Trail park program weathers second year

Despite ongoing criticism, the Forest Service's "pay to play" Trail Park Program has weathered its second full season, bringing $25,000 to the Sisters Ranger District for local wilderness projects.

The Recreation Fee Demo Program began in 1997 to try to generate local revenue in the face of tight federal budgets, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Funds raised from Trail Park Passes are to be used to keep up local trails.

While forest officials vehemently defend their access to locally managed funds, the program continues to draw bitter skepticism from wilderness advocates.

"Nature is not a product," said Scott Silver, executive director of Bend-based Wild Wilderness. "When people try to turn nature into something you have to pay for, we lose a hell of a lot as a nation."

Silver and Wild Wilderness have gained national fame with their distribution of "No Trail Fee" stickers. The group spearheaded two local demonstrations this summer protesting the Trail Park Program with placards that read: "Pay to view ... $5 a peak" and "Hey Smokey, what's the view worth?"

Most people, however, seem to be going along with the program. According to the Forest Service there was an approximately 84 percent fee payment compliance for the 1998 season in the Deschutes National Forest.

Silver admits the Forest Service has a funding dilemma, as timber and other resource-related revenues dry up, but he contends that the Trail Park program is not the right solution.

"The Forest Service is fighting for its life," said Silver. "Classic (resource) extraction is on its way out, and the Forest Service has to come up with a new business. It has to make recreation, or 'pay to play,' work."

According to Silver, the fee demo program could be offset by eliminating staff positions made obsolete by waning timber programs.

"The little you are paying today is not enough to make a dent in the Forest Service budget," he contends.

"Only $50,000 was collected (last year) from the Trail Park Program in Deschutes National Forest," Silver said. "Get rid of one (staff) person and you would save about $50,000 with all the overhead."

But Silver's primary criticism stems from the Trail Park Program's sponsorship by the nonprofit, American Recreation Coalition (ARC).

ARC is a "national federation of more than 100 private sector organizations ... (representing) the nation's most prominent recreation companies and recreation-related associations," according to the ARC web site at http://www.funoutdoors.com.

ARC's membership includes "motorized recreation (groups); private campgrounds; resort developers; sporting goods manufacturers; (and) concessionaires who operate private facilities on public lands," Silver said. "Nothing but recreation industry representatives."

"If ARC was not involved, I'd pay the fees," he said.

Despite the controversy, Central Oregon forest officials see the program as a workable solution to their budgetary crisis.

Ron Pugh, Law Enforcement Supervisor for the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests, thinks the program's relative novelty is the primary obstacle.

"The fact that (the program) is new is the biggest hurdle," Pugh said.

"I know as a user of the forest that we have to do something (since) Congress has depleted the money to manage facilities," he added. "Something has to give (and) whether this is the right answer or not, it's working very well. Nobody likes spending money on anything, but most people have accepted it."