Citing negative effects on tourism among other reasons, the
Ouray County, Colorado, Board of County Commissioners has taken a second strong stand against the
Recreational Fee Demonstration Program (Fee Demo) and passed a resolution calling for its abolition.
At a public meeting in Ridgway on July 26, the Commissioners also went on record opposing Ohio
Congressman Ralph Regula’s bill,
Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (H.R. 3283), which would implement
permanent access fees on all public lands.
In 2001 and 2002, Ouray County was a center of Fee Demo opposition when the Forest Service started charging an access fee for Yankee Boy Basin, a popular four-wheel drive, OHV, and hiking area. Non-compliance with the fee requirement was widespread, and there were three organized protests. The Western Slope No-Fee Coalition (WSNFC), now a national leader against Fee Demo, originated with the Yankee Boy protests.
The Ouray County resolution states, "That the Board of Commissioners for Ouray County, Colorado strongly recommends that the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program be abolished and that any legislation to extend it or make it permanent, such as HR 3283 currently pending in the U.S. House of Representatives, be opposed by the Colorado Congressional Delegation."
In 2003, the Ouray Commissioners initiated a new management strategy for the area that eliminated the access fee. A partnership between a local non-profit, the Forest Service, and the County now provides on-the-ground presence to educate visitors and encourage appropriate land use. The non-profit, dubbed the Yankee Boy Regional Conservation Association, is funded by voluntary, tax-deductible donations. It recruits and organizes the volunteers, while the Forest Service continues to charge a fee for camping, which funds toilet facilities and ranger patrols. At status meetings with the Forest Service, the Commissioners have expressed satisfaction that this management approach is meeting their goals in a more popular and less controversial way than the access fee did.