GORP: GA Outdoor Recreation Pass Required in 2012
GORP – The Georgia Outdoor Recreation Pass – will be required for visitors at some wildlife areas beginning January 1, 2012, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division.
Hikers, birders, cavers, cyclists and other non-traditional users of wildlife management areas, public fishing areas and some natural areas will most likely need the GORP.
Wildlife Resources Director Dan Forster said the GORP allows users to help cover the cost of providing the property. The new system allows a broader range of constituents – beyond hunters and anglers – to contribute more equitably. Forster added that the fee structure developed in the GORP “is the result of a broad-based and extensive public involvement process.”
The GORP will be required on 32 affected properties in Georgia. Each area is managed for wildlife, habitat and outdoors activities, work that previously was funded mostly by revenue from hunting and fishing licenses. However, these same areas often were heavily used by secondary activities, such as hiking, cycling, birding, etc.
A GORP for an individual costs $3.50 for three days or $19.00 annually. For groups of eight or fewer people, a GORP is $10 for three days or $35.00 per year. The pass is required for visitors ages 16-64, but not for those who have a valid WMA, honorary, sportsmen’s, lifetime or three-day hunting and fishing license. A high-value version called GORP Plus costs $3.50 and is available only to Georgia residents; it covers three days access, plus hunting and fishing privileges.
The GORP is available now online here, by calling 1-800-366-2661, or at retail license agents.