Forest & BLM Fees

[hikeaz]

ACTION ALERT ON FOREST & BLM FEES


SENATE HEARING TO REVIEW EXCESSIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF FEES AND PERMITS AT FOREST SERVICE AND BLM FEE SITES


HELP ROLL BACK THIS RECREATION ACCESS TAX


On Wednesday, October 26 at 2 pm, the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests of the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold an Oversight Hearing on implementation of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) by the Forest Service and the BLM.



As you know, the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act became law in December after being attached to the must pass appropriations omnibus bill, and made the Fee Demo program permanent. While this bill contains some apparently restrictive language regarding the scope of implementation, it does little to roll back current Fee Demo sites or limit the expansion of fees to new areas and has led to widespread excesses in Forest Service and BLM implementation of fees and permits for accessing our public lands.


The Western Slope No-Fee Coalition (WSNFC) is working with groups, individuals, local and state governments in different parts of the nation to roll back the FLREA and in this we need your help. Below are several action items that you or your organization can partake in, to help protect your ownership of and access to America's public lands.


The hearing on the 26th is to hear testimony on growing evidence that these agencies are not implementing their fee authority in compliance with the specifics in the law. The WSNFC has been conducting Fee Site Surveys of Forest Service and BLM fee sites to determine if the agencies' implementation of the FLREA conforms to the law. The Fee Site Survey Report and Analysis will be released on the day of the hearing.





The Fee Site Survey Report has found three main areas of agency non-compliance:


1) High Impact Recreation Areas (HIRAs) are not authorized in the law, but are being implemented as FS and BLM policy. These are groups of recreation sites with little or no federal investment, that fall under one umbrella fee. Many of these HIRAs encompass tens or hundreds of thousands of acres. These are de facto entrance fees, which are prohibited on Forest Service or BLM land by language in the FLREA.




2) Trailhead Fees are being charged at thousands of hiking, horseback, mountain bike and OHV trailheads nationwide. The FLREA prohibits charging for general access to the backcountry - but by charging a trailhead fee, usually for parking, they are essentially doing just that. Most of these trailheads lack the six amenities required for fees at day-use sites, but even when all six amenities are present these fees are not in compliance with the FLREA's provisions against charging for access to backcountry.




3) Special Recreation Permits, which used to apply only to large organized events and commercial uses such as outfitters/guides, are now being required for individual private use. SRPs are being required for hiking or horseback riding in Wilderness Areas, for OHV and mountain biking use and for other undeveloped backcountry areas. They are a charge for a particular type of recreation, rather than for use of a particular facility. This violates the prohibitions in the FLREA against charging for general access or for just passing through an area without using any facilities.





Most Senate hearings can be heard online in real time.
Specific information about this one has not yet been announced.
If you would like to listen, check the Senate Energy Committee's website for details.
http://energy.senate.gov/public/
There's a link for "Live Webcast" at the bottom of the list on the left hand side of the page.
The Hearing is scheduled for 2 PM Eastern, Wednesday, October 26th.







WHAT TO DO:


1. It is essential that your two Senators hear loud and clear that these are important issues to you. Please call or write both of your U.S. Senators. Letters have the most impact, and should be faxed to avoid delays caused by increased postal security. The deadline is 11.04.05


If one of your Senators is on the Public Lands Subcommittee (see below for list) be sure to urge them to attend this hearing. If there is an example of a non-compliant fee area near you, tell them about it. You can obtain addresses and fax numbers for your Senators from the Senate website, http://www.senate.gov You can also contact any Senate office by phone via the Capitol Switchboard, 202-224-3121, and then ask the office for the fax number.


(For CA - Sen. Dianne Feinstein (ph) 202-224-3841 (fax) 202-228-3954.
Sen. Barbara Boxer (ph) 202-224-3553 (fax) 415-956-6701.)







2. Submit written testimony to be included in the official record of the Hearing. You can do this by e-mail to Kristina_Rolph@energy.senate.gov UNTIL November 4th. [NOTE, that's an underscore between Kristina and Rolph] Be sure to mention any non-compliant fee sites near you, and ask that your message be entered as official testimony into the Hearing Record.


It is vital to include the following information in your email: To the public record for the 10.26.05 2 pm Public Lands & Forests subommittee hearing on the implementation of the FLREA. Also, your name and mailing address. (Without these, your email will not become part of the public record.)




3. Contact Members of the Public Lands Subcommittee and tell them about non-compliant sites. Urge them to attend the Hearing. Let them know how important public access to public lands is to you and that the FLREA is limiting your use of your public land.






WHO TO CONTACT ON THE SUBCOMMITTEE:

Here is the contact info for members of the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests,
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. (The first four are the most important, but please don't neglect them




Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM); P; 202-224-6621 F: 202-228-3261


Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM); P: 202-224-5521 F: 202-224-2852



Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) (Chairman); P: 202-224-2752 F: 202-228-1067



Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) (Ranking Democrat); P: 202-224-5244 F: 202-228-2717


Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT); P: 202-224-2644 F: 202-224-8594


Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-AK); P: 202-224-6361 F: 202-224-2126


Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY); P: 202-224-6441 F: 202-224-1724



Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND); P: 202-224-2551 F: 202-224-1193



Sen. James Talent (R-MO); P: 202-224-6154 F: 202-228-1518



Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD); P: 202-224-5842 F: 202-228-5765



Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR); P: 202-224-3753 F: 202-228-3997


Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA); P: 202-224-5824 F: 202-224-9735


Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN); P: 202-224-4944 F: 202-228-3398


Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA); P: 202-224-3841 F: 202-228-3954


Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK); P: 202-224-6665 F: 202-224-5301



Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA); P: 202-224-3441 F: 202-228-0514


Sen. George Allen (R-VA); P: 202-224-4024 F: 202-224-5432

[Jeffshadows]

In fact, Tucson is in "bowl"..

[azbackpackr]

I thought it was amusing when I first moved up here. I had never heard the term used before, and it is commonly used here. I remember mentioning to the first person who said it to me that I would bet I had climbed a LOT more mountains than they ever had, but of course, it really refers to urban people "not from here."

I am getting a little tired of this place at this point in my life. Not the mountains really, but the people here. The ones who have moved here from the "flatland" who I actually may have something in common with (hikers, mtn. bikers) are a pretty cliquish (sp?) bunch. The ones who are "from here" are usually pretty nice folks, but I have nothing in common with them. There is absolutely nothing to talk about after you have heard and acknowledged that yes, indeed, there is a sale on chicken today at Safeway, better get down there quick before it all sells out.

[SuperstitionGuy]

One thing we can all tell you flatlanders, though, and that is how to SPELL Eagar..

Of kourse I knu how to spel EEgar, Te prblem is this kuazy ceybord % treing to pik the kys thiiis latt at nihgt.

:sorrry: butts itz tyme for gud nicht... ut:

[hikeaz]

THE FIX IS IN

Report Charges Federal Land Agencies With Suppressing Public Participation In Fee Decisions

DURANGO, CO The Western Slope No-Fee Coalition today released a report charging the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management with intentionally suppressing public involvement in the implementation of access fees on public lands.

The report, entitled "The Fix Is In," provides examples from around the country showing that the federal advisory committee process that is supposed to bring the public to the table when fee decisions are being made is instead keeping the public out.
The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) requires that new Forest Service and BLM fees, as well as fee changes, be recommended for approval by Recreation Resource Advisory Committees, or RecRACs, before they can be implemented. Committee members are appointed by the Forest Service and BLM to represent a variety of public lands users. The FLREA requires that the agencies document general public support for each fee proposal they submit, before the RecRAC can recommend approval of the proposal.

The most fundamental problem with the process, according to Western Slope No-Fee Coalition President Kitty Benzar, is the committee selection process. "Members are supposed to represent the public, but they are hand-picked by the Forest Service and BLM. They are from groups that are beholden to the agencies for their particular recreational activity, and are likely to do the agencies' bidding," she explained.

To date, the RecRACs have approved at least 523 fee increases and 228 new fee sites in less than two years. Only 27 fee proposals have been turned down. (This in itself seems proof enough that the 'fix is in' - GEEZ!)

"It's a rubber-stamp operation," said Benzar.

The report cites and substantiates numerous cases where fee proposals have been approved without the required documentation of public support, and even in the face of documented public opposition. Other problems with the process include:

a.. Meetings held on weekdays when ordinary citizens can't conveniently attend.
b.. Meeting dates and agendas withheld from the public and changed at the last minute.
c.. RecRACs holding meetings by telephone or attending members-only field trips, in violation of open-meeting regulations.
d.. Communications from the public to RecRAC committee members being filtered, censored, and misrepresented by agency officials.
e.. Minutes documenting decisions made by RecRACs delayed for months before publication, and not including specifics of recommendations or individual vote tallies.
Three case studies describe efforts in Idaho, Colorado, and Illinois that succeeded in blocking some fee proposals. In those cases, according to Benzar, "Ordinary citizens took it into their own hands to do what the Forest Service and BLM had failed to do. They got the word out about the fees that were proposed, when and where the RecRAC would be meeting, and how to submit comments. These federal agencies have even more tools available to get the word out, if they really want to. Why aren't they?"

Benzar asserts that the agencies are intentionally making minimal efforts to involve the public because when the public is really involved, many fee proposals will fail.

"Opposition to public lands fees remains strong nationwide," she said. "This should be taken into account by the RecRAC committees and the agencies, not suppressed or ignored. The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are presenting Congress and the public with a false picture of public involvement in fee decisions."

[big_load]

Unfortunately, that's no surprise. Many consider this heresy, but I'd rather see the government take full responsibility for these areas at an increased cost than to funnel money (with little oversight or tainted oversight) to for-profit contractors.

[Jeffshadows]

I'll reiterate my earlier sentiments: as long as the $$$ goes to the forest I'm paying to enter and not some $700B bail-out or other travesty du jour, I'm down...

[cactusrose63]

Okay, so I am sure I am going to say something completely unpopular...I guess I never minded paying the entrance/amenity fees because I figured that's how we help keep trails groomed and help offset the cost of water use, etc at these parks. For me, twenty dollars a year seems like a steal for all the trails in the Catalinas, restrooms I use, water I drink. I know there is less money available from the government because we spend it other things like wars and such...ooh, there goes those politics again. It just seems inevitable that there will be less money available from the government to support these services. NOW I guess I am wondering, how did these fees ever get started anyway, who is doing the accounting and where does all the money go? Someone please educate me on all this!

[JoelHazelton]

Fees don't bother me much, unless I just want to do a quick jaunt up Thumb Butte in Prescott and it costs me $3 to park for 20 minutes. At parks such as White Tanks, though, I'm more than happy to shell over some cash for the well maintained trails and and trash-free experience, in spite of the volume of visitors they see every day. I haven't really been following this thread so I may be way off topic.

[joebartels]

I'm kinda with you guys but you're gonna give Kurt a seizure.
I "think" his two main points are
A) You already pay taxes why are you being charged again?
B) Why develop anything? Close the entrance off all together, it cost less and it's more effective. It'll be less crowed. Less responsible people wouldn't bother entering either.

Maybe I'm way off, I haven't been studying my Kurt-o-omic handbook lately

[Jeffshadows]

I'm kinda with you guys but you're gonna give Kurt a seizure.
I "think" his two main points are
A) You already pay taxes why are you being charged again?
B) Why develop anything? Close the entrance off all together, it cost less and it's more effective. It'll be less crowed. Less responsible people wouldn't bother entering either.

Maybe I'm way off, I haven't been studying my Kurt-o-omic handbook lately

In all honesty, that would be fine with me, too. It would take nature longer than my lifetime to totally reclaim a lot of the trails I like to use near me and I can close my eyes and picture their course from start to finish; so the notion that I, personally, must have "maintained" trails is a contradiction. Even if most of the trails I love devolved into routes and I had to whack a little more than I do now I'd still love every second of it.

That was the "selfish" Jeff talking; now for the more sensible one: If the trails fall into a state of complete disrepair it will alienate two critical communities to hiking here in southern AZ. First, the older, retired contingent who are hyper-active in local politics, who spend more money than all of the rest of us put together keeping places like Summit Hut open for us to enjoy, and who volunteer the lion's share of time spent building things like the AZ trail and doing conservation work. They also hike more in a week than I do in a month...and I hike a lot (Retirement is gonna be a blast in forty years ). Many of them who are avid hikers now would lose interest if they had to cut their way into a class "C" trail to find their favorite bird species. They'd most likely give up on the endeavor and work on their golf game. That would have a major impact on the rest of us.

The second critical community is mainly comprised of folks from the Bases nearby and the University. Young people will go hiking and expose themselves to unwarranted risk to prove their masculinity, better their ranking on YouTube, or for no other reason than to experience danger. Others out there will go out on long hikes with next to no water, alone, and inexperienced in the dead heat of summer, etc. There's no accounting for the level to which human stupidity can arise. It's hard enough to rescue these poor, uninitiated souls when they injure themselves needlessly on a well-developed trail...imagine if they say: "I was headed to Finger Rock through the scrub and I fell somewhere near some trees and now I'm bleeding badly and getting cold and tired" instead of: "I fell being stupid near the first vista on the Finger Rock trail. The rest of this story tells itself. (Remember, most of these people don't have proper footwear, let alone a GPS).

Just some food for thought...

[nonot]

The trail which needs the most rescues each year is the Bright Angel trail, right? Goes to show you that making a trail better doesn't make it less prone to idiots getting in over their head.

To fight politicians you have to be a politician, what a distasteful thought. Paying to hike on public trails isn't much different than paying to go to games at a football stadium built with tax money.

[big_load]

I'd also like to re-emphasize that the private contractors who benefit most from the fee demo program have no incentive to maximize the application of those fees to trail care or resource maintenance. In fact, their incentive is just the opposite.

[Jeffshadows]

You missed my point. Making the trail more accessible makes finding the people who g out and get injured easier to locate and reach. They're going to go out an injury themselves (probably) anyway, why add to the confusion by forcing them into what would be the de-facto back country?

[cactusrose63]

Those are private contractors that run the fee demonstration programs??? I always thought when I pay my money to go to Sabino and Mount Lemmon, this money was going to the National Forest Service for them to use for upkeep.

[joebartels]

Like anything government... a small portion is, the rest is administrative. If it was such a grand idea they'd contract out the president, congress, etc. Wait a minute... that's pretty much how it is

OMG I'm starting to sound like Kurt and it's all making sense. HELP! take me out into the desert and leave me in peace

[Jeffshadows]

Well, I can tell you this definitively: For every American solder in theater in the middle east there is at least one American contractor and probably three or four third-country national contractors. All being paid by the US taxpayer...

[hikeaz]

You missed my point. Making the trail more accessible makes finding the people who go out and get injured easier to locate and reach. They're going to go out an injury themselves (probably) anyway, why add to the confusion by forcing them into what would be the de-facto back country?

I believe that it's called 'personal responsibility'; granted it's a dying concept.

Consider, that for eons, folks that made errors in the outdoors perished. Likely, that is part of evolution; learning what could kill you and working to avoid it. Helicopter rescues of folks that are mobile, but a little 'cold' or who went out without illumination, especially from such places as Squaw Peak, Camelback and the like is reversing evolution, as these folks are not now precluded from reproduction whereas if they had perished they would be.

[te_wa]

Helicopter rescues of folks that are mobile, but a little 'cold' or who went out without illumination, especially from such places as Squaw Peak, Camelback and the like is reversing evolution, as these folks are not precluded from reproduction

isnt that somethin' Kurt? scares the hell outta me man.
and the same thing could be said about cancer risk through inherited genetics, or bad eyesight, or other life threatening (ailments?) and diseases. In fact, ive said it before myself. We're going backwards as we present the notion of going forward...One of the simplest examples is the use of modern medicine on Navajo tribe members - while the infant mortality rate is lessened, and the overall health of the tribe is increased, now they suffer from overpopulation and food shortage, rampant unemployment and which can lead to drug use issues (alcohol included) Its a simple effect to understand, really.
The same revenge effect is true IMO about the fees for camping, rec. use, or other "reason" to double tax us Americans. Seems like Joe sarcastically touched on the idea, but I think yes it is easy for someone to trash a place. "i paid $5 for this here pass, let someone do their job and clean up after me"
Its almost and enabling fee.

well, you can also be lazy and let some kid retrieve your shopping cart too, after all, that is his job... but dont complain about high grocery prices to me!
(not that it increased the price of food too much, but you get the point. To a much larger extent the cost of food is directly related to Globalization given to us by - guess who - politicians (the folks that all want a better education for your child, while they suffer - and want to reduce the national debt - as it continues to grow - funny how they all bark about fixing this or that, and they are the sole perpetrators of the issues they argue against. AND NO PARTY in power is going to change. If it takes a stormtrooper style invasion of congress and the white house so we can rid our culture of these monsters and make an example of them, so be it. Jeff has a few rifles, Im sure he will let us borrow them.)

Id like to go into the Red Rocks wilderness office and dump a full trash bag on the counter, then tell them "look what I just picked up, Id like my $5 back, please" ;)

man, reading posts like these really brings out my cynicism... But I see at least 10 people a day do very selfish, unreasonable acts that makes me remember what Perry Ferrel said once "some people should die... that's just unconscious knowledge"

[Jeffshadows]

Helicopter rescues of folks that are mobile, but a little 'cold' or who went out without illumination, especially from such places as Squaw Peak, Camelback and the like is reversing evolution, as these folks are not precluded from reproduction

isnt that somethin' Kurt? scares the hell outta me man.
and the same thing could be said about cancer risk through inherited genetics, or bad eyesight, or other life threatening (ailments?) and diseases. In fact, ive said it before myself. We're going backwards as we present the notion of going forward...One of the simplest examples is the use of modern medicine on Navajo tribe members - while the infant mortality rate is lessened, and the overall health of the tribe is increased, now they suffer from overpopulation and food shortage, rampant unemployment and which can lead to drug use issues (alcohol included) Its a simple effect to understand, really.
The same revenge effect is true IMO about the fees for camping, rec. use, or other "reason" to double tax us Americans. Seems like Joe sarcastically touched on the idea, but I think yes it is easy for someone to trash a place. "i paid $5 for this here pass, let someone do their job and clean up after me"
Its almost and enabling fee.

well, you can also be lazy and let some kid retrieve your shopping cart too, after all, that is his job... but dont complain about high grocery prices to me!
(not that it increased the price of food too much, but you get the point. To a much larger extent the cost of food is directly related to Globalization given to us by - guess who - politicians (the folks that all want a better education for your child, while they suffer - and want to reduce the national debt - as it continues to grow - funny how they all bark about fixing this or that, and they are the sole perpetrators of the issues they argue against. AND NO PARTY in power is going to change. If it takes a stormtrooper style invasion of congress and the white house so we can rid our culture of these monsters and make an example of them, so be it. Jeff has a few rifles, Im sure he will let us borrow them.)

Id like to go into the Red Rocks wilderness office and dump a full trash bag on the counter, then tell them "look what I just picked up, Id like my $5 back, please" ;)

man, reading posts like these really brings out my cynicism... But I see at least 10 people a day do very selfish, unreasonable acts that makes me remember what Perry Ferrel said once "some people should die... that's just unconscious knowledge"

[hikeaz]

Yep - I figured, that considering your avatar, you'd get a kick out of that 'evolution' reference. ;)