The last of my three "recreation focus" trips in 2000 took me throughout the Southern Region, first visiting the newly acquired Land Between the Lakes, followed by the Ozark National Forest (NF), Cherokee NF, and Ocala NF. I was accompanied by Denny Bschor., Director of Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness Resources, and hosted by many officials in R-8. We enjoyed beautiful late autumn weather, and liberal doses of southern food and hospitality. I was tremendously impressed by the leadership I saw.

Our Southern Region is a healing land. Although this land was badly abused, the working of time on these lands is a wonder. With the passage of each new decade the national forests of the south are becoming more of a treasure. I sought to understand how the Forest Service (FS) might best provide the recreation opportunities desired by this rapidly growing sector of our country.

I had eagerly anticipated visiting LBL since Congress transferred it from the Tennessee Valley Authority to the FS. I was unprepared for the remarkably different products that TVA’s framework for management had provided in service to the public. I was delighted to see the great variety of opportunities, and impressed with the role of LBL’s interpretive association. Two examples: (1) an elk and bison range, restored from a remnant woodland prairie with the primary support of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, providing very popular "watchable wildlife;" and (2) a living history 1850’s farm and modern visitor center managed in partnership with LBL Interpretive Association.

These facilities and numerous others we saw attest to the value of applying business principles to recreation services. Both were carefully evaluated prior to construction, operate under business plans, set fees based on a willingness to pay concept, tailor services to visitor satisfaction surveys, actively apply research findings, and have a laser focus on customer service. As we implement our Natural Resource Agenda, we would do well to emulate the recreation vision so vibrantly evident at LBL.

Our next stop was the Ozark NF, primarily to see Blanchard Springs Caverns, which is the only cave managed by the FS for public visitation, and is symbolic of the numerous "special areas" throughout the country entrusted to our care. Throughout my career, I’ve had occasion to visit several caves, both public and private. These caverns are truly spectacular and have been developed with extreme care and sensitivity. Managed as a fee demonstration site, management of the caverns is relatively stable financially after facing possible closure only 3 years ago.

I believe that management of special areas is most fundamentally an issue of trust. Can we demonstrate that the FS is the best option? That will depend primarily on quality—of business

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planning and marketing, staffing, interpretation, partnerships, design and construction of facilities, and community relations. We have answered the call at Blanchard Springs Caverns, but major challenges remain due to their remoteness and the aging infrastructure. Astute management will meet these challenges.

My office décor includes a photo montage of the Ocoee Whitewater Center, a venue for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics within the Cherokee NF. Things are quieter today than when 15,000 spectators filled the stands for a few days. In fact, the throbbing whitewater in the photos is but a trickle all but a few days a year due to TVA’s use of the water for power generation. Seldom will one see a more graphic illustration of the power of choice over water uses.

Yet the FS is using the Ocoee Center as a galvanizing force for building partnerships and community. Although the river is dewatered, it still springs to life for special events through partnership agreements with TVA. The Ocoee Center has become a focal point, literally and figuratively, by hosting discussions with all manner of partners, including county and community officials as well as chambers of commerce. The FS facilitates efforts to first discuss potential uses and developments to improve recreation opportunities (for example, a mountain bike trail system) then see that they actually happen in a way that works with the environment and effectively targets nearby metropolitan markets. The use of partnerships is desirable, effective, and essential, and the Ocoee Whitewater Center is the hub of partnership efforts.

Among the many splendors of our national forests is their tremendous variety and uniqueness. It is spectacular to see Florida’s Silver Glen Springs’ crystal clear 72 degree water welling up (more than sufficient to meet the daily needs of the Los Angeles basin), then becoming a beautiful "instant" river teeming with wildlife. It is the largest of many such springs under FS management in our National Forests of Florida. Silver Glen Springs was purchased about 10 years ago, and the private facilities were removed, leaving only bare minimum accommodations for access, parking, and portable restrooms. This allowed us to think.

Many people fear concession management of Federal land and resources. Officials in Florida have been carefully cultivating reliable and conscientious concessionaires for many years. Is it possible that Silver Glen Springs might be "ruined?" I doubt it, given the meticulous planning and market research leading to a prospectus for development of the springs. We can and should rigorously explore concession management. In many cases it is the most sensible approach that will deliver the best product to the public--but not in every case. Our capacity to improve the diversity and quality of recreation opportunities will be closely tied to our willingness to partner with reliable concessionaires.

This trip to our Southern Region concludes my efforts in 2000 to focus FS attention on recreation—both to illustrate the imagination, innovation, and thoughtful leadership evident in pockets throughout our organization, as well as to alert us to the importance our forests and grasslands hold to our society. Thoughtful use of business principles, quality management of special areas, dedication to partnership development, and use of reliable concessionaires will help lead our recreation program in the right direction. We rely on all these tools in our recently published Recreation Strategy.

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How can we begin to measure the contribution of these abundant recreation opportunities to our nation’s health and vitality? I shudder to even contemplate a future were these assets to be unavailable to common citizens. It is a great privilege to be entrusted with this immense responsibility. We can do better. We will.

/s/JAMES R. FURNISH

James R. Furnish

Deputy Chief, for

National Forest Systems