PORTLAND, OR- More than 70 Forest Service recreation sites in Oregon and Washington will see new or increased user fees under proposals approved February 2, 2010 at a teleconference meeting of a citizens advisory committee. The approvals were unanimous despite the fact that most public comment about the proposals was overwhelmingly negative.
Fourteen people took advantage of the opportunity to call in to the Tuesday afternoon teleconference to express their views about the proposals. All of them spoke against approval, which was consistent with previously documented public opposition. Nevertheless, they were all approved.
Source:
Westrn Slope No Fee Coalition
The fees will affect visitors to the Deschutes, Umpqua, and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests, at day-use, camping, and cabin rental sites. They include four primitive camping areas on the Okanogan-Wenatchee, seven new day-use fee sites on the Deschutes, six new fee sites on the Umpqua, and 55 increases at existing fee sites on the Umpqua.
A proposal for 17 new and increased fees on the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest was withdrawn by the forest on January 22, without explanation.
This was the first meeting by teleconference of the Pacific Northwest Recreation Resource Advisory Committee (RecRAC), and despite occurring on a weekday afternoon, fourteen citizens from as far away as Pennsylvania took advantage of the opportunity to comment.
FEE SITES APPROVED DESPITE COMPLETE PUBLIC OPPOSITION - 12 MINUTE PODCAST
RICRAC COMMITTEE'S TREATMENT OF PUBLIC PARTICIPANTS IS ARROGANT AND UNBELIEVEABLE!
"Hang up on her."
"In our 2008 analysis report on the advisory commitee process we accused these committees of being rubber stamps for the Forest Service and BLM," said Western Slope No-Fee Coalition President Kitty Benzar in a press release issued shortly after the meeting concluded. "Today's outcome confirms that. This so-called public participation process is an utter sham."