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 Lyle Laverty, an early and fierce supporter of the "pay-to-play" concept, is in the news again. He's in the news for demonstrating the value of the "fee-demo" management paradigm he helped implement within the Forest Service when he headed that agency's recreation program. He's in the news for being part of a scandal.
Lyle Laverty may soon be confirmed as the next Department of Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. If so, he would become the third most powerful person within Interior. If confirmed, Laverty would be directly responsible for formulating outdoor recreation policy for the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Because of concerns about massive, multiple and ongoing ethics violations within the DOI, Mr. Laverty's confirmation has been being blocked by Senator Wyden. For the sake of our public lands, I sincerely hope the block remains and a new, and better, appointee is selected.
Pasted below is an example of pay-to-play working PRECISELY as its Libertarian, Free-Market and recreation industry supporters intended the program to operate.
Is this merely proof that wealth has its privileges in the pay-to-play world, or is this another ethics violation? Whichever it is, it most certainly is a valuable example of how the ideology of pay-to-play will further unfurl if Lyle Laverty is put into a position of governmental power.
Scott
PS... Laverty's congressional testimony on pay-to-play can be read here.
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Rich horsemen get special ticket to ride
150 given access to restricted wilderness area
By Katie Kerwin Mccrimmon, Rocky Mountain News
July 21, 2007
An elite group of 150 wealthy horsemen got special permission to ride
through the Spanish Peaks Wilderness Area in southern Colorado during a
weeklong, 100-mile trip that ends today.
Wilderness advocates are crying foul, arguing that if a large troop of
Boy Scouts tried to pass through the same area, the U.S. Forest Service
would turn them down. TinaMarie Ekker, of the Montana-base group
Wilderness Watch, said that in this case, money bought special
privileges.
The Roundup Riders of the Rockies, a secretive fraternity that has been
conducting swanky rides through the Rockies for nearly 60 summers, paid
about $15,000 to get a permit and pay for any damage they caused to
trails or wetlands.
Normally, a "25-heartbeat policy" governs groups in Wilderness Areas.
That means that no group with more than 25 people or animals will be
allowed in Wilderness Areas. The Spanish Peaks were declared wilderness
in 2000. Forest supervisors could not name another large group that was
allowed similar access.
"The fact that they are paying that much money is a clear implication
that there will be impacts. They're breaking the rules," Ekker said.
She suspects they got special permission because they have friends in
high places.
"This is a very politically connected group."
Neither Ekker nor forest supervisors could confirm who was on the ride.
The organizers who got the permit were unavailable to comment while
finishing the ride. In years past, the ride has sparked controversy.
Former Colorado state parks chief Lyle Laverty used $5,000 in state
funds so he could join the annual July ride. He later sold the horse to
his son-in-law and returned the $5,000 to state coffers.
Pike and San Isabel National Forest Supervisor Bob Leaverton said the
riders ended up having little impact on the wilderness area. He said
the riders were only allowed to pass through the wilderness.
They set up their elaborate campsites every evening on private land.
The group brings along at least 20 camp hands to cater meals, set up
cots, showers, heated tents and even a stage for nightly entertainment.
Leaverton said all those high-impact uses happened outside the
wilderness area. He personally rode the trail on Thursday where the
riders had gone on Sunday. He said the forest supervisors had made the
right call to allow the large group and that little harm was done to
the environment.
"It was excellent. At some places it was hard to tell they had even
been through," Leaverton said. "Obviously this group is very aware and
sensitive to wilderness ethics. I think we validated the assumption we
made that this ride would not have an impact on other wilderness
users."
Leaverton said the riders had to pay a non-refundable $5,000 fee for
trail repairs and mitigation, but he doubted any repairs would have to
be made. The other $10,000 went for permits and significant employee
time to draft the permit and monitor the riders throughout the week.
Leaverton assigned a forest service worker to ride with the group on
Sunday and Monday. He said on those days, the Roundup Riders
encountered only one other group hiking through the wilderness area and
that their experience was not marred during their encounter with the
Roundup Riders.
Leaverton said he would be willing to review another group's
application to get a waiver from the "25-heartbeat policy" if they
proposed similar uses in the area. He said most groups want to camp in
sensitive areas.
Ekker, of Wilderness Watch, fears that forest supervisors have set a precedent they will soon regret.
"This is a small wilderness with this huge group riding through it,"
she said, estimating that supervisors allowed as many as 15 times the
number of horses and people that they should have.
"What kind of message is this going to send to the field managers who have to say no to the Boy Scouts.''
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- Land management 
