Colorado Parks and Wildlife is proposing a 400 percent increase in a fee paid by the public that benefits Colorado’s backcountry search and rescue operations.

A fee of $0.25 is currently included with the sale of most wildlife-related licenses, as well as watercraft, snowmobile, and off-highway vehicle registrations, first established in 1987. Under the proposal, this surcharge would increase to $1.25. The proposal is related to Colorado Senate Bill 22-168, which authorized Colorado Parks and Wildlife to increase the Backcountry Search and Rescue surcharge one time, with this surcharge only adjustable in relation to inflation after.

This surcharge is meant to help reimburse volunteer search and rescue teams for “costs incurred while providing a search and rescue service in the backcountry.”

While the surcharge might only be an increase of a dollar, that increase can go a long way in terms of providing funds for search and rescue. With the surcharge currently set at $0.25, this generates about $500,000 annually. Based on its track record, the proposed change to a surcharge of $1.25 would generate $2,500,000 annually.

It’s estimated that there are 2,500 backcountry search and rescue volunteers that operate in Colorado, with each of these volunteers spending about $2,000 to $2,500 annually for the training and equipment that is needed to participate in the program – estimated to be at least $5 million annually. On top of that, teams also cover “hundreds of thousands of dollars in team operating costs, team vehicles, BSAR equipment, communications equipment, and technology.”

Not only has search and rescue equipment gotten more expensive over the years, the calls for help have increased, too. The number of incidents that Colorado’s teams respond to has reportedly doubled since 2009 amid a surge in the state’s population and an increased interest in outdoor recreation. Meanwhile, this surcharge has remained stagnant, not adjusting to better support the higher demand.

The public has been invited to share their comments on to the proposal for the surcharge increase, and can do so online.

If you’re interested in supporting Colorado’s volunteer-powered search and rescue operation, one way to do so is through the purchase of a CORSAR card. It’s cheap, at only $5 per year.

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