[pct-l] INYO NATIONAL FOREST TO IMPLEMENT NEW WILDERNESS PERMIT SYSTEM IN THE YEAR 2000

[Brick Robbins <brick@fastpack.com>]

Scanned and OCRed. Any typos are probably mine.

They are raiing fees (between 30 and 300%) and eliminating telephone
reservations. They want your input.

They are also going to extend trailhead quotas to year round to limit the
impact from the public. Kind of stooopid to me, since there is still NO
quota for commercial use of the wilderness, and that exceeds public use by
a factor of 5 at some trail heads. I guess the packers have more
"influence" than the "public."

-B
========================
USFS Inyo National Forest News

873 N. Main Street
Bishop. CA 93514
Contact: Diana Pietrasanta
(760) 873-2481

Date: February 24, 1999

INYO NATIONAL FOREST TO IMPLEMENT NEW WILDERNESS PERMIT SYSTEM IN THE YEAR
2000

The Inyo National Forest has announced that it will implement a new
Wilderness Permit System beginning January 1, 2000. The system will be
operated by the Forest Service, and is designed to provide efficient and
consistent service to users of Central Sierra wilderness areas.

The current Wilderness Reservation System contract will expire October 30th
of this year. The Forest Service did not have the option to renew or rebid
this contract, but did have a choice of using the National Reservation
System (a nationwide contract operating out of New York state) or to take
back the permit system and operate it through National Recreation Fee
Demonstration authority. In 1998, the Forest Service contacted wilderness
users and held public workshops to discuss options for the reservation
system and to hear what the public would like to see in a permit system.
Based on public feedback the decision was made to have the Inyo National
Forest operate the wilderness permit system including advanced reservations.

The new permit reservation system will make the Inyo's system consistent
with neighboring national forests and Yosemite and Sequoia Kings National
Parks, increase the level of wilderness education for wilderness visitors,
and provide for better management of wilderness use data

Comments Sought on the Wilderness Management Proposals

Whitney Use Fee The Inyo National Forest is in the initial stage of
preparing to implement a site specific change in wilderness management. The
Forest Service is planning to charge a use fee for all hikers and
backpackers on trails in the Mt. Whitney area. The exact fee is unknown at
this time, but the proposal is in the range of $l0 to $15 per person.

This fee program will be implemented under the authority of the recreation
fee demonstration project, which has already been implemented in the  Mono
Basin Scenic Area and Schulman Grove Interpretive Site in the Ancient
Bristlecone Pine Forest. Through this program, funds will be returned
directly to the Mt. Whitney area to provide service that has been lacking
for many years such as trail maintenance, reconstruction and maintenance of
toilet facilities, management of the human waste program, increased
wilderness education, campsite restoration, and monitoring of resource
conditions.

In recent years, the Forest Service has received less funding than is
required to administer the Mt. Whitney area at a minimal level. With
budgets expected to decline in future years, the Forest Service is
searching for ways of managing the area to keep Mt. Whitney open to the
public, to provide adequate services to visitors, and to sustain the
condition of the natural resources at current levels. Without additional
funding, investments into key elements of the program (toilets, trails,
etc.) will not be made, risking failure of the entire infrastructure.
Although the implementation of fee programs has been met with some
resistance, nationally this system of sustaining and enhancing recreation
opportunities is, for the most part, being accepted by the public since
most of the fees collected go directly to the site from which they were
collected rather than to the general treasury. The Forest Service is
seeking comments on the proposal to charge a use fee for hiking on trails
in the Mt. Whitney area. A public meeting will be held in Lone Pine at
Boulder Creek RV Resort Clubhouse on Wednesday March 24, at 6:30 PM to
discuss this proposal.

Year- round quotas The Forest Service is also proposing to extend the
period for which trailhead quotas are in effect to year-round, rather than
the mix of dares currently in place. The proposal does not include changes
in quota locations or numbers of people allowed at each trailhead per day.
Public scoping for this proposal will be announced in the near future.

Questions or concerns about the new wilderness permit system and the Mt.
Whitney use fee, or official comments for scooping of the year-round quota
proposed action should be addressed to Diana Pietrasanta, Wilderness
Manager, at (760)876-6217, or written comments can be sent to Inyo National
Forest, 873 N. Main Street, Bishop, CA 93514. Those people interested in
being added to the wilderness permit system mailing list should also
contact Diana Pietrasanta.                                     ### SIDE BAR
OPPORTUNITY

HOW TO OBTAIN WILDERNESS PERMIT IN THE YEAR 2000

MAKING RESERVATIONS: 60% of wilderness permits will be available by
reservation on all Inyo National Forest Trails (except the Mt. Whitney
Trail, which will remain 100% available through reservations.) This will
accommodate those wilderness users who prefer to reserve their permits.
Reservations can be made by mail or by fax. To provide equitable access to
reservations and to make the reservation service affordable, reservations
by telephone will no longer be available.

The wilderness permit reservation period will begin January 1st of each
year. At that time, reservations can be made for any trail for any date in
that calendar year up to seven days prior to the wilderness trip departure
date. Permits obtained within seven days of departure are only available on
first-come, first; served basis, the day before or day of your trip.
Reservations are recommended for trips planned during the busiest
backcountry period, between April 1st and November 1st. A $S fee per person
will be charged for advanced reservations. This fee will pay for the
operation of the reservation system.

OBTAINING PERMITS: 40% of wilderness permits for all trails (except the Mt.
Whitney Trail) will be available on a first-come, first-served/walk-in
basis. Permits (whether reserved in advance or obtained the day of the
trip) will be picked up at local Forest Service offices. There will be no
fee for walk-in permits. Any unreserved permits and no-shows will also be
available the day before or day of trip entry.

 
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