Forest Fees Protested

* Re “Protesters Urge Forest Visitors Not to Pay Fees,” July 12: No one likes to pay taxes or fees, especially for seemingly “free” public goods like the national forests. Yet the public lands are not free; they require periodic maintenance and are subject to increasingly intensive use and sometimes abuse. Nevertheless, the anti-Adventure Pass attitude of the protesters merely illustrates a typically American attitude: We want goods and services but aren’t willing to pay for them.

A policy of free visitation might have made sense before the population and recreation explosion in the Los Angeles Basin but is untenable today where local forest units host more visitors than any others in the nation. The Adventure Pass is merely a part of the larger notion of the “user fee,” where those who enjoy a resource pay for it. The attractive feature of the Adventure Pass concept (along with higher entrance fees at some national parks) is that the money is not sent back to Washington but is used locally to address a backlog of maintenance requirements.

At first glance, the Adventure Pass seems unfair, unnecessary, even un-American. While the Adventure Pass might not win any popularity contests, is it any worse than the likely alternatives of restricted access or the unceasing destruction of our public lands? Rather than spending a day to complain about a nominal fee, perhaps protesters could make a more constructive use of their energy and lend a hand in needed forest volunteer efforts.

KYLE GARDNER

Redondo Beach

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* Last summer, my 4-year-old son and I were returning from a car parts buying trip to Lancaster. As traffic on Highway 14 was stopped for miles at Escondido summit, we decided to take a “long-cut” through Bouquet Canyon, a route I had never taken. We were miles from the nearest Adventure Pass dealer when signs made us aware that we had entered Angeles National Forest; to stop to eat our lunch would make us eligible for a $100 fine. The beautiful, sun-dappled creek was so alluring that we broke the law that day, a day my son still talks about.

A perfect day but for watching over my shoulder.

JOHN C. WATSON JR.

West Hills