[Leica] Shooting on Gov. Lands

[Myers Pete <MyersPete@aol.com>]

Dear LUGnuts:

I would like to encourage any one that is confronted in photographing on
public lands to politely insist on your rights to photograph. The original
intent of the permit process in National Parks or BLM land or in National
Forests was to prevent commercial projects - such as motion picture,
television commercials and the like under control. It was not intended for
prevention and regulation of still photography.

There is a huge push in the National Forest Service and Park Service to become
"profitable" - that is to say, each Park or Forest system is trying to become
self sustaining because Washington has greatly attenuated the flow of cash
into their systems. In my opinion, the fault lies in Washington and a Congress
and Senate with political agendas to limit the abilities of these agenices to
do their job.

What ever the case, these agencies are scrambling to make money any way they
can. For example, Yosemite upped their entrance fee from $5 to $20. The sudden
interest in Photographers as a source of revenue is pretty obvious.

I would say the resonable exception to the above is when you require the Park
or Forest Service to provide special privaledges to you in terms of access
that the general public is prohibited from. Then, a fee structure seems
appropriate.

I must publically state my bias. I am a Fine Arts Photographer by profession.
I shoot on BLM land, Forest Service land and sometimes in National Parks. It
would be impossible for me to do my work if I was required to obtain a permit
at each location.

What may surprise some is the OTHER activities that can be performed on BLM
land and Forest Service land - like exploring for mining without a permit.

I had a run in with the Forest Service at Mono Lake a while back. Its kind of
interesting. While Mono was in Forest Service lands for  many decades, they
did not spear head the fight to save Mono Lake. We as the members of the Mono
Lake Commitee did. When the fight was nearly over, the Forest Service built a
nice new visitors center. Then, two years later, they are charging for ACCESS
to Mono and the Visitors Center!! When asked why, their response was "to pay
for our rangers that patrol and take care of the Lake". The only rangers I
have EVER seen out at Mono was in collecting fees or at the Visitor's Center.

What I objected to was the Fine Art Exhibit at the Visitors Center. The people
that had lent images to the Forest Service for the exhibit had done so as a
courtesy for public display. Then, the Forest Service started to charge to see
the exhibit!! As this is my area of the world, I wrote up a formal complaint.
Their response was that "museums charge". The problem with this argument is
that Museums PAY the artist for their work or in some way compensate them for
exhibiting their work where in the Forest Service does not - the money goes in
their pocket.

I fear that we are slowly entering an age in which every one assumes that they
have some absolute rights to 'their' piece of the earth and no one has a right
to see it, photograph it or do anything with out $$$$$$$$$$$$$. Unfortunilty,
the Forest Service, Park Service and BLM have seen to become part or the "this
is my AGENCIES land!" (*$&#(#@$*&#$

Perhaps its important to point out that it is OUR public lands - and the lands
are  not to be used to keep the money machine going for the Forest Service and
BLM to keep their little worlds going. Washington puts preasure on them and
they put it back on us as the users.

Sorry for the long blast, but its an important issue and it effects every one
that photographs.

Pete Myers