to offset the cost.”
Schuler said her agency as yet has no indication whether the decision has caused a lag in attendance.
One might expect this distress would extend to the Division of Wildlife, which plants these fish with the fair expectation that they will provide lots of public recreation, not to mention vital license sales.
Historically, a cash-strapped DOW has been willing to let various metro-area entities handle the management of these local lakes. Now that ample management funds are likely to be available under the new Habitat Stamp arrangement, time may be ripe for change.
Imagine a string of ponds along the South Platte/Clear Creek/ Bear Creek corridor all chock full of the public’s fish, available to anyone with a license and no add-on fees required.
It’s something to dream about.
Charlie Meyers: 303-954-1609 or cmeyers@denverpost.com
