Mount Evans Celebration: Fee Defeated!
Posted: Mon Jun 24, 2013 8:05 pm
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vap0soZ0pWE[/youtube]
FELLOW SP MEMBERS:
It is my pleasure to announce to you all that the Mount Evans Fee has been defeated. Five years ago I joined in on a lawsuit against the Forest Service with a grassroots organization known as the Western Slope No Fee Coalition. I was listed as a primary plaintiff on the lawsuit due to my long history and experience with Mount Evans. Back in the 90s, the Forest Service started to collect fees to access the Mount Evans Area. Even though the fee was illegal, they continued to collect the fee, which was a huge cash cow, despite the fact the road was owned by the State of Colorado, and Summit Lake Park was owned by the City of Denver.
Despite this important defeat of a scheme between private interests and the Forest Service, illegal fee operations on public lands continue to pop up all over the nation without the required public review and input. The Forest Service continues to disregard their own rules in the Federal Lands Recreation and Enhancement Act, which is now under congressional scrutiny. Several senators are sponsoring a bill to do away with the entire and highly abused fee system.
After three district court hearings, the fee program at Mount Evans was finally judged illegal and inappropriate with the similar Mount Lemon case near Tucson, Arizona. The fee booth is still present at the base of the Mount Evans road, but as directed in the case, a drive-through lane has been installed allowing visitors to bypass the booth if they plan on accessing the wilderness without utilizing any amenities provided by the Forest Service.
This is a precedent-setting situation. American citizens are urged NOT to pay a fee at ANY national forest or wilderness location if no amenities, such as picnic tables or restrooms, are utilized. Get out and enjoy your recreational lands-and remember they are already bought and paid for, and yours to use for FREE. Do not pay a fee at any national forest or wilderness area-it is ILLEGAL (unless you are paying a private land owner) and you are not obligated to pay that fee (state and national parks are different).
I am honored to have been given the opportunity to take the Forest Service to court and play a part in this victory for the American people.
FELLOW SP MEMBERS:
It is my pleasure to announce to you all that the Mount Evans Fee has been defeated. Five years ago I joined in on a lawsuit against the Forest Service with a grassroots organization known as the Western Slope No Fee Coalition. I was listed as a primary plaintiff on the lawsuit due to my long history and experience with Mount Evans. Back in the 90s, the Forest Service started to collect fees to access the Mount Evans Area. Even though the fee was illegal, they continued to collect the fee, which was a huge cash cow, despite the fact the road was owned by the State of Colorado, and Summit Lake Park was owned by the City of Denver.
Despite this important defeat of a scheme between private interests and the Forest Service, illegal fee operations on public lands continue to pop up all over the nation without the required public review and input. The Forest Service continues to disregard their own rules in the Federal Lands Recreation and Enhancement Act, which is now under congressional scrutiny. Several senators are sponsoring a bill to do away with the entire and highly abused fee system.
After three district court hearings, the fee program at Mount Evans was finally judged illegal and inappropriate with the similar Mount Lemon case near Tucson, Arizona. The fee booth is still present at the base of the Mount Evans road, but as directed in the case, a drive-through lane has been installed allowing visitors to bypass the booth if they plan on accessing the wilderness without utilizing any amenities provided by the Forest Service.
This is a precedent-setting situation. American citizens are urged NOT to pay a fee at ANY national forest or wilderness location if no amenities, such as picnic tables or restrooms, are utilized. Get out and enjoy your recreational lands-and remember they are already bought and paid for, and yours to use for FREE. Do not pay a fee at any national forest or wilderness area-it is ILLEGAL (unless you are paying a private land owner) and you are not obligated to pay that fee (state and national parks are different).
I am honored to have been given the opportunity to take the Forest Service to court and play a part in this victory for the American people.