AF Canyon entrance fees may double

[KanyonKris]

The Forrest Service (FS) is proposing to increase the entrance fee to American Fork Canyon / Alpine Loop, from $3 to $6. Yep, double. The annual pass is proposed to increase just shy of double from $25 to $45. This is literally highway robbery! I was OK with the $3 fee because I saw many improvements to the facilities in the canyon. But what do they need twice as much money for? I don't want an AF Canyon Disneyland, just keep things maintained and protect the natural environment - it shouldn't cost double to do that. The FS has a list of projects, most of which I don't approve. For campground improvements, raise camp fees to pay for that, not the entrance fee - duh! The listed projects seem minor and I don't see how they justify such a huge fee increase. Frankly, I think it's a ploy - propose double then "settle" for a smaller increase so the public feels like we did them a favor. The Fee Demonstration Program, which allowed the FS to charge entrance and other fees, put the public trust directly into the hands of the land managers - well, with this proposed doubling of fees, the FS has betrayed this trust. Sad.

Here is a Daily Herald article about it:

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/235408/4/

I will be sending in my comments tonight. To comment on the proposed entrance fee increases for American Fork Canyon, write to:

Pleasant Grove Ranger District
390 North 100 East
Pleasant Grove, UT 84062

(They can't afford to have an e-mail address? Sheesh! Thanks for making it more annoying to comment - all part of the plan, no doubt.)

[cmpbiker]

FS is getting really squished by the current administration. I have family that works for the Dixie NFS and they say it is bad, worse then ever. To pay for the recreation areas they are looking at the usage fees. Now if it is the extractive side of the forest no problems, there is plenty of money to pay to build access roads and cut down trees.

There is a strategy to the underfunding, it has been a long standing goal of conservatives to cut government at every level. The "drown it in the bathtub" scenario. The current methodology is to mis fund or completely screw up an organization and then point to it as an example of bad government and that it should be privatized. FEMA response to Katrina is a good example, lots of money wasted on efforts with no results, we should let private companies handle it instead! Or do the obvious and hold people accountable and correct mistakes. The goal is to make government as effective as private business, not make government a business.

Sorry for the political rant, sensitive day dealing with right wing douche bags.

[marc olivares]

i have no issues paying more.

maybe it will keep some of the riff raff out of that canyon