Friday, November 25, 2011

The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge Made A Whopping $39,885 In Admission Fees Last Year From 45,000 Visitors

Watch Out For Alligators
The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge and the Tandy Hills Natural Area are both gems of wilderness of the sort which few large towns in the world are blessed.

The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge covers 3,621 acres, with over 20 miles of trails and wooden walkways over bayou-like waterways

Waterways where, as you see on the CAUTION sign, you may come upon an alligator. Or two.

When I first moved to Texas I lived closer to the FWNC & R than I do now. Back then I fairly frequently frequented the FWNC & R. And I've visited quite a few times since I moved further away from the FWNC & R.

But.

I have not been to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge since April of 2006.

Why?

Because the City of Fort Worth started charging an entry free. This I thought was an asinine thing for a city with pretensions of being the Envy of the World, to be doing.

I had been to the FWNC & R many times where I saw moms and dads with little kids, having fun looking at the Prairie Dogs and the Buffalo. These often seemed like families with finances which likely did not allow mom and dad to take the kids on fun trips to Yellowstone or Disneyland or Grand Canyon.

Having park amenities in your town, freely available to everyone, is part of what makes a great city GREAT.

And then yesterday, I read the following in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram....

The center has an operating budget of $664,776. It netted $39,885 from charging a fee at the park entrance and saw more than 45,000 visitors enter the park last year.

The city started charging the fee in 2006.

How much does it cost for admission you may be wondering?

From the FWNC & R website....

$5 Adults (13-64)
$2 Children (3-12;under 3 FREE)
$3 Seniors (65+)
$1 Discount per person (with Military ID)

So, mom and dad and 3 kids in the 3 -12 range can get to see the alligators for $16.

When I first learned that an entry fee was to be charged I wondered how much the cost of the ticket booth would be and how much it would cost to pay someone to take the money.

From the Star-Telegram article we learn the Center has an operating budget of $664,776. That is money that has been collected from you Fort Worth taxpayers. Taxes paid so the city has money to pay for things, like parks, for the benefit of the tax paying citizens.

Charging the entry fee netted only $39,885 last year. I'm assuming that net is after factoring in the cost of collecting the money.

There were more than 45,000 entry fee paying visitors. Let's say the average entry fee paid was $3. A $3 average would bring in $135,000. That is rather heavy overhead to end up netting only $39,885.

Let's take the operating budget of $664,776 and divide that number by the 45,000 visitors. That gives us a total cost per visitor of $14.77.

So, the City of Fort Worth is paying $14.77 per visit to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.

How many visited annually prior to a fee being charged?

Why not remove the entry fee, since it costs such a ridiculous amount to make that puny net of $39,885 and make money by other means?

Popcorn for a buck a bag at the Visitor's Center? Rental canoes? Maybe special events like the Concerts in the Garden that take place in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Surely some means could be found to easily raise $39,885 a year other than charging a ridiculous entry fee.

I had not discovered the Tandy Hills, which is only 4 miles from my abode, back when I still semi-regularly drove to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.

I wonder why the City of Fort Worth isn't charging an entry fee to the Tandy Hills. I think there easily could be a total of at least a 1,000 people who hike the hills annually. Some of those would be multiple visits from the same person, though.

I'd need to get a season's pass.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Durango, I too, enjoy the FWNC but can only muster the resources to visit two or three times a year. A wonderful place to canoe, be terrorized by gator sightings and enjoy the interim sights. And because I received my Master Naturalist certifications training from the wonderful staff there, am encouraged to do the following; (from the FWNC website)

INDIVIDUAL ($45) benefits include:
Annual Pass into the Nature Center for one adult (value, $5/visit)*
10% discount in the Gift Shop
Advance notice, discounted registration fees (value, $2-$5/registration), and pre-registration opportunities for classes, workshops, and events
Invitations to special “Members only” events (guided walks, canoe tours, Annual Meeting, Holiday Party, Chili Cook-Off, and much more)
Bluestem News and Phenology – delivered quarterly to your mailbox.

FAMILY ($75) benefits include:
Annual Pass into the Nature Center for two adults and four children. (value, $18/visit)*
10% discount in the Gift Shop
Advance notice, discounted registration fees (value, $2-$5/registration), and pre-registration opportunities for classes, workshops, and events
Invitations to special “Members only” events (guided walks, canoe tours, Annual Meeting, Holiday Party, Chili Cook-Off, and much more)
Bluestem News and Phenology – delivered quarterly to your mailbox.

BONUS!!! DONATION-with-MEMBERSHIP
A donation at the time of joining or renewing membership in the Friends gets you a little something extra. Membership ($45 Single; $75 Family) plus:


$ 25 - Four (4) Canoe Fest coupons
$ 125 - Four (4) Bison Feeding Hayride coupons
$ 225 - Special Night Hike for ten (10)
$ 425 - Special Canoe Tour for ten (10)
$ 625+ - Evening Canoe Tour with shore side picnic for ten (10)


* NOTE: Additional persons coming to the Nature Center with you will pay regular entry fee.

For many years, I paid for a Family Membership. Then circumstances changed and I converted to a Single Membership. It was a worthy cause. Then like many people these days, I had to jettison some of the annual membership fees paid to all my pet interests. Ten organizations all charging $50--you know the math. It is cheaper for me and a friend to pay entry fees for day use then be a supporter of the park.
So not only is the entry fee onerous dollar wise, you don't get a break by being a 'supporter' of the park either as a casual user. The low tier membership just covers ONE oerson. Most of us prefer a partner to tackle that environ.
I'm surprised you didn't focus your musings on the proposed taking of the park management private. But perhaps such a group would take both our complaints to heart. If they must charge a fuzzy math entry fee...at least give FWNC members a financial incentive to join and support the park and make the $45 membership cover two people so you can invite a friend and not also cover their $8 entry fee.
-Park Lover

Anonymous said...

PS from Park Lover: I may have stated that FWNC day entry fee is $8 in my earlier post to you. It is $5 and if I can hurry up the aging process, it would be $3.

Stenotrophomonas said...

Maybe we can pay to get in at Tandy Hills, but the city pays someone to keep the place cleaned up. And an artist in residence to supplement the guerilla(s).
And provides some alligators. No way they get many visitors without some big reptiles. A few little green snakes just won't do it.

Anonymous said...

PS #2 from Park Lover:
I usually play Whack-A-Mole when commenting to you in the past. Bad manners not to wish you a happy holiday and that despite my frustrations with you at times, your blog is highly entertaining (minus the weather reports) and makes me laugh.