Forum Index > Public Lands Stewardship > WTA - A Better Way for Recreation Passes?
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boot up
Old Not Bold Hiker



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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 10:19 am 
Grannyhiker wrote:
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No WTA in Oregon. Oddly, this state seems to be making the trails work without a WTA, and keeping prices lower on trail access......hmmmmm.....
Trail Keepers of Oregon, which owns the oregonhikers.org forum and Field Guide. Mostly confined to NW Oregon and SW Washington, although they are trying to expand statewide.
I tried using that forum when I first moved here. It is a very poorly designed forum in general and just about impossible to find recent reports and certainly difficult to search out a specific hike or even area. And really forget it if you live in Central Oregon. If I can find a Central Oregon trail mentioned at all, the report is usually several years out of date and pretty much useless in giving any information. The most active group for trail maintenance in this area is the Central Oregon Nordic Club, with a focus on keeping XC and snowshoe trails marked and open, which is pretty awesome. I am one of the younger people in the club, and it is not getting many new, younger, active members, so I see potential for their trail work activities slowing down. But somehow the local Forest Service seems to be keeping the hiking trails open, without a WTA, and they have to fit in that work between extensive controlled burns, and fighting forest fires, both of those consuming a lot of resources. The mountain biking community is much more involved and active here than the hiking community. Mtn bikers do lots of trail work, have actual updated maps of mtn bike trails, and you can even find recent condition reports on many of the mtn bike focused trails. Lots of courtesy between the mtn bikers and hikers around here, because many of them do both sports, which helps out the hiking trails too. Now some of the visiting Touron mtn bike yahoos....they are easy to spot and sometimes need education.

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MultiUser
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 12:36 pm 
Malachai Constant wrote:
Don't have a big problem with Discover Pass as it pretty cheap and we live in Issaquah next to several parks and places where it can be used. What I have a problem with is the Snopark Pass which has become way more expensive and limited with most places that do not have the grooming sticker revert to de facto exclusive snow mobile use. I note there is no thought of adding Snopark Pass to the others. huh.gif Oh yeah I also have the Geezer Pass hockeygrin.gif
It also blows that sno park passes can't be transferred between vehicles.

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RumiDude
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 1:03 pm 
boot up wrote:
But somehow the local Forest Service seems to be keeping the hiking trails open, without a WTA
Just a few observations. #1 Oregon and Washington are BOTH part of the Pacific Northwest Region (Region 6) of the US Forest Service. #2 I have several very good friends in Oregon and many have quite the opposite view of the state of trails in Oregon and Washington. I guess the grass is always greener on the other side of the Columbia River. #3 If we want to eliminate the need for volunteer organizations to maintain our public lands, then for heavens sake, elect officials who will do just that. Our National Parks and USFS/BLM lands are all in need of proper funding levels. Then there are our respective state owned lands that are in need as well. All of this can change if we elect officials which reflect our desires for public lands. Rumi

"This is my Indian summer ... I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all."
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treeswarper
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 1:36 pm 
Anybody volunteering to plow free snowparks? Or shovel them out? Or is there a magical free plowing service? Please enlighten me on why paying for plowing is unfair?

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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DigitalJanitor
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 1:40 pm 
MultiUser wrote:
It also blows that sno park passes can't be transferred between vehicles.
Hint: packing tape + dry erase sharpie. We had to replace a Discovery Pass when a truck rear ended our Matrix years ago (back when they only had one plate number on em), and they wouldn't let us trade out even after I told them what happened. We also recently had to replace the plates on a vehicle since the paint was lifting right off the metal, which clearly isn't our fault either. Between these experiences and trying to use the most appropriate vehicle for the gear/distance/road conditions/room to park... yeah. Tape & sharpie, zero guilt.

~Mom jeans on wheels
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Quark
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 1:50 pm 
Grannyhiker wrote:
Quote:
No WTA in Oregon. Oddly, this state seems to be making the trails work without a WTA, and keeping prices lower on trail access......hmmmmm.....
Trail Keepers of Oregon, which owns the oregonhikers.org forum and Field Guide. Mostly confined to NW Oregon and SW Washington, although they are trying to expand statewide.
Oregon Natural Desert Association does a lot of work, as well as various chapters of Back Country Horsemen and the Pacific Crest Trail Association which works on feeder trails to the PCT as well as the PCT. Plus the lottery allotment as was already pointed out! up.gif

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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fourteen410
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 4:41 pm 
treeswarper wrote:
Anybody volunteering to plow free snowparks? Or shovel them out? Or is there a magical free plowing service? Please enlighten me on why paying for plowing is unfair?
About a year ago, I parked at the Sherman Pass sno park while spending a couple nights at the Snow Peak cabin. A big storm came in and dumped a good amount of snow. When we came back the next afternoon, the sno park and the road leading to it were under a foot of fresh snow. We only got out with the help of another group and lots of shoveling and car pushing. Not sure why we had to pay $40 to park in a place that apparently isn't regularly plowed.

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Pyrites
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 6:03 pm 
Kim Brown wrote:
The single user pass sounds like an option. One pass for one car at a reduced rate but the 2-car pass will still exist...?
It’s not like allowing two cars at one camping spot. It’s one pass. It let’s you take one car at a time. Why does DNR care if I drive one car four days in a year or a small car twice and a Tahoe twice. I’m still using four spots in a year.

Keep Calm and Carry On? Heck No. Stay Excited and Get Outside!
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MultiUser
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 6:06 pm 
Pyrites wrote:
Kim Brown wrote:
The single user pass sounds like an option. One pass for one car at a reduced rate but the 2-car pass will still exist...?
It’s not like allowing two cars at one camping spot. It’s one pass. It let’s you take one car at a time. Why does DNR care if I drive one car four days in a year or a small car twice and a Tahoe twice. I’m still using four spots in a year.
Revenue.

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Quark
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 6:28 pm 
MultiUser wrote:
Pyrites wrote:
Kim Brown wrote:
The single user pass sounds like an option. One pass for one car at a reduced rate but the 2-car pass will still exist...?
It’s not like allowing two cars at one camping spot. It’s one pass. It let’s you take one car at a time. Why does DNR care if I drive one car four days in a year or a small car twice and a Tahoe twice. I’m still using four spots in a year.
Revenue.
Yes, it's for revenue. That is how it was designed. WTA went to bat -alone - no other organizations were able to help out - after the initial pass was implemented at one car per pass, to allow 2 cars per pass. Now it looks like they may offer a reduced rate for those who have only one vehicle. As multi user points out - this is for revenue, which is the whole point of the pass. As it is, for instance I may have one pass and my vehicle is on it, plus someone who is not in my household is on it. So that's 2 households, one pass. That is not what they intended.

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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huron
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 7:33 pm 
WTA could have opposed the pass system. Instead they embraced it and now thrive on it.

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treeswarper
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 8:09 pm 
fourteen410 wrote:
treeswarper wrote:
Anybody volunteering to plow free snowparks? Or shovel them out? Or is there a magical free plowing service? Please enlighten me on why paying for plowing is unfair?
About a year ago, I parked at the Sherman Pass sno park while spending a couple nights at the Snow Peak cabin. A big storm came in and dumped a good amount of snow. When we came back the next afternoon, the sno park and the road leading to it were under a foot of fresh snow. We only got out with the help of another group and lots of shoveling and car pushing. Not sure why we had to pay $40 to park in a place that apparently isn't regularly plowed.
That depends on ones definition of regular. Had it never been plowed you would not be parking there. The snowpark pass is a good deal if the alternative is doing it yourself. Think of it as a season pass. We have two nicely groomed ski trail areas that only require a snopark permit. That's a bargain.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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Riverside Laker
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 8:42 pm 
I wish we could pay more taxes so we wouldn't have to buy passes.

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wamtngal
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 8:49 pm 
Y'all might be interested in reading the report mentioned in the magazine article...helps to answer some of your questions. Full Report: Recreation Fees in WA: Options and Recommendations Source: http://ruckelshauscenter.wsu.edu/projects/current-projects/recreation-fees-in-washington/

Opinions expressed here are my own.
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huron
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PostFri Mar 09, 2018 9:22 pm 
Riverside Laker wrote:
I wish we could pay more taxes so we wouldn't have to buy passes.
No. User fees INCREASE effective taxes because they are inefficient. Each user fee requires administration, marketing, infrastructure, enforcement and then the fee reduces resource utilization. We all use something. Snow parks, trails, toll roads, whatever. Even someone who sits on the couch all day at home indirectly uses fee resources. We should seek to reduce the overall cost of these resources by efficiently managing them with low overhead. This means no fee systems. No toll roads. No access charges. Its silly.

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