Wild and Free in the 21st Century

A campaign to keep access to public lands free

The environmental community opposes Fee-Demo because the underlying purpose of pay-to-play recreation is to pave the way for commercial development and to accommodate motorized recreation on federal lands. Fee-Demo has the ominous potential to transform recreational management of public lands so that those activities with the highest potential for revenue generation will be promoted over other uses.

High impact commercial recreation promotes uses that provide the most revenue (downhill skiing, ORV use, resort development and power boating). They take precedence over low impact activities (hiking, backcountry skiing, and nature study). High impact recreation increases noise, air, and water pollution, compromises endangered species, destroys habitats, and reduces the USFS and BLM managers' ability to focus on crucial restoration of watersheds and fish habitat, damaged forests, and endangered ecosystems.

Reasons to Oppose Pay-to-Play Recreation

  • The act of paying fundamentally alters the way one relates to the outdoors.
  • Fees will keep poorer Americans from enjoying public visitor centers, parks, etc.
  • Commercialism is virtually inescapable … except on undeveloped public lands.
  • The taxes we pay subsidize loggers, miners and grazers who destroy our lands when those dollars should be used to maintain public lands for our enjoyment.
  • The federal government has a trillion dollar surplus. Trail Fees are not needed!

    • Over 100 environmental organizations, including The Sierra Club, oppose Fee-Demo. Outdoor recreation organizations oppose it. Congressional Representatives Lois Capps (D-CA) and Mary Bono(R-CA) have each introduced legislation to end this program. The State of California Legislature voted to end Fee-Demo. The City of Berkeley opposes it. No one asked for it, except the recreation industry. Let's end it now!

    JOIN THE NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST
    SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 1999
    Over 50 demonstrations are already scheduled!

  • Write your congressman at: House of Representatives, Washington D.C. 20515. Ask him or her to co-sponsor HR786, the Forest Tax Relief Bill and HR 2295, the Forest Access Immediate Relief (FAIR) Act. Ask your representative to work for restoration of public funding for appropriate public lands recreation.

  • Ask Vice President Gore to withdraw administrative support of the user fee program. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. 20500, (202) 456-2326.

  • Tell the Forest Service what you think of forest fees. 202-205-1668.

  • If you buy a fee-demo pass, you will be counted as supporting the program. If you do not buy one, you may be ticketed. What kind of "demonstration" is that?

    For more information about Fee-Demo or to learn about protests scheduled near you, please contact: Scott Silver 541-385-5261 or visit the Wild Wilderness Web Site at www.wildwilderness.