Adventure Pass

As a longtime property owner in Ventura County and a new property owner in Kern County, I am outraged by the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program / Adventure Pass.

I do support the fact that my income tax dollars go toward the well-being of our forests, and I do support paying a fee to campgrounds. However, I find it extremely disconcerting that I or anyone else visiting our public forest must pay a fee to walk in our own back yard.

For example, on July 3 our family drove near our new home in the Mt. Pinos area and pulled off to the side of the main road to show our children, ages 3 and 5, the beautiful view with which we are so blessed. My 5-year-old daughter found an empty bottle, and I instructed her that we should pick it up because we always want to leave the forest in better condition than we found it.

As we returned to our vehicle, a forest ranger was ticketing it with a notice of noncompliance. I tried to explain that we had merely pulled over for a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes and were simply showing the children the forest near our home. I explained that we were teaching our children to pick up trash that isn’t theirs, and I’ll never forget his comment. He looked me straight in the eye and said: “Sir, you were recreating. Leave the trash.” My wife and I stood in amazement. My wife then asked the ranger if he had any children. Without replying, he got into his truck and drove away.

I am pursuing this matter in the hope that the absurdity of this program will come to the attention of everyone who appreciates our natural wilderness areas. By writing a letter or making a phone call to elected officials and taking a stand against this program, we can preserve a freedom we should not lose.

I strongly urge everyone to ask their elected officials to support the Capps-Bono bill, HR-2295, the Forest Access Immediate Relief (FAIR) Act, to end the Recreational Fee Demonstration Program / Adventure Pass program.

KEN BOLTON

Ventura