Petition Against User Fees On Public Lands

To:  President George W. Bush

We, the undersigned, object to the proposed collection of additional user fees (for parking, hiking, camping, riding, etc.; Public Law 104-134) outside of developed campgrounds on our public lands (U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife) for the following reasons:

· As U.S. citizens we have already paid taxes for professional management of our public lands.
· Once fees are implemented, history shows they increase over time.
· While these fees may not seem excessive to some now, we have watched fees at other sites, i.e.. National Parks, double in one year.
· We believe it is the right of all Americans to have free access to these lands, not the right of only those who can afford to pay fees.
· We believe it is unlikely that the fee program will benefit public lands. History shows fees returning to the general fund once fee program is established. Despite claims that that money will return to the site where it was collected, Congress historically cuts the agency's operating budget by the same amount as the amount of fee money returning to the site.
· We oppose plans to charge users of backcountry and undeveloped areas to pay for development of campgrounds and "front country" they are not, and may have no intention, of using.
· We believe that Congress should re-evaluate its priorities and allocate sufficient funds for the proper management of these cherished resources, held dear to all Americans.

***
NOTE: While the petition leaves the home address, city, and zip code fields optional, it is highly recommended that you fill in these fields. Your signature will carry more weight with your elected officials if you do so.
***

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Petition Against User Fees On Public Lands Petition to President George W. Bush was created by Free Our Forests and written by Michael Zierhut (zierhutm@ojai.net).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.