Forest Service embraces recreation

[justpeachy]

The Forest Service Wants to Be Your New Best Friend

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2016/ ... p-it-says/

[Limey]

I really hope someone from MHNF was at that meeting. Thanks for posting.

[retired jerry]

That sounds good

"The federal land management agency that has spent more than century pretty much treating recreation as the annoying stepchild in a family dominated by oil, gas and timber, is embracing recreation as its future; a pathway for grooming the next generation of public lands advocates.

That elevation of recreation is anchored in a sweeping modernization of the recreation permit process with an eye toward making it easier for groups and urban youth to find first-step, safe introductions to the outdoors."

Now, how will this affect NWFP and MSHI? Probably any change will be slow. And the problem with NWFP is the law says they have to put table, outhouse, and garbage can at TH rather than use if for trail maintenance.

[Waffle Stomper]

That is an interesting read. Federal and state land agencies would be wise to reconsider their mindsets and move forward changing their business model if they are to survive. I think this would also be true of those agencies that manage our wildlife.

Perhaps this is just the beginning.

[RobFromRedland]

Did I miss something in that article? Although they said they were embracing recreation, it seemed limited to improving the process for permits - what kind of permits were they talking about? NWFP? Or permits for outfitters? Or something else?

If they truly want to embrace recreation, they need to focus more on trails and trail maintenance - or at least put some more effort and/or money into them instead of them being fed any leftovers.

I'm skeptical of any widespread change of mindset - the wildfire budgets will keep growing, and even if they want to focus more on recreation I think funding levels will not allow them any choice. But I hope I'm wrong.

[Aimless]

If they truly want to embrace recreation, they need to focus more on trails and trail maintenance

As much as we like to think that hiking is the main form of recreation in the national forests, we are just one group among many. If you add up car camping, fishing, hunting, climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, hang gliding, and all the other forms of popular outdoor recreation, then the FS is looking at a lot more potential users than just us hikers and trail maintenance and expansion will still be competing for scarce FS funds.

[Waffle Stomper]

Hikers and other recreational users have contributed little financially to wildland management in comparison to commercial users such as timber and mining resources. We can probably expect to pay more fees and have more permits. If that is true we should have a larger voice regarding how those fees are applied.

[Charley]

If they truly want to embrace recreation, they need to focus more on trails and trail maintenance

As much as we like to think that hiking is the main form of recreation in the national forests, we are just one group among many. If you add up car camping, fishing, hunting, climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, hang gliding, and all the other forms of popular outdoor recreation, then the FS is looking at a lot more potential users than just us hikers and trail maintenance and expansion will still be competing for scarce FS funds.

Yes. The more hikers ally themselves with mountain bikers, the larger that "trail pie" will be. If we can work together to advocate for more trails and better maintained trails, we'll have a stronger voice.