Forest Recreation Fees

Recreation fees source of contention

PARKS: The U.S. Forest Service disputes criticism that the charges amount to double taxation.


07:01 AM PST on Monday, December 31, 2007

By JANET ZIMMERMAN
The Press-Enterprise

Recreation fees charged to national forest users bring in millions of dollars every year to pay for maintenance and visitors services, among other things.

Critics contend the fees amount to double taxation and keep people on fixed incomes from visiting forests and parks.

The debate over fees continues as local U.S. Forest Service districts finalize plans for changes over the next five years that include campground closures and higher overnight fees.

The Forest Service says the fees shift some of the cost of benefits and services to those who directly use them, and are less than what most people would pay for a day's or evening's entertainment elsewhere.

In 2005, national recreation fee revenues totaled $228 million. Of that, the Forest Service took in $50.2 million. The National Park Service brought in the biggest share. The Bureau of Land Management, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior also collect fees. ...........

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