FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

US Forest Service May Close Hundreds of Campgrounds

Press statement of Steve Pedery, Conservation Director of Oregon Wild

As part of a study on ways to save money, the US Forest Service is considering the closure of hundreds of campgrounds and picnic areas in America's national forests and grasslands, including all 13 national forests in Oregon.

PRESS STATEMENT

For Immediate Release

CONTACT:      Steve Pedery, (503) 283-6343 ext. 212

As part of a study on ways to save money, the US Forest Service is considering the closure of hundreds of campgrounds and picnic areas in America's national forests and grasslands, including all 13 national forests in Oregon.  Given the importance of outdoor recreation to Oregon's quality of life and economy, Oregon Wild believes that the Forest Service should shelve this short-sighted idea, and focus instead on freeing up funds by correcting the way they do business.

First, the Forest Service should avoid logging in roadless areas and old-growth forests, and instead focus on conservation-based thinning projects on lands previously managed.  By doing this, the Forest Service could save millions of dollars in legal and administrative costs.  Visit Oregon Wild's website for more information on conservation-based thinning programs.

For example, consider the Biscuit logging project, which logged in old-growth reserves and roadless areas in Southern Oregon's Siskiyou National Forest.  According to a Government Accountability Office report, the Biscuit logging project was a money-losing exercise for American taxpayers, to the tune of $2 million.

The Forest Service could also save millions of dollars by curbing the construction of new logging roads.  According to an analysis performed by Taxpayers for Common Sense, the Forest Service has a burgeoning network of 400,000 miles of road and a staggering $10 billion maintenance backlog (click here for fact sheet).  Despite their inability to maintain the logging roads they have, the Forest Service continues to build more. 

These two simple steps would allow the Forest Service to save millions of dollars annually in administrative, legal, and maintenance costs-money that could be used to keep America's national forest campground and recreation areas open.

It is also important to note that public lands and recreational facilities provide valuable recreation opportunities and help support our economy. Every year, outdoor recreation participation rates increase.  According to a recent Outdoor Industry Foundation report, recreational activities like hiking, mountain biking, hunting, and fishing provide $730 billion in economic benefits nationwide, vastly more than logging and other destructive development.

Preserving national forest recreation sites is important to preserving our quality of life here in Oregon.  Opportunities for outdoor recreation are an important part of what makes our state such a special place to live, work, and raise a family.  The US Forest needs to better fund recreational sites and stop favoring logging and destructive development over all other uses of our national forests. 

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