WESTERN SLOPE NO-FEE COALITION

October 5, 2015

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In This Issue

BLM COLORADO TO TRANSFER FREE DISPERSED CAMPING AREA TO STATE CONTROL AND FEES

RED ROCK RIPOFF CONTINUES

CONTACT YOUR SENATORS

THE FEE-FREE PRESS

DEAR PUBLIC LANDS SUPPORTER
Kitty Benzar ,

Public comments are being sought by the Forest Service and BLM regarding two proposed new fees. The agencies frequently claim that they can't get the public to respond to these opportunities. Then they say that the lack of response must mean the public supports their plans.

All it really means is that most people never knew what was happening until it was too late.

Well it's not too late to weigh in on these new fees proposed in Arizona and Colorado. It's time to send in your comments RIGHT NOW!

It's up to you to take action - here's how!

BLM COLORADO TO TRANSFER FREE DISPERSED CAMPING AREA TO STATE CONTROL AND FEES

The last remaining free dispersed camping area along the Arkansas River in Colorado is about to bite the dust. The Salida East BLM dispersed camping area is proposed to be leased to Colorado State Parks, which already controls every other public access point to the river and charges both day-use and camping fees. If this lease is executed those fees will be applied here too.

This is a non-developed site where you can walk to the river, fish, and camp without facilities for up to 14 days. It does not qualify under federal law for the BLM to charge a fee because of its undeveloped nature - which is what visitors are looking for when they select this site.

By leasing it to a non-federal agency, BLM would be removing this area from under federal law and transferring it to de facto state ownership and control. Colorado State Parks would then begin charging fees there under state law for both day use and camping. The details of the proposal are described HERE.
The last line of the article is the most important:

"BLM will accept public comment on the proposed lease until Nov. 2. Comments can be submitted to Melissa Garcia at 719-269-8724 or by emailing rgfo_comments@blm.gov with "Salida East" in the subject line."

We recommend that you send your comment in writing by email, so that it will be on the record and accurately documented. Especially if you have enjoyed this free camping area in the past, or if you have been thinking about doing so in the future, please let your thoughts be known by email to the address above. Remember polite, thoughtful comments are most likely to be seriously considered.

RED ROCK RIPOFF CONTINUES

The infamous Red Rock Pass fee program at Sedona Arizona is undergoing yet another makeover in an attempt to make it a little bit less illegal.

In the last makeover, in 2011, two large fee corridors along popular scenic routes were designated, along with seven standalone fee sites. These corridors and sites include developed picnic grounds, for which fees are legal, but also lots of trailheads leading into undeveloped backcountry. Federal law prohibits the Forest Service from charging a fee for general access to undeveloped areas, but the Coconino National Forest chose to ignore that and charge at trailheads anyway. They did this most often by adding a table or two to a large shade-less parking lot and calling it a "picnic area." Then they continued to charge an amenity fee even though almost nobody needs or uses the "amenities" - they just want to access the trail.

There were, however, a couple of popular trailheads, Dry Creek and Fay Canyon, that lacked any amenities, and those became free. Instead of leaving them that way, the Coconino National Forest spent a bunch of money on picnic tables, toilets and paving at these trailheads, and now they are proposing them as new fee sites. These always have been and always will be trailheads. Installing a couple of tables does not make them picnic areas.

The Coconino is proposing these as new fee sites as part of an overall revision to the fee program to make it entirely site-based instead of area-based. You can read the proposal details HERE. The elimination of fees for general access to large areas is a welcome and much overdue change, but there is still no plan to accommodate visitors who merely want to park at a trailhead and go hiking. Until visitors can do that without needing a pass these fee sites will still not be in compliance with federal law.

You can submit comments about these dubious new "picnic sites" to

Jennifer Burns, Red Rock District Recreation Staff Officer, Coconino National Forest, 928-203-7529 or via email at jmburns@fs.fed.us

Again, email is the preferred method because it creates an accurate record. Note that although the Forest website requests comments before September 30, the required Federal Register Notice was not published until September 28. We suggest you ignore the deadline and just get your comment submitted as soon as possible. And once again remember polite, thoughtful comments are most likely to be seriously considered.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

The Continuing Resolution that Congress recently passed to keep the government funded through December 11 also extended the expiration date of the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to September 30, 2017. That's actually a good thing, because if it is allowed to expire and not replaced, the federal agencies would not be constrained by any law at all as to what recreation fees they can and cannot charge. FLREA, while far from perfect, is better than nothing.
The extra time should allow Congress to draft a better, fairer, and more enforceable law. The WSNFC is actively engaged with key members at to what that law should include, and we will keep you informed as the process unfolds.

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