The following editorial appeared in the Bakersfield Californian on May 25, 1999.
Ahhhh. Nothing is better than driving through the forest, smelling the sweet smells, listening to the birds and other critters.
Just pull off the road. Unfold the picnic basket. Enjoy the simple pleasures this country affords.
Oh, by the way, don't forget to pay the ranger for these simple pleasures if you happen to be driving, sniffing and listening in Los Padres National Forest in western Kern County.
Los Padres is one of four Southern California national forests participating in the Adventure Pass program, which was implemented in June 1997 as a test project to gauge public support for a fund-raising scheme.
Scheduled to expire on Sept. 30, 2001, the program charges casual forest users - those just stopping to hike, picnic, bird watch - a $5 daily fee or $30 annual fee. Traditionally, fees are charged for more intensive use, such as boat launching and camping, where staff services and equipment may be required.
Still left unregulated under the Adventure Pass program are such activities as simply driving on public roads and breathing in the forest. Perhaps some federal bureaucrats also may be eyeing these as revenue sources.
Critics contend the fees discourage low-income people from using the forest. They also set an unreasonable price tag on activities that should be free.
The Adventure Pass scheme was conjured up as a way of paying for forest maintenance and improvements as congressional budget-cutters trimmed away much-needed funding. For example, Los Padres' budget has shrunk from $1.9 million to $1.2 million over the past five years.
Mark Bethke, district ranger for the Frazier Park-based Mount Pinos Ranger District, reports the $500,000 collected so far at Los Padres has funded the opening of a campground that had been closed for five years and has been used to rehabilitate trails, benches and other forest amenities.
There is no doubt that it takes money to maintain and improve our forests. These public lands have been set aside and preserved as national treasures for generations to enjoy.
Congress - using our tax dollars - should commit to maintaining these national treasures. Fund-raising campaigns and revenue-producing schemes are appropriate when special uses are proposed and costly impacts result.
But the least we should be able to expect as a return on our taxes is the opportunity to have a simple picnic in the forest without some ranger's hand reaching into our wallets.
Appropriately, Kern County supervisors have joined the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors in asking Congress to drop the Adventure Pass program.