[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[pct-l] States and User Fees
- To: pct-l@edina.hack.net
- Subject: [pct-l] States and User Fees
- Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 6:11 AM
There are big differences even between the Forest Service Departments in
different states. Washington gets about half the money per acre that Oregon
gets based on timber havest records that date back to the late 80's and have
never been updated. Our user fees are skyhigh and increase yearly. Trails on
forest service land are a grab bag. We have trailhead fees here but nothing
in Montana. We hiked the Bob Marshall Wilderness last year and entered at
Benchmark. Very nice trailhead with campgroup and no trailhead fees, permit
fee or anything. It was like going back 20 years!! Montana was a Bush state
in the last election where values haven't changed much in the last 100
years.
We saw just 2 hikers in 95 milers but 5 groups of Horses who looked like
they
were there 100 years ago!!! Each cowboy had a big hogleg 44 mag. strapped on
his or her leg. Most these people have been in the state of Montana 150
years
and are 4th or 5th generation locals. Even with Ted Turner and Jan Fonda
dancing naked on the trail, I doubt these people would be interested in
paying user fees. The trails were in good shape as saw many backcountry
rangers doing their patrols who were doing so for 10 to 15 years and
wouldn,t
be anywhere else. Only on the West Coast, where all the dreadlock Nambee
Pambees live, will people gladly pay for what other get free. The forest
service has many broken parts and the user fee program is one of them. In
Waashington, we claim ownership of the very first user fee ever!! ( 5.00 to
enter Mt. Rainier in 1980) After that, we never looked back and just kept
adding more.Those cowboys in Montana got it right, this is public land son
and we ain't Payin Nothin!!
* From the PCT-L | Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html *
* From the PCT-L | Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html *
==============================================================================
To: ChsyHkr@aol.com, pct-l@edina.hack.net