Let Congress know how you feel about fees

N.S. NOKKENTVED

Originally published Tuesday, February 12, 2002

Some people hate 'em, others grudgingly pay up.

However you feel about having to pay for recreation on public lands, you should contact your congressional representative.

I got spoiled living in Idaho with its wide open spaces. Most of the state's vast tracts of public land are open to recreation. Most places I went I found good hiking trails -- or good hiking and no trails -- with nobody else on them. No parking lots, no toilets, no people.

One drawback was that I often had to clear away the cow pies to set up my tent.

When the federal recreation fee demonstration program -- fee-demo for short -- was instituted in 1997, little changed in Idaho despite the public uproar. The U.S. Forest Service started charging fees to park at some of the most popular trails.

But those trails had too many people anyway, so it didn't affect me directly.

In Washington things are a lot different. There are lots of good hiking trails and places to camp here too. No cow pies, but a lot more people. Just about anywhere you want to go, however, you have to dig out your wallet.

I belong to the grudging group -- but I have some issues.

It costs $10 to get into a national park -- unless you walk, then it's $5. If you just want to go for an afternoon, it'll still cost you $10, but you can stay for week.

In the neighboring national forest, you can find nice places to camp or picnic for nothing. But it'll cost you to park at most trail heads -- $5 a day or $30 a year. (Don't tell anybody, but you can still hike the trail for free so long as you don't park at the trail head.)

The fees pay for a variety of things, but mostly they cover trail and trail head maintenance. And with more of us using the outdoors, the need for maintenance is growing.

One thing that sometimes bothers me is that some who profit from public lands get a lot of help from the taxpayers.

Ranchers pay about $1.35 month for one cow and her calf to graze on public land. Federal land managers say it costs an additional $5 to $6 per month to administer grazing programs.

Hard rock miners pay no royalties on the precious metals they dig out of public lands. But in many cases when the mine plays out the taxpayer is left with the cleanup bill.

The Forest Service loses millions on the sale of timber from public lands. The agency reported that timber sales lost about $126 million in 1998, according to the General Accounting Office.

Some people note, however, that the timber sale program leaves roads used by outdoor recreationists. And some people support recreation fees because they help to pay for amenities used primarily by outdoor recreationists. Those who use it pay.

Whichever side you're on, if you like the outdoors -- hiking, camping, skiing or just bird watching -- you ought let your congressperson know how you feel about the fees. The program still is temporary and runs out in 2004. It's up to Congress to cancel it or make it permanent.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the fees. I guess, like cow pies in camp, they take some getting use to -- only when cow pies dry out, they burn pretty good.

N.S. Nokkentved covers the outdoors for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5445.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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