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This is an interesting problem.  Not having first hand knowlege of the 
complaints in the SW I don't know if they are justified or not.  From what I 
read this may be either an unintended consequence of the legislation, or the 
FS in the area was trying to keep folk out of the forest.  Unfortunately, 
both are possible.

The only area around here where the FS has imposed fees is at a very 
developed area at Lake Como.  It has three fee campgrounds (one for horses), 
a boat launch, a swimming beach, a paved handicapped trail and numerous less 
developed trails.

Some folk were upset about the fees, but it seems justified to me.

My only complaint about many state and federal user fees is that often the 
monies just dissappear into the general funds.  This means that even when 
fees are collected they do not help the facility they come from.  The worst 
abberation of this I have seen was perpertrated by the MN DNR.  There used 
to be a late season ride at St. Croix State Park.  The horsemen had provided 
much of the funding for a heated shower and meeting building.  One year the 
DNR decided that to save money they would close this, and other , camps 
after Labor Day.  Now the ride filled a rather large fee campground for 4 
nights.  I know that the camping fees more than payed for any extra costs. 
Note the park was still open, just the camp was closed.

I spent many hours and letters  trying to change things.  The actual problem 
was that since all the camping fees dissappeared into the MN general fund, 
park managers and DNR folk could see no incentive to increase revenue by 
opening a park.

As a matter of philosophy, I support user fees.  We will need more in the 
future, but only if the revenue is dedicated to the area served by the fee. 
WI has a bridle tax that works that way.  It is a good deal.  A rather out 
of the way area I used to condition in has seen many improvements in horse 
trails because of this.

ED
Ed & Wendy Hauser
2994 Mittower Road
Victor, MT 59875

(406) 642-9640

ranch(at)sisuwest(dot)us 


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