Fee Demo News

[jon]

--- (This message is critically important) ---

Three days ago Congress held its first-ever Oversight Hearing on Fee-Demo.

Having listened in on it, I am pleased to report that there were many

Congressmen who expressed serious misgivings about the program. That is the

good news.

The bad news can perhaps best be summarized by a close examination of the

first two paragraphs of the testimony given on behalf of the US Forest

Service by Denny Bschor (see below).

Mr. Bschor stated four critically important points. In the text below I

reference these points by number and draw your attention to them here:

[1] The hearing was not about making a decision whether or not to

permanently authorize recreation user fees. The hearing was about the USFS

starting to work with this Natural Resources Committee to develop a

replacement program for Fee-Demo which is already on its way out. A new and

improved recreation fee program is in the works and will be introduced by

the President in the Spring of 2002.

[2] Fee-Demo is not, and never was, about collecting revenues for needed

maintenance of recreation facilities. Fee-Demo has always been a program

intended to "test the notion of 'user-play' recreation'" (Denny's words, not

mine!). Fee-Demo has always been thought of by land management agency

leaders and by friendly government supporters of the American Recreation

Coalition as a transition program from 'Wild and Free' outdoor recreation on

public lands to 'Commercialized, Industrial Strength Recreation,

Pay-to-Play' recreation.

[3] Once again, I stress, as Mr. Bschor stressed in his testimony, ---

recreation user fees is not about maintaining EXISTING facilities, It is

about "provid(ing) ENHANCED user services and facilities." Recreation user

fees is about changing the nature of outdoor recreation. It is about the

Corporate Takeover of Nature and the Disneyfication of the Wild.

[4] Fee-Demo is set to expire one year from Sunday. Congress will, within

the next few days, decide whether to extend this demonstration for an

additional four years as the President requested. Several large recreation

organizations have recently urged their members to write to Congress and ask

that they extend the demonstration for no more than ONE year. This was most

unfortunate!

If fee-demo is NOT extended, the USFS will be forced to use existing funds

to phase-out the program starting early next year. If this happens, fee-demo

opponents will score a knock-down punch and the survival of recreation user

fees will be in jeopardy.

If, on the other hand, authorization for the current program is extended by

as little as one additional year, then the Administration, the agencies, the

American Recreation Coalition and their friends in Congress will knock our

side out with their new and improved (and worse than ever) Recreation Phase

II Program.

THAT BEING THE CASE, I IMPLORE YOU to call or write today and demand that

Congress does NOTHING that would extend the current demonstration by as much

as one day.

Demand that the demonstration be allowed to run its course and then be

thoroughly evaluated AFTER the current demonstration has ended.

Thanks so much for your help. Please do what you can to encourage others to

call or write today.

Scott

PS... An Action Alert is appended!

------- begin quoted ---------

http://www.fs.fed.us/congress/2001_testimony/9_25_01_bschor_on_rec_fee.htm

Statement of Dennis Bschor

Acting Associate Deputy Chief Forest Service

United States Department of Agriculture

Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health Committee on

Resources United States House of Representatives

on September 25, 2001

Concerning - Recreational Fee Demonstration Program

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity

to appear before you today. I am Denny Bschor, Acting Associate Deputy

Chief for the National Forest System. We appreciate the Committee's

interest in reviewing the recreational fee demonstration program and would

like to work with Congress on [1] developing a replacement for this very

important program.

The recreational fee demonstration program was first authorized by Congress

in the fiscal year (FY) 1996 Interior Appropriations Act (Section 315 of

Public Law 104-134). It has given the Forest Service, Park Service, Fish

and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management an important

opportunity to test the notion of "user-pays" recreation [2] where fees are

collected and expended on-site to provide enhanced user services and

facilities [3] . The current authorization expires on September 30, 2002.

Unless the demonstration program is extended or new authority is granted,

this important tool will disappear at the end of FY 2002, and our phase-out

will begin even sooner[4].

<Continues>

-------- ACTION ALERT FOLLOWS -------------

HOUSE HEARINGS ON FEE DEMO ­ WRITE BY OCTOBER 1ST

OR CALL TODAY -- Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

The House subcommittee on Forests & Forest Health held an oversight

hearing on the Recreation Fee Demo Program on Sept. 25th.

WHAT TO DO:

The public record is held open for 10 days after the hearing (i.e.

till Friday Oct. 05), to allow for written comments from across the nation.

These are the FIRST public hearings in DC specifically on the Recreation Fee

Demo Program since Feb. 1998! We have to generate hundreds of letters in

opposition to Fee Demo, to demonstrate clearly how unpopular forest fees are

with the American public. Will you help us, by writing once again?

WHO TO WRITE:

Please write to Congressman Scott McInnis

Chair, Subcommittee on Forests & Forest Health

1337 Longworth

Washington, DC 20515.

You may also send a copy to the minority chair of the

subcommittee, Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA) ­ who opposes Fee Demo.

Address it to:

Congressman Jay Inslee

1329 Longworth

Washington, DC 20515.

Please mail your letters by Monday Oct. 1st (from the West Coast); a day or

so later is OK from the East Coast. Letters should arrive in DC on or

before Friday, October 5th.

WHAT TO SAY:

Please state your opposition to Fee Demo (remember, this

subcommittee has jurisdiction over National Forests only) and list the

reasons why. Here's a sample letter (please change it a little):

Dear Congressman Scott McInnis,

I strongly oppose the Recreation Fee Demo Program on America's National

Forests. Our taxes already support these forests, and many low-income

families are being kept away by forest fees. Please end the program as soon

as possible. Please do nothing to extend the authority of this program.

I'd like my letter to be part of the public record for the hearing on

9.25.01.

Thank you.

 

Please make sure to print your name and address very clearly ­ legislators

may discard letters if they can't read who they're from. Thank you for

helping to tell our legislators how strongly we oppose Fee Demo!

 

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

Scott Silver

Wild Wilderness

248 NW Wilmington Ave.

Bend, OR 97701

phone: 541-385-5261

e-mail: ssilver@wildwilderness.org

Internet: http://www.wildwilderness.org

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

 

 

[wdietsch]

jon,

I for one truley appreciate your efforts in keeping us informed. Well done. I shall be writting my letter this evening and sending it out tommorrow.

wes

[hasbeen]

Thanks for the reminder, Jon. I just made my call to Senator Murray. The person who answered the phone took my name and city of residence. It took all of 10 seconds. Call now if you don't have time to write. Her office phone is (202) 224-2621.

[rodeo]

Thanks Jon,

Count another letter on its way and another call made.

Here's another sample for anyone interested.

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Congressman Jay Inslee

1329 Longworth

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Inslee,

I am among the many outdoor enthusiasts who regularly frequent the many National Forests and other public lands for recreational use. I also strongly oppose the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program currently being practiced on America's National Forests. I am writing to ask that you do whatever is possible to keep an extension of this program from being authorized.

We are already paying taxes to support and maintain our national forests. Any “pay to play” or similarly phrased fees that are required of persons wishing to enjoy our natural National Treasures are in my opinion, very un-American. They do not need to be “enhanced” for maximum enjoyment, merely maintained to keep them as close as possible to their natural state.

Again, I ask that you help to end this program as soon as possible and do nothing that would extend the authority of this program.

I would like my letter to be part of the public record for the hearing held on 25 September 2001.

Thank you,

Kevin Jones

Washington State resident, outdoor enthusiast and voter

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