On November 13, Colorado Parks and Wildlife announced that the ‘Colorado Backcountry Search and Rescue Program’ fee that’s tied to wildlife licenses and boat, snowmobile, and off-highway vehicle registrations has officially increased 400 percent – from $0.25 to $1.25.

The fee increase was a long time coming, first set at $0.25 in 1987. The increase was described as “a necessary step to reflect the current [consumer] price index, taking into account inflation, as well as the increase in search-and-rescue incident responses and the number of highly challenging and risky rescues over the last 15 years.”

RELATED: Check out our podcast with Anna DeBattiste of CSAR on Apple or Spotify to learn more about search and rescue in Colorado

In addition to an increased number of calls for help that’s accompanied Colorado’s population boom and the nation’s growing interest in outdoor recreation, the decision to increase the fee was also related to rising costs of gear, training, and administrative tasks associated with the search and rescue effort.

Around 50 dedicated search and rescue organizations operate around the state of Colorado, offering services free of charge when individuals need help.

It’s been reported that the number of incidents that Colorado’s rescue teams respond to has doubled since 2009, with the state’s roughly 2,500 backcountry search and rescue volunteers spending about $2,000 to $2,500 of their own money annually for the training and equipment needed to participate.

The surcharge of $0.25 has been reported to raise about $500,000 annually for the search and rescue effort, with the increase presumably bringing that total to about $2,500,000 annually.

If you’re interested in helping to support the backcountry SAR community in Colorado, here are some ways to do it:

• Educate yourself on safety-related aspects of outdoor recreation and only enter the backcountry when prepared to do so with the right skills, training, and gear
• Support a local BSAR team as a donor or volunteer member. You can read about joining a team here
• Donate to the Colorado Search and Rescue Association, which provides services and resources to all the teams
• Buy a CORSAR card on Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s license page. CORSAR cards are not insurance, and there is no charge for backcountry rescue in Colorado whether you have the card or not. It is, however, a good way to chip in on the equipment and training expenses of nonprofit teams.

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