[pct-l] Fees, Fees, And More Frees

[PCT-L Guest Post <milt@backcountry.net>]

* Message posted to PCT-L from the National Scenic Trails Website
* by our guest Tony DIlorenzo <tdilo@earthlink.net>.
* Please use <mailto:tdilo@earthlink.net> to reply to the sender.

Here is a message I just received.  Thought some of you would like it.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST FEE-DEMO PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT
>ACTION ALERT  -  December 27, 1999
>
>     On January 10, 2000 the US Forest Service will announce
>     the creation of a ....
>
>                     NEW - IMPROVED
>        BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER,
>                FEE-DEMO PROGRAM !
>
>The Official Message will sound much like this:
>
>    ...We learned much in the past three years. Our customers
>     have told us they want user fees to be more simple and more
>     convenient.  Our customers support paying for the facilities
>     they use and therefore we will be investing heavily in
>     providing more and better recreational opportunities in your
>     National Forests.
>
>
>The Forest Service will be frantically trying to make the highly unpopular
>recreation fee-demo program appear successful. To accomplish this goal, the
>Pacific Northwest has been selected as one of two demonstration projects
>that will be subjected to an extremely aggressive Marketing Campaign (the
>other test site will be the Coconino NF in Arizona). These two sites will be
>used by the USFS to justify their request for permanent Congressional
>authorization of a National Recreation Fee Program (perhaps as early as
>mid-2000).
>
>The Fee-Demo Marketing Campaign will be supported with a major advertising
>campaign and with a great deal of media hype. Their goal will be to create
>the ILLUSION that the public accepts user fees and that the FS has
>successfully worked the bugs out of this extremely unpopular program.
>
>
>YOUR HELP IS NEEDED:
>To prevent the Fee-Demo program from being permanently authorized (and
>EXPANDED), Fee-Demo opponents must publicly demonstrate our objection to
>being forced to pay-to-play and our rejection of the Forest Service's
>Industrial Strength Recreation Agenda. We must counter the government's
>upcoming dis-information campaign with a vocal statement of why public lands
>should remain Wild and Free in the 21st Century. The issue is not about
>making it easier to pay. The real issue is that outdoor recreation must not
>be allowed to become the business of federal land managers. The real issue
>is that WE, the public, are the OWNERS of public lands and not CUSTOMERS of
>the Forest Service and their private partners!
>
>WHAT TO DO:
>Please make your objections heard. Do this in any way you personally feel
>comfortable with. The louder you shout, the more difficult it will be for
>the Forest Service to pretend you do not exist.
>
>The easiest way to effectively be heard is to write a short (< 250 words)
>letter To The Editor of your local newspaper. Say what's on your mind, and
>if you have a few words left over, be sure to say that you are not
>interested in making the program simple and convenient -- say you want the
>program to end and never be made permanent!
>
>The official announcement from the USFS will appear in print beginning on
>Tuesday, January 11th. Let's beat them to the punch. Please send your
>letters to the editor immediately and keep writing letters until the program
>is terminated.
>
>Please distribute this information widely within the Pacific Northwest and
>thank you for your help.
>
>Scott
>
>To learn more about the USFS Recreation Marketing Campaign
>see -   http://www.wildwilderness.org/docs/shulman.htm
>
>To find mailing addresses for print media, see the following resource
>http://www.n-net.com/
>
>
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Scott Silver
>Wild Wilderness
>248 NW Wilmington Ave.
>Bend, OR  97701
>
>phone:       541-385-5261
>e-mail:      ssilver@wildwilderness.org
>Internet:    http://www.wildwilderness.org
>
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Free the Forests
Box 1324
Twisp, Wa. 98856
509-997-4425
coldmtn@methow.com




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