Our Accomplishments

Since the Western Slope No-Fee Coalition was formed in 2001 we have worked tirelessly to monitor fee proposals, inform the public about opportunities to participate, update Congress, and serve as a watchdog on the federal land management agencies. We have lost some battles, but we have won many. Here are some of our notable accomplishments.

We worked closely with equestrian visitors to the Wayne National Forest in Ohio, to convince the Forest to eliminate their “trail permit” requirement. It took years, but in 2018 the permit requirement was finally eliminated!

Two civil suits against forests in southern and central California resulted in a settlement agreement whereby the Forest Service will stop charging for parking anywhere on nearly 400,000 acres of public land.

A civil suit charging the USFS with illegal fee collection practices was decided against the Forest Service and resulted in trailhead parking fees at trailheads on Mt Lemmon in Arizona being lifted.

We stopped the Forest Service from allowing their concessionaires to disregard the camping discounts to which holders of federally-issued Senior and Disabled passes are entitled.

We have provided support and assistance for numerous individuals who chose to assert their rights in court rather than knuckle under to illegal fees.

A proposal by the BLM in California to require an access fee for the King Range Wilderness and the Lost Coast Trail was put on hold thanks to overwhelmingly negative comments generated by a WSNFC Action Alert.

The BLM in Colorado went back to the drawing board about changing a river access fee when the WSNFC complained that the public participation procedure specified in the FLREA had not been followed. This is an 8-minute audio file of the phone conversation.

We have helped convince more than 40 governmental bodies and other organizations to take on-the-record positions opposing unlimited recreation fees.

The Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming has quietly shelved a proposal to charge $10 to park at a Wilderness trailhead, thanks to negative public comments following a WSNFC Action Alert.

The Pike-San Isabel Forest in Colorado has not moved forward with an access fee for the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness after WSNFC action to bring public concerns to the adjoining county commissions.