Privatization and commercialization of the public recreation commons takes many forms -- few of which are being opposed.  Privatization efforts actively supported by land managers and designed to benefit their commercial "partners", generally produce a raw deal for the general recreating public.

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Assigned/Reserved Campsites on Rivers
by Lloyd Knapp 

In the recent past, the NorthWest Rafters Association has come out in really strong opposition to the Assigned! Reserved Campsites idea. Here are some of the reasons why.

Earlier this summer I got off the Main Salmon River. It was a really great trip, it was pretty big water and I rowed my 15' Sotar really well. Just the kind of trip you look forward to in the summer months. That being said however, there was one thing I saw there that really concerned me. When we came around a bend there was an outfitter camp set up on the left bank. That in itself is no big deal; however, there were no boats on the bank and there was no one around. This camp was unoccupied. It consisted of two large tarps. They were set up in a camp labeled on the river guide as an "Outfitters Camp". I could not see if tables, chairs and other gear like stoves were set up as well, but it would not have surprised me. The message was not lost on me. This camp had been set up and prepared ahead of time. It was standing there, waiting for the next trip. Someone over in Idaho has obviously gotten to the river managers.

However, keep in mind that what this issue is really all about is one of terminology. Reserved Campsites is a far more insidious threat than the term Assigned Campsites would imply. Campsite selection and "assignments" are given out at Boundary Creek on the Middle Fork of the Salmon. Unlike the Middle Fork, flipping a coin at Rand for the Wild Rogue is impossible. The real difference is that with Reserved Campsites, someone could book a trip, call the BLM weeks or even months in advance and reserve Horseshoe Bend (for example) two months later. Perhaps, with one phone call, they could reserve it for several separate days over the course of the entire season. That is really what is at stake here. How could you compete with that?

My question is: How long before other campsites on the Main Salmon are essentially reserved all summer long for other guided trips? How long before what I saw over in Idaho, spreads to other rivers in the West? How long before the "No Trespassing " signs appear? Boaters keep out. Dogs and sailors keep off the grass. The continued commercialization of public lands goes on. The concept of Wild Rivers, and wilderness is further degraded. Don't get confused with harmless sounding terminology like "Assigned Campsites". Reserved Campsites is really what this issue is all about. There is a big difference. And with this understanding, other big questions remain: Why are some camps along the river listed in the guide as "Outfitter Camp"? What happened to first come,  first served? Was someone bribed? Does this constitute yet another piece of evidence, in an already big pile of evidence, of rotten corruption in government officials?

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