fee demo petition

[gregm]

Those of you opposed to the fee demo program can sign a petition at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/feedemo/

Probably not as good as writing actual letters or other forms of activism, but maybe every little bit helps.

Greg

[rayborbon]

Thanks Greg. This is the same one I posted a few weeks back and it deserves attention.

*********************************************

The Fiscal Year 2000 Recreation Fee-Demonstration Program Report to Congress

is now on the web at http://www.doi.gov/nrl/Recfees/2001Report.PDF

As expected, this new report further confirms that the fee-demo program

is floundering badly.

Here are a few key facts and statistics available in the report.

1) Fee-Demo receipts for the National Park Service FELL in FY2000 compared

to the previous year.

2) Of the $133,626,000 collected in Fee-Demo receipts by the NPS $3,378,000

was spent on "resource protection" and $12,643,000 were spent on "visitor

services". By way of contrast, $27,687,000 of these fee-demo receipts was

spend upon "COLLECTION COSTS".

3) The US Forest Service, Fee-Demo obligations for FY 2000 broke out in

much the follows way. Here is a summary of the data:

Spend upon:

fee collection 17.9%

annual operation 30.7%

law enforcement 3.3%

repair and maintenance 15.5%

resource preservation 3.4%

 

Meanwhile, participating agencies are doing their very best to put a "smiley

face" upon the dismal results of this program. The best they could manage to

say is that:

"Visitation to recreation sites participating in the Recreation Fee

Demonstration Program continues to appear unaffected n any significant way

by the new fees."

"Overall, the $179.9 million of fee-demonstration revenue in FY2000 is

essentially the same as the $176.5 million in FY 1999."

What they do not say (but report in the data) is that the number of visitors

to NON-FEE public-land recreation sites continues to rise rapidly as

Americans avoid fee sites and find alternative places to recreate.

What they do not say (but report in the data) is that over half of all

receipts currently reported as "fee-demo" receipts are, in reality,

National Park entrance fees that were ALREADY being collected prior to

introduction of Fee-Demo in 1996.

I encourage people to read this new report and use the data to help show

their Congressional representatives that the fee demonstration has, after

nearly 5 years of testing, clearly failed to prove its worth.

Fee-Demo should neither be made permanent nor further extended. It should

simply be allowed to wither an die. Unfortunately, the American Recreation

Coalition has other plans --- in fact, they have already written draft

legislation that would create a Fee-Demo Phase II program and extend

recreation user fee authorization until Sept 2004.

A copy of that proposed legislation is available upon request made to Wild

Wilderness.

-Ray

[This message has been edited by rayborbon (edited 03-07-2001).]

[rayborbon]

Wild Wilderness has recently obtained a copy of the America Recreation

Coalition's Fee-Demo Phase II legislation. We have placed it on the web,

along with ARC's explanation of its various components at http://www.wildwilderness.org/docs/po.htm

(see specifically the last four links on this page).

This proposed legislation would not only extend the "demonstration" until

Sept 30, 2004 but would result in PROFOUND changes in the way the program

operates. It would :

1) extend the program for 2 additional years

2) create a revolving slush-fund for new fee-demo sites

3) bring special use permits/fees into the fee-demo program

4) encourage 20-year partnership permits with the private sector!!!

The ARC then goes on to identify it's two "KEY ACTORS" for this legislation

as:

Representative Ralph Regula (R-OH) -- (202) 225-3876

Representative Norm Dicks (D-WA) -- (202) 225-5916

Ralph Regula has been ARC's champion from day-one. To a lesser extent, the

same can be said of Norm Dicks. We can be reasonable sure that ARC's

legislation will move forward within the next few months, OR (more likely)

will be attached as a rider to Appropriations Legislation later in this

session.

If we are going to prevent ARC's newest legislation from passing, we will

have to do a far better job of communicating to these and other congressmen,

our opposition to fee-demo. After 4 years, fee-demo has already proved to be

a failure, but congress has been insulated from this information. Our job is

to tear down ARC's insulation and let the truth be heard.

As always, you help is much needed and greatly appreciated.

Scott

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Scott Silver

Wild Wilderness http://www.wildwilderness.org