Value of free trail passes questioned

Some volunteers on the Deschutes National Forest aren't satisfied with a free annual Trail Park Pass for the work they perform on local trails and recreation facilities.

They also accuse the Forest Service of following a double standard in crediting volunteer groups for their time.

Seasonal or day-use Trail Park Passes are required to park at most Deschutes National Forest trailheads. Day passes cost $3, and season passes can be purchased for $25. Forest officials offer a free annual Trail Park Pass to volunteers who work at least 16 hours in one season on local trails.

Chuck Engel, "trail boss"and volunteer coordinator for Oregon Equestrian Trails (OET), sees the free annual pass as a $1.56 per hour payment for his members' time, while the Forest Service values OET's overall volunteer work at a much higher rate. According to Engel, the agency places an $11 per hour monetary value on the accomplishments of OET volunteers.

"They require you to work 16 hours to get a free pass - that's $1.56 per hour,"said Engel. "Historically all our volunteer hours have been credited at $11 per hour by the Forest Service for over 10 years. That's quite a slap in the face."

Deschutes National Forest spokesperson Lorette Ray said the free Trail Park Pass is simply a way to show appreciation to volunteers and is "not intended to be a payment."

"There's really no authority or direction that says we will give volunteers a Trail Park Pass,"Ray said. "It's basically a guideline or option that the regional office has come up with. We do many things for volunteers and this is just one way to recognize them."

Ray also explained that the Forest Service places no standard value of $11 per hour on volunteer work performed. Instead, the Forest Service manager of a specific project "assigns a value according to the type of work being done."Such values are assigned for the agency's internal reporting process.

According to Engel, approximately 20 to 25 OET members contributed 1,188 hours of volunteer time on the Deschutes National Forest in 1998. He noted that, at $11 per hour, this equated to $13,068 of work completed under the formula used by the Forest Service for OET projects.

At $25 for an annual Trail Park Pass, Engel said his group's work credit could buy 816 annual Trail Park Passes, but since 12 to 15 OET members do most of the volunteer work and the Forest Service will only issue one annual pass per person, his group only receives a handful of passes each season.

Sisters Ranger District recreation manager Paul Engstrom said that a new policy allows families to receive one annual Trail Park Pass for a collective 16 hours of volunteer work performed by all family members.

For example, if two adults each performed six hours of work and two children each volunteered for two hours, the 16-hour goal would be reached and the family would receive one pass, according to Engstrom.

However, Engstrom explained that single or multiple passes could not be given to groups because it would be too difficult to document the vehicles assigned to such a pass or passes.

"(The program) is set up for an individual or one family unit doing 16 hours of work,"he said. "A Boy Scout Troop couldn't (combine their hours) because it would be too hard to decide who gets the pass. We could end up with complications."

OET's Engel admits frustration with the program from his perspective as the organization's volunteer recruiter. He said the free annual pass is not enough incentive to draw new workers.

"It doesn't allow us to use the free pass idea to bring in new volunteers,"Engel explained. "You're trying to recruit a new member and you say, 'If you work two whole days we'll give you a pass worth $25.' If they made it 4 hours for a free pass, that would be different.

"(The Forest Service) doesn't want the volunteer work,"Engel said. "Volunteers are a pain in the ass for them."