KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2025 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Tonto National Forest Proposes Higher Fees

(photo courtesy of the US Forest Service)

Visitors to the Tonto National Forest in eastern Arizona may soon be paying more to camp and boat in the area. Officials plan to use the additional revenue to upgrade aging infrastructure.

The proposed fee increases would help the forest deal with a $2 million budget shortfall.

Greg Schuster is a recreation program manager with the Tonto National Forest. He said, right now, the forest service is having to choose between funding daily operations and long term deferred maintenance.

"And so by modifying our fee structure and bringing some of these prices up, we feel that we will be able to address both challenges equally," he said.

Schuster said, the Tonto National Forest has one of the largest recreation programs in the country.

The public has until mid-October to comment on the proposal.

Carrie Jung was a senior field correspondent from 2014 to 2018.