A new access pass, called the Georgia Outdoor Recreation Pass (GORP), will be required for visitors to some wildlife areas beginning Jan. 1, 2012, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division.

 

Those that potentially will need the pass include hikers, birders, cavers, cyclists and other non-traditional user groups of wildlife management areas, public fishing areas and some natural areas.

 

Wildlife Resources Director Dan Forster said the GORP answers a long-realized need for those 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. He 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 and more.

 

A GORP for an individual costs $3.50 (three days) and $19 (annual) for individuals. For groups of eight or fewer people, a GORP is $10 (three days) and $35 (annual). 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. The GORP will go on sale beginning Nov. 1, 2012.