Bend News

NOT THE "CHANGE" WE EXPECTED

“Change We Need.” You remember it, right? Heard it at least a thousand times, correct?

But based on recent events, Barack Obama’s campaign slogan should’ve been “No Change Needed” because public land users have all been short-changed again by the Forest Service (FS) with full support of the new administration.

Critics of the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) or Recreation Access Tax (RAT), as we call it, have been quick to blame it on the evil, pro-privatization, environmental unfriendly Bushies, so I guess it’s a real shock to us to see the Obama administration making no change at all in the defense of the aggressive implementation of maligned law.

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NO TIME FOR MORE ECONOMIC STRESS

UPDATED,, March 17:

As reported here on NewWest.Net on January 28, the Forest Service (FS) has decided to take back discounts promised to elderly and disabled public land users.

To that, all four members of the Idaho Congressional delegation say, whoa, partner, not so fast on that one.

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GUEST COMMENTARY

Editor’s Note: Two weeks ago I posted a hard-hitting column about recreation fees leading to privatization of our public lands and how the Forest Service facilitates the process by turning over management of so many campgrounds and other recreation areas to private concessionaires. After this commentary went online, I was contacted by Warren Meyer, who runs one of the major companies involved in private management of public recreation. He made some good points, and I asked him to write this guest commentary so you can see the other side of this issue.--Bill Schneider

I know there has been a lot of concern about the role of private recreation businesses on public lands, and the relation this might have to the expansion of recreation fees. As the head of one of the larger Forest Service campground concession companies, I wanted to address some of these issues.

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A CHANGE THAT'S LONG OVERDUE

UPDATED Friday, March 12, 1 pm:
I used this headline once before when writing about Mark Rey, former Bush Administration Undersecretary of Agriculture and boss of the Forest Service. Prior to Rey’s Reign of Terror, California Republican Congressmen Richard Pombo held the honor of being the biggest enemy of public lands. Voters booted him in 2006, but he’s back, running for Congress again this year.

Now, we have a new Public Lands Enemy No. 1, none other than current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).

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Western book Roundup

It might not be spring yet, but it sure feels like it here in Colorado, where our piles of November snow have finally started to melt and some crocuses are peeking out of the ground.  With the change in season comes a bunch of regional book awards and event announcements:

• Stories on Stage, a Denver theater company that presents literature through performances by professional actors, will present The Stories of Your Life based on the work of Jim Sheeler on March 13 (5 & 8 p.m., Jones Theater, DCPA). Sheeler, a former reporter for the Rocky Mountain News who won a Pulitzer Prize for his series Final Salute (later published as a book of the same name), honed his skills as a journalist by writing obituaries.  He collected his favorites in the book Obit: Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People who Led Extraordinary Lives, which Peggy Lowe reviewed for New West.

• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Great Falls resident Jamie Ford is the winner of the 2009 Montana Book Award. 

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WE'RE WELL DOWN THIS SLIPPERY SLOPE

For five years, I’ve been railing against the recreational fee frenzy going on within the Forest Service, and after reading hundreds of comments (online and offline), I’ve noticed a common theme that I should address. Why, many commenters ask, am I so concerned about these relatively small, pay-for-play fees when we’re facing colossal environmental issues such as climate change, roadless lands protection, mining law reform, and energy development?

My answer is, this is big, too. The trend toward more and larger recreation fees fits perfectly with the plans of those who would like nothing better than to privatize our public lands.

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