The oversight hearing on Fee Demo held by Senator Larry Craig's
(R-ID) Public Lands and Forests subcommittee on Wednesday, April 21, showed that powerful Senators
on the subcommittee stand against fees for citizens merely to access public lands.
Testimony from
witnesses respresented a range of views from the agencies administering Fee Demo to groups using
public lands.
Senator Craig's opening comments sarcastically informed witnesses that they would be charged a "basic hearing user fee" for testifying. "For those of you who received water and name tags, there will be an enhanced amenity hearing fee charged," adding that 80% of the fees would be kept in the committee to maintain and enhance the hearing room.
Senator Craig said that "Most importantly, I want all to know that I will not support basic entrance fees to any National Forest, BLM District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge, or Bureau of Reclamation lands, whether or not it is called an entrance fee or basic fee or by any other name. These are public lands and they should remain open to the public."
Senators Smith (R-OR), Bingaman (D-NM) and Burns (R-MT) agreed that fees were unacceptable except for campgrounds and similar facilities.
Interior Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) said, "I just get nervous when we start to pay twice for the same thing." He also told the panel that Americans already pay, through their taxes, for park operations.
Only one Senator, Lamar Alexander (R-TN), expressed support for Fee Demo. He stated, roughly, that no one in Tennessee opposes the program and everyone there wished they had more of it. We strongly encourage those of you that live in Tennessee to contact the Senator and set the record straight.
On May 28th, 2004, the U.S. Forest Service's "Adventure
Pass" fee program will shrink in Southern California. The original Adventure Pass program,
now in its eighth season, covered all areas within the four Southern California National Forests:
the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino.
By Memorial Day weekend, the Los Padres Forest's entire Monterey Ranger District, the San Bernardino Forest's Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, and the Cleveland Forest's Palomar Mountain and the area south of I-8 to the Mexican border will all no longer require an Adventure.
No changes are proposed for the most heavily-used Angeles Forest. The U.S. Forest Service describes this change as one which refocuses the fee program on heavy use areas. "Our National Forests are now being run as a business, and obviously a business can't succeed where there are not enough paying customers," states Alasdair Coyne, Conservation Director of Keep Sespe Wild. "This change is part of a nationwide Forest Service effort to redesign the fee program in the hope of permanent fee authorization by Congress."