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Miracles do happen. In an age of bitter political recrimination, a truly bipartisan bill has just been introduced in Congress by Sens. Mike Crapo, an Idaho Republican, and Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat.
The Fee Repeal and Expanded Access Act (S. 2438) would roll back thousands of fees that U.S. citizens are now being charged for mere access to their public lands. This bill is the culmination of the dream of a dedicated group of volunteer activists.
In 1996, a rider was attached to an appropriations bill, giving federal lands agencies the right to temporarily charge fees for many activities that had been free, supported by general tax funds. Activities such as backcountry camping, hiking and merely passing through public lands were now being charged fees. In one California forest they even charged a fee to park near a cliff to see the sunset.
Over the years these fees multiplied like a cancer, all over the United States, even reaching into Idaho.
In response, a Vermont carpenter and cabinet maker, Robert Funkhouser, formed the Western Slope No Fee Coalition to fight the fees. As tax funds, hitherto used for recreation on public lands, were deliberately diverted to other purposes, agencies such as the Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management, starved for funds, created more and more fee areas.
Then in 2004, another rider to make the fees permanent, was slipped into another must-pass appropriations bill. We nicknamed it the R.A.T. (Recreation Access Tax).
Agencies now became emboldened in finding questionably legal ways of charging ever-more fees. They bundled together thousands of acres to meet the minimum criteria of having a few amenities like bathrooms, signs and garbage collection in order to charge fees.
No fees for wilderness camping allowed? No problem. They charged for parking at the trailhead.
Up here in Sandpoint, we collected over 400 names on a petition to repeal these fees. My wife, Lanie Johnson, led the drive, and presented the petition to U.S. Sen. Larry Craig. We asked state Rep. George Eskridge, from Dover, to sponsor an Idaho resolution against the R.A.T. His fellow Republican from Priest Lake, Rep. Eric Anderson, co-sponsored it. We flew down to Boise to testify.
The resolution passed both houses unanimously. Momentum was gathering. Then, disaster hit.
Last summer, Funkhouser died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack at the age of 50. Robert had spent huge amounts of time in Washington, D.C., talking to senators, congressmen, bureaucrats and their staffs. He knew "Foggy Bottom" inside and out.
Most of us were total outsiders. We redoubled our efforts and dedicated them to Robert's memory. Kitty Benzar, a nurse in Durango, Colo., took over. She learned fast, and now we are at the threshold of success.
The way ahead is still challenging. There will be committee hearings and votes at several levels before we can claim victory. We face powerful opposition. There is an entrenched ideologically oriented bureaucracy to overcome, as well as a shadowy lobbying organization with deep pockets.
The ARC (American Recreation Coalition) is composed of such organizations as Marriott Hotels, International Association for Amusement Parks & Attractions, and the Walt Disney Company. They lobbied for these fees. They also want to "manage" our public lands (i.e., develop them, either in "partnership" with the government or to buy them outright if they can get laws passed allowing them to do so.)
American public lands are unique. No other country has anything like them. They belong to all Americans. We do not need the king's permission to walk on them. We must fight to keep them this way.
Contact Sens. Crapo and Baucus and tell them that you support S. 2438. Tell your friends in other states to ask their senators to co-sponsor the bill.
Let's remain the Land of the Free, not the Land of the Fee.
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