Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

New suit filed challenging forest fees

A group of hikers has filed a new suit challenging the legality of the U.S. Forest Service’s practice of requiring “Adventure Pass” fees to access what the bureau deems “high impact recreation areas” in four Southern California National Forests, including eastern San Diego County’s 460,000 acre Cleveland National Forest.

The Adventure Pass has drawn criticism from hikers, cyclists, and equestrians since its introduction in 1996. Park and forest users say that their taxes already pay for preservation and maintenance of the areas, and the current suit claims that the implementation of fees for use of public lands has diminished both the enjoyment and frequency of their visits.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Resistance to the fees was so great, the plaintiffs say, that in 2004 Congress stopped renewing the Adventure Pass program.

In order to get around the program’s expiration, however, the Forest Service has designated 31 sections of the Cleveland National Forest, the Angeles National Forest just north of Los Angeles, the Los Padres National Forest spanning from Ventura north to Monterey, and the San Bernardino Forest located in the mountain range of the same name, as high impact areas, which still require the Pass for entry.

“[W]hile the Forest Service is authorized to charge visitors an 'amenity fee' for use of developed facilities and services, it may not simply charge an 'entrance fee' to an area when visitors do not use those facilities and services,” reads a portion of the complaint.

The plaintiffs say that if they are not using amenities such as restrooms, picnic areas, or campgrounds (which they admit require upkeep at a cost beyond basic Forest Service funding), they should not be compelled to pay fees simply to enter parklands.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Wild Wild Wets, Todo Mundo, Creepy Creeps, Laura Cantrell, Graham Nancarrow

Rock, Latin reggae, and country music in Little Italy, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Harbor Island

A group of hikers has filed a new suit challenging the legality of the U.S. Forest Service’s practice of requiring “Adventure Pass” fees to access what the bureau deems “high impact recreation areas” in four Southern California National Forests, including eastern San Diego County’s 460,000 acre Cleveland National Forest.

The Adventure Pass has drawn criticism from hikers, cyclists, and equestrians since its introduction in 1996. Park and forest users say that their taxes already pay for preservation and maintenance of the areas, and the current suit claims that the implementation of fees for use of public lands has diminished both the enjoyment and frequency of their visits.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Resistance to the fees was so great, the plaintiffs say, that in 2004 Congress stopped renewing the Adventure Pass program.

In order to get around the program’s expiration, however, the Forest Service has designated 31 sections of the Cleveland National Forest, the Angeles National Forest just north of Los Angeles, the Los Padres National Forest spanning from Ventura north to Monterey, and the San Bernardino Forest located in the mountain range of the same name, as high impact areas, which still require the Pass for entry.

“[W]hile the Forest Service is authorized to charge visitors an 'amenity fee' for use of developed facilities and services, it may not simply charge an 'entrance fee' to an area when visitors do not use those facilities and services,” reads a portion of the complaint.

The plaintiffs say that if they are not using amenities such as restrooms, picnic areas, or campgrounds (which they admit require upkeep at a cost beyond basic Forest Service funding), they should not be compelled to pay fees simply to enter parklands.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Tijuana sewage infects air in South Bay

By September, Imperial Beach’s beach closure broke 1000 consecutive days
Next Article

The danger of San Diego's hoarders

The $1 million Flash Comics #1
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader