Wherever you live in southern California, you're just a short drive away from a spectacular wildlands adventure?mountains as high as 10,000 feet, canyons, vast forest lands, lakes, waterfalls, rivers and streams, and a wealth of recreation activities from cycling to skiing?all waiting for you in your national forests.

These precious lands are a unique resource, ours to enjoy and take care of so that they will always be there? For us, for our children and for their children.

That's the reason for the National Forest Adventure Pass.

It's a recreation pass for visitors using the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino National Forests. The Pass will be displayed on visitors' vehicles and will be available in two forms: a daily pass for $5.00 and an annual pass good for one year from the month of purchase for $30.00.

National Forest lands are special places, used and enjoyed by millions of people each year. And as our population grows, so does demand for the forests. However, at the same time that we have sharply increasing demand. we have drastically decreasing budgets?a 30% decrease since 1994. That means there are fewer dollars and fewer people to maintain facilities such as restrooms, campgrounds and trails at even minimum standards.

To address this need Congress passed legislation in 1996 authorizing a recreation fee pilot project that allows the National Forests to collect fees for recreation use and invest them locally. Your money will be used right here to improve and maintain the land we all care about.

This legislation is a remarkable opportunity for you and the Forest Service to work together to improve the quality of your recreation experience and enhance the protection of the forests we treasure.

We are very excited and very serious about the National Forest Adventure Pass because it represents a genuine opportunity for us to work in partnership with you to maintain and care for the forests we all own and love?today and into the future.

Traditionally fees collected are returned to the U.S. Treasury. In this pilot project at least 80% of the funds collected will be returned to the local forest to be invested in maintaining and improving recreation sites and facilities and in protecting the forest resource and habitat, particularly those areas extensively used. Most important you will have a say in where the money goes.

Your money will go directly back to providing the things that you've said mean the most to you, such as more and cleaner restrooms, more frequent trash removal, better-maintained trails, and restoration and protection of the natural environment.

Yes, a portion of your tax dollars does go to support the National Forest system. and we're grateful for the contribution you're already making. But there isn't enough money from Federal dollars to pay for much-needed maintenance and repairs of recreation facilities, or resource and habitat protection.

This pilot project is not a tax, it's a test of a new way to generate additional dollars from those of us who enjoy and value the Forest, to be used right here?to benefit our local forest recreation sites and habitat.

Your voice is important. We will be working with you and providing information to help you understand this Project and its benefits.

On both the daily and annual pass there will be a way for you to tell us where you've visited. You may also be asked to respond to surveys about this pilot project?how it's working, how your investment is being managed and how we can work together to ensure the best possible experience for you?today and in the future.

Look for special signs identifying Another National Forest Adventure Pass Investment Project. Thanks for your Support! The Forest Service will also be using a variety of other communications methods including written reports and announcements in the media.

This is a pass to use our local National Forests. All Forest visitors will be required to display the Pass in their vehicles when parked on the Forest for recreation purposes.

You will not need a Pass when you are traveling through the Forest but not stopping, when you are parked at your residence or at an organization camp in its permitted area, or are in an area covered by a special use permit.

A Pass is not required for people stopping for information at Ranger stations, visitor centers and other Forest Service offices, or for off-road (green sticker) vehicles. Volunteers and educational institutions, such as school buses that bring children to the Forest for an outing. are also exempt.

You won't need a Pass while parked at places where a site-specific fee is already charged.

If you're uncertain whether or not you need a Pass, please call your local Forest Service office.

Golden Age and Golden Access passports will be honored according to the terms on the back of the cards. They entitle you to 50% off the cost of any use fee. To obtain the discount. you'll need to purchase your National Forest Adventure Pass at Forest Service offices rather than one of the independent vendors.

Since this is a recreation use fee, Golden Eagle Passports will not be honored as they are entrance passes. The Adventure Pass is not an entrance pass.

Sales of the National Forest Adventure Pass begin in late spring. Passes will be available at Forest Service offices, by mail and a variety of local vendors. Just look for the signs or call your nearest Forest Service office.

For more information about the National Forest Adventure Pass, call your local Forest Service office.

• Angeles National Forest - +1 (818) 574-5200
• Cleveland National Forest - +1 (619) 673-6180
• Los Padres National Forest - +1 (805) 683-6711
• San Bernardino National Forest - +1 (909) 383-5588

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service is a diverse organization committed to equal opportunity in employment and program delivery. USDA prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political affiliation and familial status Persons believing they have been discriminated against should contact the Secretary. U S Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250, or call 1 (800) 245-6340 (voice) or +1 (202) 720-1127 (TTD).

File Code: 1500/2300
Date: March 10, 1997

Dear Forest Visitor:

National Forest lands are special places. I know you agree with me on that. And I suspect you also agree that the best way to ensure the health and future of the Forest is by us all working together. The San Bernardino National Forest, together with the Angeles, Cleveland, and Los Padres National Forests, is beginning a new recreation fee program to collect fees for recreation use and reinvest them locally. I'd like to share with you the reasons why we have entered into this program.

Since I became Forest Supervisor in 1991, I have heard from hundreds of people who are concerned about the future of the Forest. They are concerned because offices are closed on weekends, at the time they need them most. They are concerned because many of our recreation facilities are run down and we are unable to perform needed maintenance. They are concerned because roads and trails are poorly and infrequently maintained. They are concerned because they see signs which are full of bulletholes and they find diapers in the creek. They see increased vandalism and graffiti, and they are deeply concerned that our staff is reduced to the point where we are not able to prevent it.

Like you, I am also concerned about these things. I want to be able to provide quality public service, while caring for this special place. I want to have offices available when you need them. I want clean restrooms and well-maintained recreation facilities that all of us can be proud of. I want signs which are not full of bulletholes and creeks which are clear and clean. I want personnel in the field who can talk with the public and provide assistance to you, as well as prevent problems such as graffiti and vandalism. And most of all, I want to ensure that the land and its resources are well-cared for, and are here for future generations. But these services are not free. We are not able to fund them within our current budgets, and there is no more money in Washington DC to send to the San Bernardino Forest.

The recreation fee legislation passed by Congress in 1996 presents a remarkable opportunity for us to work together to improve our public service and to take better care of the land. Unlike current fees, which are returned to the U.S. Treasury, at least 80 percent of the fees collected from this program will be kept on the local forest. They will be invested in maintenance and improvement of recreation sites and facilities and resource and habitat protection. We will ask you, the public, to help us decide where to make these investments.

I am committed to working with you to make this program effective. I will work with you to address issues which arise during implementation, and will involve members of the public in monitoring our success and suggesting areas for improvement. And most of all, I will do everything in my power to ensure that your money is spent wisely and efficiently and that you see improvements on the ground.

I know that asking you to pay to use your National Forest is a new way of doing business which many of you find very difficult to accept. I hope you will also find it difficult to accept the alternative of allowing your Forest to continue to decline. When you spend $5.00 for a daily pass or $30.00 for an annual pass, I hope that you will see it as an investment in the Forest you want to have for your children and that you will work with us to make the program a success. And I hope you will hold me accountable for this commitment to you!

Sincerely,

Gene Zimmerman
Forest Supervisor

Caring for the Land and Serving People