This document conveys to the Secretary of Agriculture the desire of these several corporate interests to increase the support and funding for the recreation infrastructure of the Forest Service. Note also, the text in red denoting the Recreation Roundtable's self-proclaimed responsibility for the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program.
[Emphasis added.]
The Honorable Dan Glickman
Secretary of Agriculture
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Mr. Secretary:
The Forest Service hosts more than 900 million visitors annually - visitors who are seeking outstanding recreation experiences. The recreation community recognizes that providing quality recreation experiences requires substantial resources and, as a result, we have been active in proposing and supporting new recreation fee authority for the Forest Service. We are very pleased that the National Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, which is the direct result of our efforts, will produce more than $150 million this year in new receipts for the four agencies covered, including an estimated $20 million for the Forest Service.
Although the recreation community's support for the National Recreation Fee Demonstration Program is strong, it is also conditioned on the Congressional pledge to treat new fee income as real gains for the Forest Service recreation program, without any offset from appropriations. We believe that the Congress is keeping this commitment. We are gratified that the Administration, as well, has resisted using the new revenues to argue for spending reductions on recreation programs - although OMB explored doing just that early in the FY99 budget process.
Despite this success, the recreation community remains concerned about the Forest Service's recreation-program resources. Our inquiries about the recreation budgets of key ranger districts have produced evidence that the resources available to them have been falling, even when the Forest Service's recreation budget is increasing nationally. It appears that the grassroots recreation efforts are suffering from being at the end of the "feeding chain," left with what remains after deductions for telecommunications improvements, overhead assessments at the national, regional and forest supervisor levels, and more.
Mr. Secretary, we have appreciated your personal support for recreation programs in the National Forests and the efforts you, Under Secretary Lyons and Chief Dombeck have made to strengthen these programs. However, we are asking you to make a visible and important commitment to those programs for the Fiscal Year beginning October 1, 1998, a commitment that the actual recreation budgets for each ranger district will increase - at minimum - by the same percentage that the national recreation program is increased in your final budget, exclusive of fee demonstration program receipts. We believe that a true increase in funding at the district level will help the Forest Service begin to address the serious deterioration in the recreation infrastructure and, once again, provide the kind of recreation experiences on the National Forests that the American people seek and deserve.
Sincerely,
| Kampgrounds of America | Delaware North Companies |
| Times Mirror Magazines | REI |
| Jayco | L.L. Bean |
| Westrec Marinas | BOAT/U.S. |
| Grady-White Boats | Johnson Worldwide Associates |
| Marathon Coach | Outdoor Resorts of America |
| The Walt Disney Company | The Coleman Company |
| B.A.S.S. | Outboard Marine Corporation |
| Harley Davidson | |
| cc: The Honorable James Lyons | The Honotable Michael Dombeck |
| The Honorable Slade Gorton | The Honorable Ralph Regula |
| Recreation community leaders |