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Show Ouray County Calls For An End To Fee Demo Commission Opposes House Bill Creating Permanent Public Lands Fees RIDGWAY, Colo. - Citing negative effects on tourism among other reasons, the Ouray County, Colorado, Board of County Commissioners has taken a strong stand against the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program (Fee Demo) and passed a resolution calling for its abolition. aboli-tion. At a public meeting in Ridgway on July 26, the Commissioners also went on record opposing Ohio Congressman Ralph Regula's bill, HR 3283, which would implement permanent access fees on all public lands. Ouray County's resolution joins dozens of similar statements state-ments by elected bodies nationally, nation-ally, including twelve counties in Colorado and numerous jurisdictions juris-dictions in California, Arizona, and the Pacific Northwest. State legislatures officially opposed to Fee Demo are Colorado, Oregon, California, and New Hampshire. Fee Demo is a controversial program that was authorized in 1996 as a two-year demonstration demonstra-tion allowing the land management manage-ment agencies to charge for (See FEE on page 5A) Ouray County Calls For An End To Fee Demo From Front Page " . access and use of public lands for recreation.. It has since been extended five times and is currently cur-rently due to expire on Dec. 31, 2005. In 2001 and 2002, Ouray County was a center of Fee Demo opposition when the Forest Service started charging an access fee for Yankee Boy Basin, a popular four-wheel drive, OHV, and hiking area. ' Non-compliance with the fee requirement was widespread, and there were three organized protests. The Western Slope No-Fee No-Fee Coalition (WSNFC), now a national leader against Fee Demo, originated with the Yankee Boy protests. In 2003, the Ouray Commissioners initiated a new management strategy for the area that eliminated the access fee. A partnership between a local non-profit, the Forest Service, and the County now provides on-the-ground presence pres-ence to educate visitors and encourage appropriate land use. The non-profit, dubbed the Yankee Boy Regional Conservation Association, is funded by voluntary, tax-deductible tax-deductible donations. It recruits and organizes the volunteers, while the Forest Service continues contin-ues to charge a fee for camping, which funds toilet facilities and ranger patrols. At status meetings meet-ings with the Forest Service, the Commissioners have expressed satisfaction that this' management manage-ment approach is meeting their goals in a more popular and less controversial wEjy than the access fee did. ' t . , The WSNFC requested the Ouray resolution because of legislation leg-islation pending in', the U.S. House of Representatives that would expand Fee Demo and make it permanent.. The bill, HR 3283, Would require visitors to any of the 640 million acres of public land to purchase an "America the Beautiful Pass." Failure to have a pass would be a Class B Misdemeanor, punishable punish-able by up to $5,000 andor 6 months in jail. The bill would also eliminate the Golden Age Pass, a lifetime National Parks pass currently available to seniors sen-iors for a one-time charge of $10. "This bill, sponsored by a congressman from Ohio who has no public land in his district, would make criminals out of taxpayers," said WSNFC spokesperson Kitty . Benzar. "Here in the West, it would be a crime to leave the city limits without a pass. These resolutions, resolu-tions, by elected bodies at all levels, help convince Congress to preserve our priceless heritage her-itage of public access to public land, and we applaud Ouray County for taking this step." The House Resources Committee is expected to move HR 3283 to a Committee vote soon. Its main sponsor, Ralph Regula (R-OH), has reportedly been twisting the arms of western west-ern members of the House Resources Committee to vote for its passage. The Ouray County resolution states, "That the Board of Commissioners for Ouray County, Colorado strongly recommends rec-ommends that the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program be abolished and that any legislation legisla-tion to extend it or make it permanent, per-manent, such as HR 3283 currently cur-rently pending in the U.S. House of Representatives, be opposed by the Colorado Congressional Delegation" The Western Slope No-Fee Coalition is a broad-based group consisting of motorized and non-motorized recreational interests, conservatives and liberals, lib-erals, Republicans and Democrats, elected officials and just plain citizens. It has members mem-bers and supporting organizations organiza-tions in 35 states and the military, mili-tary, and has worked for over three years to end Fee Demo. The WSNFC encourages more oversight and accountability in the land management agencies, and encourages Congress to fund public lands adequately through the regular appropriations appropria-tions process. HR 3283 can be read online at: http:thomas.loc.govcgi-binqueryz?cl08:HR3283: |