In response to mikeinFHAZ's reply:
Mike, you are accurate. Peralta & First Water's amenities did not meet the new minimum requirements (although they kept charging for a few months after they were
supposedly to have ceased their fee collection. (oops) I'm not certain of the
paved part, though.
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The law reads:
" Section 803(d)(1) PROHIBITION ON FEES FOR CERTAIN ACTIVITIES OR SERVICES. --The Secretary shall
not charge any standard amenity recreation fee or expanded amenity recreation fee for Federal recreational lands and waters administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the
Forest Service, or the Bureau of Reclamation under this Act for
any of the following:
(A) Solely for parking, undesignated parking, or picnicking along roads or trailsides.
(B) For general access unless specifically authorized under this section.
(C) For dispersed areas with low or no investment unless specifically authorized under this section.
(D) For persons who are driving through, walking through, boating through, horseback riding through, or hiking through Federal recreational lands and waters without using the facilities and services.
(E) For camping at undeveloped sites that do not provide a minimum number of facilities and services as described in subsection (g)(2)(A).
(F) For use of overlooks or scenic pullouts.
Section 803(e)(2) PROHIBITED SITES.--The Secretary shall
not charge an entrance fee for Federal recreational lands and waters managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, or the
Forest Service."
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It's my supposition that there are a few powers at work.
As they always do, the FEDS design and issue an "all-inclusive" Pass, only to come up with (or allow their component divisions to come up with) all sorts of restrictions and add-ons.(anyone else smell a
car dealer here?)
The National Parks Pass ($50.00) which was supposedly good for USFS access, needed a special (additional $15.00)Golden Eagle udgrade pass to be "good" at Peralta and First Water - and is STLL needed the Red Rock Fee Area if you have last year's card. On top of THAT, there's a "special" parking fee at WFOC that accepts NEITHER, and charges, at last count, SEVEN DOLLARS to park there. All within the National Forest that you have already bought (presumably) TWO passes to access in addition to Federal Taxes paid to support same. They used the same stunt @ Groom Creek within Prescott NF - calling it a
parking fee, so as to be able to double, and triple dip.
The USFS has issued memos to their own, encouraging them to continue to charge even in light of their obvious non-compliance.
http://antifee.bizhosting.com/cgi-bin/f ... ruling.htm
Catalinas is a perfect example - they KNEW they were not at all in compliance, but kept charging regardless - that is, until they got busted for it.
http://www.aznofee.org/aznofee/news.php
They will do the same in Sedona until someone, or someone
s, force their hand. These USFS bozos see fee-payers as votes in favor of fees and report it that way. Like Stossel says, 'Give me a BREAK"!
Remember to fasten your seat belts and open your wallets - The $80.00 "America the Feeutiful Pass" is now on sale.
Oh, and guess what, the Feds say that it'll be all-inclusive and good everywhere. Anyone else seen & heard this song and dance before?
Oh, but wait; did I mention the newly-created "
high impact recreation area, or HIRA"?
(I'd guess that the USFS is hard at work getting Peralta & First Water on this list)
The Forest Service has decided that the prohibitions on entrance fees and charging for dispersed areas with low or no investment is too restrictive for them, so they have decided to circumvent the new law and have made up a new fee category called a "High Impact Recreation Area." HIRAs are
not authorized anywhere in the new law.
The Forest Service definition reads:
"A high impact recreation area is a clearly delineated, contiguous area with specific, tightly defined boundaries and clearly defined access points (such that visitors can easily identify the fee area boundaries on the ground or on a map/sign); that supports or sustains concentrated recreation use; and that provides opportunities for outdoor recreation that are directly associated with a natural or cultural feature, place, or activity (i.e., waterway, canyon, travel corridor, geographic attraction – the recreation attraction).
The definition continues:
"They are not an entire administrative unit such as a National Forest, but
may include a collection of recreation sites; and they typically display one or more of the following characteristics:
They are within 2 hours driving time of populations of 1 million or more;
They contain rivers, streams, lakes or interpreted scenic corridors;
natural and cultural resources- management activities are conducted in the area to maintain or enhance recreation opportunities; and
They have regionally or nationally recognized recreation resources that are marketed for their tourism values,"
By establishing these HIRAs the Forest Service is creating access points where they will charge de facto entrance fees. They are inventing their own authority to charge for trails, gravel roads or paved travel corridors such as National Scenic Byways, National Recreation Areas, for multiple non-compliant sites, and for large parts of National Forests. They are punishing local efforts to promote tourism by imposing fees for geographic attractions created by nature. These fees, of course, will be additional double/triple-taxation, over-and-above the $80.00 America the Feeutiful Pass and our Federal Tax contributions to our Federal Lands.
(off-rant)
