The Leavenworth ranger station's main source of revenue is administering the Enchantment permit scheme...
So I think the rangers are pretty motivated to effectively police their permit system.
The Enchantments permit system was something the public wanted. The USFS administers what the public demanded. Not sure they get much money out of the fees. They police it because it's wilderness and there's a permit system. I would hope their policing of the system we asked for is effective.
They police, people complain. They don't, people complain.
This goes for all permit systems, USFS and NPS in the North Cascades NP
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Up to $5000 per person.
The Leavenworth ranger station's main source of revenue is administering the Enchantment permit scheme and they spend big dough using a helicopter to haul barrels of poop out from the toilets they provide.
So I think the rangers are pretty motivated to effectively police their permit system.
The ‘fine’ for getting caught is closer to $200 or so (or used to be). Yes, the underlying US Code to all the 36CFR261 Prohibitions does call for “up to $5000” – but that would be the result only in the most egregious case. Violations are very seldom even cited into Court. A violation of the 261 Prohibitions are, in fact, a petty offense misdemeanor, just like a parking ticket. If you are cited, you pay ‘bail forfeiture’….in the $200 range…and case closed. Each US District Court, through a magistrate, sets the bail forfeiture schedule, and updates it periodically. Eastern WA Courts differ from Western WA in the amounts.
Also, I doubt seriously that the “Leavenworth ranger stations main source….” Is very true. The entire Rec Fee receipts for the whole of the Oka-Wen NF is just over $1 million. (For 2020, latest I could find; https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd973185.pdf). I don’t know how much the Enchantment receipts are, but they are a very small piece of that total. I doubt the amount it is much more than 10-15% of the Leavenworth District’s entire Recreation/Wilderness/Trail budget….which isn’t probably even the biggest piece of the whole District’s budget.
Rangers write citations not to garner revenue, but to gain compliance.
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