USFWS Opens Comment Period on Bosque del Apache Guiding Permit Fees

USFWS is taking public comments on proposed commercial guiding fees at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, and anyone who cares about hunting access on federal refuges should pay attention. The comment window is open until August 29.

The proposal would require outfitters to apply for a year-long Special Recreation Permit to conduct commercial activity on the refuge. The proposed annual fee is $130 for commercial birding permits and $150 for commercial hunt guiding and outfitting services. USFWS says those amounts mirror similar permits on nearby federal lands and that the money would directly benefit the visitor experience at the refuge.

Bosque del Apache sits in the Middle Rio Grande Valley in Socorro County. It is famous for wildlife viewing, especially birds, but it is also part of a broader public-land landscape where people hunt, fish, photograph wildlife, and use the refuge system in different ways throughout the year. Commercial use on that ground should be orderly, permitted, and fair to the public.

Fees are not automatically bad. A reasonable permit system can keep outfitters accountable and help pay for the places they profit from. But public land is still public land, and every new fee deserves daylight. Hunters should want clean access rules, not backdoor barriers or systems that only work for the biggest operators.

If you guide, hire guides, hunt refuges, or just believe federal wildlife lands need honest public input, read the proposal and send comments before August 29. The email listed by USFWS is BosquedelApacheNWR@fws.gov. Quiet rulemaking is still rulemaking. Show up before the decision is already made.