Press Release  Southern Forest Watch

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST RESULTS, PUBLIC COMMENTS ON GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK BACKCOUNTRY FEE PROPOSAL.    January 21, 2012

photo courtesy Kittzy Benzar, Western Slope No Fee Coalition

As many of you are aware, our fight with Dale Ditmanson and the National Park Service has recently centered upon the release of public comments taken by the NPS regarding individual opinions about this proposal.  In August, Ditmanson held two public meetings and set a one month timeline for receipt of public input regarding the backcountry fee.  I filed a freedom of information act request with the NPS and was told that there were 1400 pages of documents and to provide them would entail a cost of $1200.  At that point, I was united with Myers Morton, a backpacking attorney who has volunteered his time to help me file an appeal to what we perceived was an unjust and cost prohibitive attempt to dissuade us from disseminating that information.

Following our appeal and subsequent media coverage of the park's attempts to make us go away, the Atlanta regional office stepped in and pressured Superintendent Dale Ditmanson to furnish the documents.  He stalled them for another month but on Friday, they were delivered to my doorstep and I have been able to read each individual comment and tally the results.

I acknowledge a margin of error as there was a five pound stack of paper.  In essence, I discounted any anonymous comments.  To me that is fraudulent. (I should add that most of the anonymous comments would have gone in our favor).  There were roughly 230 comments submitted electronically to the NPS via email etc.  There were a dozen or so written at the public meetings at the Sugarlands and Oconaluftee.  The bulk of the comments, however, came from two separate online petition drives that the NPS included with the other comments.  These raised the tally significantly.  One was from Southern Forest Watch leaders, Jim Casada and Adam Beal.  The other was a local retailer, Little River Outfitters in Maryville.  Below is a breakdown of public opinion regarding the backcountry fee proposal.  I separated the comments into three categories.  First is OPPOSITION,  second is what I call  STIPULATORS .  These are individuals or collectives that would agree with the proposal  but with stipulations.  Last is those that are in favor of the backcountry fee.

I will be willing to allow individuals to look at these comments, however, since they are not in an electronic format, I cannot release the documents to anyone lest some of it go missing.  We have decided to share this with a select media outlet and give them first dibs on the information.  Some of our group was told that other media have also requested the information.  Since the results are, as expected, in great opposition to the proposal, I doubt that the usual feel good, pro park media will have much inclination to cover something of this nature.

Anyway, here is the tally:

From the online comments submitted electronically to the NPS including two online petitions:

Opposed to the Fee Proposal   827                       Stipulators 30                                  In Favor of backcountry Fee  45

As you can see, the results are ovewhelmingly in opposition to the proposed backcountry tax, as expected.  At this point, it will be interesting to see if Superintendent Dale Ditmanson and backcountry specialist Melissa Cobern respond to the wishes of the citizenry to whom they are responsible or they thumb their nose at public input and proceed with the plan.

I would also like to add that the following entities made their collective voices known in opposition to the proposal.  The Swain County Commission,  The Southern Appalachian Backcountry Horsemen and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy all submitted letters to the NPS.    Many people are interested in the next move by the Sugarlands managers.  What can you do?  Email the park superintendent, mailto:Dale_Ditmanson@nps.gov email his boss and contact Representative Chuck Fleischmann and John Duncan.  They sit on the committees that oversee the NPS.  Their contacts can be found at www.southernforestwatch.org   

Many thanks and congratulations to those of you who took the time to respond in writing to the NPS!