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Here is an extraordinarily revealing passage quoted from page 79 of the White River NF Travel Management Plan.
The Forest Service will continue to rely more heavily on resources besides congressional appropriations for the operation, maintenance, and management of roads, trails, and other facilities needed to serve forest users. User groups will need to increase their involvement in assisting the forest with maintenance of many of these routes either through volunteer labor, grant acquisition, or user fees of some type to continue their availability unless congressional appropriations increase dramatically and keep up with increased use. It is unlikely that new opportunities will be considered unless they can be constructed and maintained from resources originating outside Forest Service budgets.
Simply stated, the USFS will no longer be providing for the general public. Special interest groups that are willing to donate time and/or money will be given the opportunity to develop the public forest resource as per their own liking.
Pasted below is a specific example of how this new way of funding, managing and maintaining our national forests is actually playing out on the ground.
Scott
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Group, ski resort team up to build trail
Jeff DeLong (
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RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
August 31, 2006
In what federal land managers describe as a likely trend for the
future, a nonprofit group is joining forces with a Sierra ski resort to
help fund construction of a major hiking trail linking Reno to Lake
Tahoe.
When Mount Rose/Ski Tahoe begins selling its popular September discount
ski passes Friday, buyers will have the option of donating an
additional $5 on top of the $349 cost to help pay for the "Reno to Rim"
trail. The project is envisioned as a major addition to the region's
recreational opportunities.
The resort has also promised a $15,000 payment over the next three years for the trail.
Future model
With diminishing resources at the federal, state and local levels to
pay for recreation projects, such partnerships will likely become a
critical means to make major improvements a reality, said Gary Schiff,
district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service.
"That's the model of the future," Schiff said of the agreement between
the resort and the nonprofit Sierra Front Recreation Coalition,
established to pursue recreation projects in the face of flat budgets
for public lands.
The coalition's first priority is the Reno to Rim project, a roughly
10-mile-long hiking route that would link the city to the Lake Tahoe
Basin near Mount Rose Summit.
Cost of the project, including construction of the trail and trail
heads, restrooms and environmental reports, is expected to be about $1
million, according to the coalition.
Cooperation between volunteers and business to make the project happen
is critical, particularly as the region continues to experience rapid
growth, said Paquita Bath, coalition spokeswoman.
"What we see is a huge growth in resource use and recreation and no
increase in the federal budget to help manage those lands," Bath said.
"I think we can do a lot better in expanding opportunities."
With an estimated 20,000 new homes coming to the northwest Reno area
alone and trail access to the mountains limited, the new trail would be
a boon to many, Bath and Schiff said.
"For a lot of folks, there isn't really a connection out of the city to
get up into the mountains," Schiff said. "With help from this group, we
will see the possibility of that."
Reno resident John Shorrock is toying with the idea of buying a Mount
Rose ski pass but hasn't yet decided if he's going to after the cost
went up $50 from last year.
But if he does decide to pay, Shorrock said he would definitely be
willing to spend an extra $5 to help fund the new trail even though
he's not much of a hiker himself.
'Cool' and 'enthused'
"That's cool," said Shorrock, 21. "For sure, a lot of people would use it. Hikers would probably be enthused."
Helping to fund construction of a trail network linking Reno to Tahoe
seemed like a "natural partnership" to the operators of the ski resort,
Mount Rose spokesman Mike Pierce said.
"It's kind of our support of year-round recreation," Pierce said.
Pierce declined to say how many passes the resort sold last year and
how much money might come for the trail project this season but said
he's hopeful enough will be raised to significantly speed the trail's
completion.
Members of the recreation coalition agree.
"This is the first time, we've done something like this but we obviously are hoping for a lot of participation," Bath said.
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- Privatization 
