WESTERN SLOPE NO-FEE COALITION
P.O. Box 403 Norwood, CO 81423
November 5, 2003



FEE-DEMO CAN BE ENDED FOR THREE AGENCIES
YOUR HELP IS NEEDED TODAY


Legislation now before the US Senate (S 1107) would allow the Recreation Fee Demon­stration Program to end for the US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. S 1107 would make Fee Demo permanent for the one land management agency that has a well established history of Park entrance fees, the National Park Service. Meanwhile, the Department of Interior is desperately lobbying Congress to make recreation user fees permanent for all of the agencies mentioned above, PLUS the Bureau of Reclamation and to further expand the scope of the unpopular Fee Demo program. We need your help in ensuring that user fees are limited to the Park Service only and to end the Fee Demonstration Program in all other federal agencies.



THE OPPORTUNITY:

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will soon be engaging in debate and voting upon Sen. Thomas's (R-WY) Recreational Fee Authority Act of 2003 (S. 1107) S. 1107 calls for making recreation user fees permanent in the National Parks only. This Bill would let the program expire in the Forest Service, BLM, and US Fish and Wildlife agencies.



THE THREAT:

Interior Secretary Gale Norton is putting enormous pressure upon Committee members to add into S.1107 the same language that appears in Congressman Regula's (R-OH) atrocious fee legislation titled "Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act", HR 3283.



That language includes:

Permanent authorizing of recreation user fees for the Forest Service, BLM, Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Reclamation.

Authorizing the creation of an America the Beautiful Pass." which would provide access to lands administered by any of five land management agencies. Agency sources have indicated that this pass would cost at least $85 annually and perhaps substantially more.

Establishing two additional tiers of fees beyond the current "Basic Fees"

"Basic Fees" would be required to access areas administered by the five agencies. These fees will be charged for general access as well as for:
1) Visitor centers
2) Dispersed areas with no investment and backcountry use
3) Roads, pull offs, and scenic overlooks
4) Drinking fountains
5) Restrooms
6) Undeveloped parking
7) Individual picnic tables

"Expanded Fees" would be required for specialized facilities like campgrounds and boat launches.

"Special Recreation Permit Fees" would apply to use of a motorized recreation vehicle on lands administered by these five agencies. This would be on top of having to pay a "Basic Fee." "Special recreation permit fees" also would be necessary for any group activity or recreation event.

Abolishing the Golden Age Pass. This National Parks access pass has traditionally been available as a lifetime pass to our seniors for onetime cost of $10.

Criminalizing the offense of failing to pay a recreation fee. The penalties for not having a pass on the roughly 700 million acres of federally administered public lands would be increased to a Class B Misdemeanor punishable by six months in jail and/or a $5000 fine. The new law holds the registered owner of a vehicle responsible for payment whether he is with the vehicle or not. Occupants of the vehicle would be held equally liable to a Class B Misdemeanor as well.

Eliminating for fee-offenders the constitutional protection of "presumed innocent until proven guilty". Persons who failed to properly display a pass (even though one might have been purchased) would be considered guilty by the land management agencies.

Make the recreation industry a full partner in the development of this fee program. HR 3283 reads: "The Secretaries may jointly enter into cooperative agreements with governmental and nongovernmental entities for the development and implementation of the National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass Program."

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE:

Please join the hundreds of groups, chapters, clubs, and organizations signed on to support Senator Thomas's bill S.1107 and the termination of the Fee Demo program on our Public Lands managed by the USFS, BLM and USFWS. It is only through the mass opposition to Fee Demo that we have earned this chance to kill the program. And it will be by reaching critical mass that we can get this legislation passed by both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. For this we need all organizations that have an interest in our public lands to lend a hand. Individuals are urgently needed to contact committee members as well.



HOW TO DO IT:

If your organization wants to end Fee Demo you can help by doing three things:



1) Sign on to the letter below and send to rfunk9999@earthlink.net . Please include:
Name of organization
Address
Name and position of signer



2) Each organization whether you have already signed on or are just now signing on, should Fax a letter to each of the Senate Energy in Natural Resources Committee members of asking them to support S.1107 and to completely terminate the Fee Demo program in the FS, BLM, and USFWS. A follow-up phone call is extremely helpful as well. (Fax and phone numbers listed below)



3) Please forward this to your members and other group contacts as well.



It is extremely important that as many organizations and individuals weigh-in on this legislation as soon as possible. We have strong support on the Committee for ending fee-demo. Let them know you support them. It is just as important to contact our supporters on the Committee as it is to encourage others to come our way. It is time to regain the heritage that is ours. With your help we can put the Public back in the Public Lands. Together we can end this poorly implemented bad idea. Let us end Fee Demo. Now is the time.



Thank you for your consideration, support, and action. If you have questions or would like copies of our recent Senate and House testimony, press releases or other materials please contact us.



Sincerely,
Robert Funkhouser, President
Western Slope No-Fee Coalition



The Western Slope No-Fee Coalition is a broad-based group consisting of motorized recreational interests, boating and hiking groups, equestrian groups, conservation groups, conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats, elected officials and just plain citizens. We have members and supporting organizations in 35 states and the military. Together we've been working to end Fee Demo. We encourage more oversight and accountability in the agencies, and encourage Congress to fund our public lands adequately through the regular appropriations process.

HR 3283 and S. 1107 can be read online at: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108



For more information please contact:

Robert Funkhouser, President
Western Slope No-Fee Coalition
802-867-2298
rfunk9999@earthlink.net

Kitty Benzar, Co-Founder
WSNFC
970-259-4616

Jon Orlando, Public Lands Director
Arizona No-Fee Coalition
928-213-9507




COMMITTEE CONTACT LIST:



Senator................................................Phone........................Fax

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)...............202-224-5521...............202-224-4340

Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM)...............202-224-6621...............202-228-0539

Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY)...............202-224-6441...............202-224-1724

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)...............202-224-4944...............202-228-3398

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)...............202-224-5244...............202-228-2717

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)...............202-224-3841...............202-228-3954

Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR)...............202-224-3753...............202-228-3997

Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID)...............202-224-2752...............202-228-1067

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)...............202-224-4521...............202-224-2207

Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)...............202-224-5824...............202-224-9735

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT)...............202-224-2644...............202-224-8594

Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND)...............202-224-2551...............202-224-1193

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)...............202-224-3441...............202-228-0514

Sen. Jim Talent (R-MO)...............202-224-6154...............202-228-1518

Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK)...............202-224-5754...............202-224-6008

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)...............202-224-6542...............202-228-3027

Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD)...............202-224-5842...............202-228-5765

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)...............202-224-6665...............202-224-5301

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY)...............202-224-4343...............202-228-1373

Sen. Bob Graham (D-FL)...............202-224-3041...............202-224-2237

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI)...............202-224-6361...............202-224-2126

Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO)............... 202-224-5852........................ 202-228-4609



Please also Contact:

Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN)...............202-224-3344...............202-228-1264

Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD)...............202-224-2321...............202-224-6603

Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-IL)...............202 225-2976...............202-225-0697

Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA)...............202-225-1947...............202-226-0861



Every Vote Counts -- Thank you





SIGNON LETTER FOLLOWS:

Before I jump on the anti-fee bandwagon, I have some questions:

Is there is a plan to replace the lost funds if the fees are abolished?

If the BLM's budget is reduced, how will the BLM fund the basic services for the ISDRA?

If the BLM's budget is reduced, how will the BLM fund the COURT MANDATED environmental studies?

Will the BLM have to reduce services if the fees are abolished?

If the BLM has to reduce services, will they have to restrict the number of visitors at the ISDRA, or availiable camping/riding areas as well, as they won't have the funds to provide the services to the current level of visitation?

Are there provisions in the law to force congress to properly fund the ISDRA?

These questions, and more, need to be answered before we fight to abolish the fees.

The money to run the ISDRA has to come from somewhere, and until the politicians in Washignton DC expands the ISDRA's budget, we could be causing ourselves A LOT of potential problems if the fees were abolisihed without a guaranteed replacement funding plan.

There ya go again letting the ASA side of your brain do all the thinking...

As long as Demo Fee exists congress has no need to properly fund Federally managed areas.

As you can see, (if you read it), Demo Fee has some very serious, far reaching issues that effect ALL Federally managed lands... not just Glamis.

The plan, with Demo Fee, is to organize a Nation Wide burocracy to manage these funds. That means that what money is raise in Glamis will not stay in Glamis. (in my opinion, the only GOOD thing about Demo Fee).

If Demo Fee remains in place your public lands will end up being managed by large entertainment corporations.

Are there provisions to make Congress properly fund Federally managed lands? Yes, there is wording in there to try to make Congress pony up the cash. I also spent about an hour talking with Mr. Funkhouser and he assures me that proper congressional funding is a major concern of theirs... but regardless, Demo Fee will be defeated. It may be that after it is defeated that we'll have another fight on our hands, but WITH Demo Fee our public lands will never be public again.

DaPastor

And what have they done exactly?

By the way... I am a memeber of the ASA!

YOUR USER FEES ARE BEING ABUSED... Go here to fight Back...

http://www.americansandassociation.org/new...cle&article=169


Want to end DEMO FEES altogether???

Please read this link about the attempt by certain congressional members to MAKE PERMANENT the Fee Demo program for access to public lands. Please, please contact your congressman and Senators and the committees mentioned and express your opposition.

Failure to have a permit would be a Class B Misdemeanor with fine of up to $5.000 and jail time up to 6 months!

http://www.freeourforests.org/ go to the Action Alert page.

Dear No Fee Supporters,

We are happy to announce that the full Senate passed, on Wednesday,
5/19/04, S. 1107, sponsored by Senator Craig Thomas (R-WY), which would
make Fee Demo permanent for the National Parks ONLY. The bill will allow
Fee Demo to sunset on December 31st, 2005, it’s current termination date,
for the Forest Service, BLM, and Fish and Wildlife Service.
Not only did it pass, but it passed on the unanimous consent calendar
(meaning, a time when non-contentious bills get passed in a package every
so often). For a copy of our press release please click here:
http://www.aznofee.org/aznofee/news.php
This is a major step (some would argue the largest step) forward for the
anti-fee movement since Fee Demo’s inception in 1996. We must celebrate
this vote as a victory for our movement and realize that it is a direct
result of the efforts and support of folks like yourself.
However, we would be acting in a naïve, premature, and foolish manner if
we believed the fight was anywhere near over. In fact this may be the most
important time to raise our voices in opposition to Fee Demo and to stay
vigilant in our efforts. I can assure you that Gale Norton and other Fee
Demo proponents are working with more vigilance than ever to squash our
efforts and push Fee Demo. I can assure you that the American Recreation
Coalition and it’s lobbyists are working over time to push an agenda of
commodification and development for our public lands. And I can assure you
that if our celebration lasts too long, we will loose our reason to
celebrate.

Our attention now must be focused on our representatives in the House. We
will be sending out an action alert soon calling on everyone to urge key
House representatives to support a companion bill to S1107 in the House.
We thank you in advance for your continued support.

Thank You,
Jon Orlando- Statewide Coordinator
Arizona NoFee Coalition
Po Box 1362
Flagstaff, AZ 86002
928-213-9507
www.aznofee.org
jon@aznofee.org

I spoke to Jon today when he was writing this... GREAT NEWS...

This is indeed, very good news!

According to some other corospondance that I've seen it appears that President Bush may have his own plan that he will submit to Congress. By all accounts it is even more damaging then the house bill currently being debated.

Look for action on this in the near future.

PastorVor

Very nicely put Tom... I'll to that...

VOLUNTEER positions NOW available,,, YOU just pick the organization to help,,, and the amount of time you can spare...

Pro-Active is WAY cheaper than Re-Active...