Plan to charge fees to enter El Yunque draws fire from local leaders

Tom Schultz, the U.S. Forest Service chief, testifies during House Federal Lands subcommittee hearing in Washington, on Sept. 9, 2025. Schultz said at a recent congressional hearing that entrance fees at El Yunque National Forest would be consistent with practices implemented in other recreational areas managed by the National Forest System and that there are similar precedents in other jurisdictions. (Valerie Plesch/The New York Times)

By THE STAR STAFF

The U.S. Forest Service is considering imposing new fees to access some areas of the El Yunque National Forest, a proposal that raised questions during a recent congressional hearing in Washington, D.C.

The issue came up in an exchange between Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández Rivera and Tom Schultz, chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, about the agency’s plans to begin charging for access to the El Portal visitor center and La Mina recreation area.

Under the proposal discussed at the hearing, the fees would include a $4 per person charge, a three-day pass for $10, a $20 individual annual pass and a $30 family annual pass.

During the hearing, Hernández stressed that currently Puerto Rican families can access these facilities at no cost and questioned why the agency intends to establish charges where they do not exist today.

“To be precise, you are not increasing an existing rate,” Puerto Rico’s non-voting member of Congress said during the exchange with Schultz. “They are creating a position to access something that today is free.”

Schultz responded that the charge would be consistent with practices implemented in other recreational areas managed by the National Forest System and that there are similar precedents in other jurisdictions.

On Tuesday, Rep. Héctor Ferrer Santiago sent an official communication to the U.S. Forest Service expressing his opposition to the proposal to establish the entrance fees. The Popular Democratic Party minority leader in the island House of Representatives argued that the measure would impose an additional burden on families in Puerto Rico at a time when they are facing the highest cost of living in decades.

In the letter addressed to the fee proposal coordinator, Ferrer said that while he recognizes the need to maintain and conserve the forest, passing that cost on to citizens through an entrance fee would effectively limit access for those with fewer financial resources.

“Puerto Rico is facing a difficult economic reality. Costs for electricity, water, gasoline, housing, and food continue to rise, while the income of many families has not grown at the same pace,” he stated. “Adding a new fee to enjoy one of our primary natural resources means turning a public space into a privilege for those who can afford it.”

The legislator noted that a family of five would have to pay an additional $20 per visit -- excluding transportation, tolls and food costs -- which would inevitably discourage many families from visiting the forest.

He also emphasized that El Yunque represents a natural, cultural and generational heritage for the people of Puerto Rico; therefore, access to it should not be contingent upon visitors’ financial means.