Close to 4,000 outfitters ply their trades in
national forests, bringing in nearly $4 million annually to the
Forest Service. With recreation booming on public lands, Sen. Larry
Craig, R-Idaho, has introduced a bill that standardizes outfitter
operations in areas administered by the Forest Service and Bureau
of Land Management.
Craig’s Outfitters Policy Act
(S 1969) would establish criteria for allocating, transferring and
pricing outfitter permits. It would extend a permit from five to 10
years, and make it easier to renew.
“It gives
outfitters the incentive to stay in business,” says Darryl Bangert,
owner of Lakota River Guides.
The bill is a red
flag to private users, however. Outfitters, they say, armed with
legislated rights, will be able to keep their permits even when an
agency tries to restrict land use – and the non-outfitted
recreationist will lose.
“It’s tying up a
resource for commercial benefit,” says Byron Hayes of the Grand
Canyon Private Boaters Association.
“This is
overprotection of the outfitting community,” says David Jenkins of
the American Canoe Association. “Why not work within the Forest
Service or the BLM to come up with a good policy at the agency
level?” asks Jenkins.
Supporters of Craig’s bill
say legislation is necessary. “Management agencies can’t make up
their minds if they want the private sector to help them meet their
mission,” says Doug Tims, CEO of Cascade Outfitters. “This bill
answers that question.”
Land managers agree that
standardization is necessary, but say they would like to keep some
power on a local level. “Outfitting is not a right but a continued
privilege under the discretion of the forest officer,” says Steve
Morton, northern regional outfitter specialist for the Forest
Service. “We’re doing all right without this bill.”
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Guides may get guidelines.
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