Starting in March, 2000 visitors to the Catwalk National Recreational Trail will be charged entrance fees.

The Catwalk Fee Demonstration Management Plan will begin once the Forest Service builds a collection booth. Fees have been set as follows:

* $3 per vehicle per day;

* $10 per commercial tour vehicle (small vans carrying fewer than 15 passengers); and

* $10 annual fee.

There will be no fees charged the first day of every month. Students and other educational groups will get in free anytime.

An annual pass will be available to "Friends of the Catwalk" -- anyone volunteering at least eight hours of service. The work could range from site cleanup to natural history talks.

The fee demonstration project was designed to offset dwindling budgets to national parks and forests. Under the program, 80 percent of the money goes for site improvements; 15 percent goes to offset local administration costs; and 5 percent goes to the regional office.

The Catwalk National Scenic Trail and Whitewater Picnic Ground are located 5 miles northeast of Glenwood, NM. The unusual "catwalk" is a 250-foot metal causeway clinging to the sides of boulder-choked Whitewater Canyon which in some places is only 20 feet wide! The original "catwalk" was a gravity-fed waterline that supplied water and power to a nearby ore mill. In 1935, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a sturdy metal walk so visitors could enjoy the canyon and look down at the running water below. There are several spots where visitors can leave the steel causeway and relax on the banks of the Sycamore-shaded stream. A dirt trail continues into the Gila Wilderness. Whitewater Picnic Area lies at the entrance to the catwalk and offers opportunities for a nice, quiet picnic under the Sycamores. This area is for picnicking only.

For more information, call the Glenwood Ranger Station at (505) 539-2481 or visit the Glenwood Chamber Of Commerce Website Here