No more Forest Pass???

[miller]

i would interpret this to mean no more forest pass - could it be true??? does anyone know for sure?

 

 

 

SENATE COMMITTEE REJECTS PERMANENT FEE DEMO FOR FOREST SERVICE, BLM, AND USFWS.

 

PASSES BILL FOR NATIONAL PARKS ONLY.

 

Grassroots Effort Moves Parks Fee Legislation

 

In what is being called a 'remarkable victory,' opponents of the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program are today celebrating what they see as the beginning of the end of recreation fees on the National Forests and other public lands.

 

Despite enormous pressure from the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture to make the Fee Demo program permanent for the National Parks, Forest Service, BLM, and US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee this morning unanimously voted to pass S. 1107, the Recreational Fee Authority Act (Senator Craig Thomas, R-WY), which makes recreation fees permanent for the National Parks only. The bill will allow Fee Demo to lapse for the BLM, US Forest Service and US Fish & Wildlife Service.

 

Fee-opponents in recent days had flooded Senate offices with faxes and phone calls, expressing their general acceptance of park fees and their adamant opposition to fees for recreation on lands managed by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

 

Opponents of recreation user fees came together to prevent Thomas' legislation from being amended and to ensure that it would be moved out of committee as a 'parks only' bill. Gale Norton, Secretary of Interior, lobbied Senators hard in an effort to included permanent fee authority for the other three federal agencies within the Fee Demo program.

 

“Senator Thomas and Senator Craig (R-ID), Chair of the public lands subcommittee, as well as all Senators on Committee, did an excellent job protecting their constituents ownership of these public lands.” Said Robert Funkhouser President of Western Slope NoFee Coalition.

 

Another long time opponent of these fees, Kitty Benzar, co-founder of the WSNFC said: "The Tide has turned, and with a growing groundswell for ending this ill-conceived recreation fee program, it is becoming every more clear that we will soon see the end of fees to take a hike in the woods."

 

The Fee Demo program in the Forest Service, BLM, and USFWS has been recognized as a failure in terms of public acceptance and financial viability. Recent administrative changes to enforcement procedures particularly within the BLM, such as increasing penalties for being on public land without a pass to $5,000, have fueled the growing Fee Revolt taking place across the nation.

 

Contact:

Robert Funkhouser, WSNFC

802-867-2298

 

Kitty Benzar, WSNFC

970-259-4616

[ken4ord]

Now that is some freaking great news. I really hope they do away with that stupid idea.

[foraker]

better find out when the current law lapses though

[ken4ord]

Doesn't matter to me. I haven't nor will I ever buy a forest pass.

[Rodchester]

This is old news and has been discussed and reviewed in length in the access forum of CC.com. HERE

 

Yes, it is good news. Very good news from my viewpoint.

 

As I recall, the present system lapses in October of 2004. Unless there is some legislative gymnastics, the present system will lapse and the Trail Park Pass will die on Forest Service and BLM lands (actually I think it will die on all lands EXCEPT National Parks) in October of this year.

 

 

Edited April 13, 2004 by Rodchester

[Ducknut]

Doesn't matter to me. I haven't nor will I ever buy a forest pass.

 

Wow Hayduke is in our midst!

[Dru]

hayduke:

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showprofile.php?Cat=0&User=1273&page=2&what=showmembers

[Ducknut]

[EWolfe]

Doesn't matter to me. I haven't nor will I ever buy a forest pass.

 

It takes a lot of Forrest Gumption to say that.

[ken4ord]

hayduke:

 

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/threadz/showprofile.php?Cat=0&User=1273&page=2&what=showmembers

 

 

Hmm, that's not me, but funny thing is they registered on my birthday. Weird.

[Doug]

While it is getting slowly closer to fruition, something alarming is a brewing in a USFS plan as to how fees would be charged, if it fails. There is a chance that, instead of it failing outright, it could be replaced with a more onerous program.

 

The "Blueprint for Forest Service Recreation Fees" would allow fees for

something as simple as hiking. If you look at it online, at:

 

http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/feedemo/projects02/blueprint.html

 

peruse Table 1, you'll see that anything, including "Trailheads for basic cross-country ski trails, hiking..." with a(n): Toilet facility, Interpretive sign(s), exhibit(s), kiosk(s), Picnic tables, Trash receptacle would be a "Significantly Developed Day-Use Site." Even "Basic Recreation sites" could have fees assessed, if you arrived in a "private vehicle."

 

AARRGGHH!!!

[thrutch]

Doug,

I oppose fees for public lands, but please make sure you present your material with the truth. All items listed above are correct in the assessment of the fee, but 3 of them are required for a fee to be charged.

 

The one point I dislike the most is that they think it is less convenient for the user to buy the pass at the actual facility, they would rather involve a 3rd party to increase the fee. I do not know how they figure this as one stop shopping is always easier.

 

Then again they are tool and they are whores to commercialism just like the majority of America.

[hopalong]

So would it be like paying the fee at a FS campground? When ya shove the envelope into a box or post, but at every singe trailhead.

[mothboy88]

I asked a parks person at REI today about the forest pass. She siad it wasn't going away. She said there were some areas that will no longer require a pass as of October, but the overall program will remain.

 

So is she right or uninformed? Wouldn't be the first time the right hand didn't know what the left was doing.

 

My pass expires this month and I am not excited about purchasing one if the program is about to dissolve...

[Rodchester]

She is correct, but you misunderstood what she said. She is a Parks person, and technically the pass isn't going away TO THE DECREE THAT IT EXISTS ON PARK LANDS.

 

It will go away as to FOREST SERVICE and BLM lands.

 

Kep in mind that she is also no teven informed on the new bill. Also, it doesn't take effect, or more correctly loose its effect, until this fall.

[hopalong]

The list of no longer requiring a forest pass sites is pretty long. I'd suggest checking it out before you buy.

[hopalong]

I can't remember where to find the list though.