This was originally shared on Gosmokies by John Quillen of Southern Forest Watch. He is not a Facebook person. I am sharing it here because it will be seen by many. I pray it is acted upon by many. Dont think our public lands cant be infringed upon. Our corrupt government who usurps power can easily decide to limit access, charge fees, or cut off access for the proles in favor of the elite. Sad, but true! Upon dedication of the Great Smoky Mtns National Park on Sept 2, 1940, President Roosevelt uttered the following words. But there is a second danger—a danger from without. I hope, for example, that one hundred years from now the Great Smoky National Park will still belong in practice, as well as in theory, to the people of a free nation. I hope it will not belong to them in theory alone and that in practice the ownership of this Park will not be in the hands of some strange kind of Government puppet subject to some strange kind of an overseas overlord. I hope the use of it will not be confined to people who come hither on Government specified days and on Government directed tours This is not to start a debate about fees. But if the attached legislation passes you could expect to pay to dayhike Mt. Leconte and other trails in the park. Read the information closely and contact Congressman Duncan if you think Roosevelt and John Muir and Horace Kephart and Harvey Broome would approve of how the NPS and NFS has abused fee privileges. The Southern Forest Watch is working with the WSNFC to keep public lands public and not in the hands of the private resord crowd from whence John Muir beeseched Teddy Roosevelt to rescue in his day. Having trouble viewing this email? Click here WESTERN SLOPE NO-FEE COALITION Website_Photo_Banner September 13, 2014 QUICK LINKS WSNFC Website Donate Join Our Mailing List Use this link to suscribe or edit your profile. In This Issue STOP THIS BILL THE FEE-FREE PRESS Fee Free Logo DEAR PUBLIC LANDS SUPPORTER Kitty Benzar , There is still time to stop HR 5204, the bill introduced by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) that would allow the Forest Service and BLM to charge fees to be anywhere or do anything on the public lands under their stewardship. Bishops bill has not (yet) been inserted into the funding bill that is expected to pass next week, but that could still happen. Your emails and phone calls are essential to make sure Congress knows how controversial this issue is. Dont let federal recreation fee policy be expanded without public debate and an open vote in Congress. Details follow. Please TAKE ACTION NOW! Kitty Benzar STOP THIS BILL HOUSE BILL WOULD ALLOW FEES FOR ALL PUBLIC LAND ACCESS Just before the House adjourned for their August recess, HR 5204 The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Modernization Act of 2014, was introduced by U.S. Representative Rob Bishop (R-UT) and rammed through the House Resources Committee, without a hearing, by its Chairman, U.S. Representative Doc Hastings (R-WA). Not a single member of the Committee of either party lodged any objection. Its likely that Bishop and Hastings are planning to get HR 5204 attached as a rider to the FY2015 appropriations bill. Although HR 5204 has attracted no sponsor in the Senate so far, its likely that if attached as an appropriations rider it will pass both chambers without scrutiny or public debate, and become the law of the land, because appropriations bills are considered must pass in order to avoid a government shutdown. HR 5204, if enacted, could destroy the concept of public lands as places where everyone has access and is welcome. Every place, every activity, every person, could be required to pay a fee - an additional tax on top of the taxes that already support public lands - for access, regardless whether they are highly developed like National Parks and Forest Service or BLM campgrounds, or completely undeveloped like Wilderness Areas. HR 5204 would allow the kind of fees that have not been controversial to continue, such as fees for developed campgrounds and National Park entrance fees. But in addition to those fees, it would allow general access fees for any federal recreational lands and waters. It would accomplish this by two types of fee: Day Use Fees and Permit Fees. The only meaningful requirement for a Day Use Fee would be that where you park there is a toilet of some kind (could be a porta-potty or a stinky outhouse) within 1/2 mile. The only meaningful requirement for a Permit Fee would be that where you park gives access to a special area. Neither special nor area is defined. The land agencies would have complete discretion to claim that any place at all is a special area. So where there is a toilet it could be called a Day Use Fee. Where there is not a toilet, it could be called a Permit Fee. The result is the same: there would not be anyplace where a fee is not allowed. And since the agencies would get to keep all the fee money directly, there would be not be anywhere that they wouldnt have a strong incentive to charge a fee. Public lands? Forget that. Not any more. Not if this passes. There is other stuff in HR 5204 (like no more fee-free days, citizenship checks on annual pass holders, and overhead costs rising from 15% to 25%), but they only rearrange the deck chairs on the sinking ship of our public lands. A detailed analysis of the major provisions is on our website at th... Congress returned from summer vacation last week but will only be in session a few more days before adjourning until after the election. One of the few measures they are expected to pass is the Continuing Resolution (CR) that must be enacted to fund the government and avoid another shutdown. If HR 5204 is attached to the CR, its almost guaranteed to pass. What can stop it? ONLY ONE THING: PUBLIC OUTRAGE-PUBLIC ACTION. If you care about our public lands being turned into commodities available only to those who can afford to pay fees for everything, then you must let YOUR Representative and YOUR Senators hear from you. Tell them that this major change in public policy cannot be allowed, particularly without any public hearing or debate. HR 5204 lacks any over-arching vision or framework of our public lands being spaces where we all are welcome and have access. Yet its being supported by groups like the American Recreation Coalition, National Parks Conservation Association, The Wilderness Society, and America Outdoors, because it throws a bone here and there to their special interests. For the general public, there is nothing redeeming in this bill, nor any way it could be amended into something acceptable. It represents a complete change in public lands policy, which would be accomplished without public hearings or debate. Tell your congressional delegation to OPPOSE HR 5204 and TO NOT ALLOW IT TO BE ATTACHED TO AN APPROPRIATIONS BILL! All the contact information you need can be found at house.gov and senate.gov. Use their webform. Call their office in Washington. Call their local office. Write, phone, fax, drop in in person. Do all of the above. And then do it again! Your personal action is urgently needed or this bill WILL PASS! IF THAT HAPPENS, KISS YOUR ACCESS TO PUBLIC LANDS GOODBYE. The Western Slope No-Fee Coalition is a broad-based organization consisting of diverse interests including hiking, biking, boating, equestrian and motorized enthusiasts, community groups, local and state elected officials, conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats, and just plain citizens. Our goals are: To eliminate recreation fees for general access to public lands managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management To eliminate backcountry fees and interpretive program fees in National Parks To require more accountability within the land management agencies To encourage Congress to adequately fund our public lands Thank you for your support! Sincerely, Kitty Benzar Western Slope No Fee Coalition Forward email This email was sent to [email protected] by [email protected] | Update Profile/Email Address | Rapid removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Western Slope No Fee Coalition | P.O. Box 135 | Durango | CO | 81302
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 13:44:13 +0000
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