Impediments to Public Recreation on Public Lands
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IMPEDIMENTS TO PUBLIC RECREATION ON PUBLIC LANDS OVERSIGHT HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC LANDS AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION Tuesday, May 7, 2013 Serial No. 113–14 Printed for the use of the Committee on Natural Resources ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov or Committee address: http://naturalresources.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 80–815 PDF WASHINGTON : 2013 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES DOC HASTINGS, WA, Chairman EDWARD J. MARKEY, MA, Ranking Democratic Member Don Young, AK Peter A. DeFazio, OR Louie Gohmert, TX Eni F. H. Faleomavaega, AS Rob Bishop, UT Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ Doug Lamborn, CO Grace F. Napolitano, CA Robert J. Wittman, VA Rush Holt, NJ Paul C. Broun, GA Rau´ l M. Grijalva, AZ John Fleming, LA Madeleine Z. Bordallo, GU Tom McClintock, CA Jim Costa, CA Glenn Thompson, PA Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, CNMI Cynthia M. Lummis, WY Niki Tsongas, MA Dan Benishek, MI Pedro R. Pierluisi, PR Jeff Duncan, SC Colleen W. Hanabusa, HI Scott R. Tipton, CO Tony Ca´rdenas, CA Paul A. Gosar, AZ Steven A. Horsford, NV Rau´ l R. Labrador, ID Jared Huffman, CA Steve Southerland, II, FL Raul Ruiz, CA Bill Flores, TX Carol Shea-Porter, NH Jon Runyan, NJ Alan S. Lowenthal, CA Mark E. Amodei, NV Joe Garcia, FL Markwayne Mullin, OK Matt Cartwright, PA Chris Stewart, UT Steve Daines, MT Kevin Cramer, ND Doug LaMalfa, CA Vacancy Todd Young, Chief of Staff Lisa Pittman, Chief Legislative Counsel Jeffrey Duncan, Democratic Staff Director David Watkins, Democratic Chief Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON PUBLIC LANDS AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION ROB BISHOP, UT, Chairman RAU´ L M. GRIJALVA, AZ, Ranking Democratic Member Don Young, AK Peter A. DeFazio, OR Louie Gohmert, TX Niki Tsongas, MA Doug Lamborn, CO Rush Holt, NJ Paul C. Broun, GA Madeleine Z. Bordallo, GU Tom McClintock, CA Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan, CNMI Cynthia M. Lummis, WY Pedro R. Pierluisi, PR Scott R. Tipton, CO Colleen W. Hanabusa, HI Rau´ l Labrador, ID Steven A. Horsford, NV Mark E. Amodei, NV Carol Shea-Porter, NH Chris Stewart, UT Joe Garcia, FL Steve Daines, MT Matt Cartwright, PA Kevin Cramer, ND Edward J. Markey, MA, ex officio Doug LaMalfa, CA Doc Hastings, WA, ex officio (II) CONTENTS Page Hearing held on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 ................................................................. 1 Statement of Members: Bishop, Hon. Rob, a Representative in Congress from the State of Utah ... 1 Grijalva, Hon. Rau´ l M., a Representative in Congress from the State of Arizona ...................................................................................................... 3 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 3 Statement of Witnesses: Bacon, Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Nantahala Outdoor Center, Board of Directors, Outdoor Industry Association, Bryson City, North Carolina ......................................................................................................... 17 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 19 Bannon, Aaron, Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Director, National Outdoor Leadership School .......................................................... 45 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 47 Brown, David L., Executive Director, America Outdoors Association ......... 30 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 32 Duncan, John F., Managing Partner, Telluride Fly Fishing Co., Inc., dba Telluride Outside Outfitter and Guide ................................................ 49 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 51 Friedman, Michael, Managing Partner, Adventure Partners, LLC ............. 13 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 15 Heck, Hon. Joseph J., a Representative in Congress from the State of Nevada ........................................................................................................... 4 Kauffman, Teresa ‘‘Terry,’’ Rancho Red Rock ................................................ 9 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 10 Lindsey, Rick J., President, Chairman and CEO, Prime Insurance Company ........................................................................................................ 6 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 8 Statement dated August 2, 2012, submitted for the record ................... 67 McFarland, Scott, Owner, High Point Adventures ........................................ 11 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 12 Merrill, Brian I., CEO, Western River Expeditions, Salt Lake City, Utah ............................................................................................................... 42 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 43 Simonds, Grant, Executive Director, Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association ..................................................................................................... 39 Prepared statement of ............................................................................... 40 Additional materials supplied: List of documents retained in the Committee’s official files ......................... 69 (III) OVERSIGHT HEARING ON ‘‘IMPEDIMENTS TO PUBLIC RECREATION ON PUBLIC LANDS’’ Tuesday, May 7, 2013 U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation Committee on Natural Resources Washington, D.C. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:07 a.m., in Room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Rob Bishop [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. Present: Representatives Bishop, McClintock, Lummis, Labrador, Daines; Grijalva, DeFazio, Shea-Porter, and Garcia. Also Present: Representative Heck. Mr. BISHOP. All right, this hearing will come to order. Even though it sounds like a mausoleum out there anyway, you will be orderly now. The Chair notes the presence of a quorum on the Sub- committee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation. We are meeting here today to have oversight testimony on ‘‘Impediments to Public Recreation on Public Lands.’’ So, under the rules, opening statements are limited to the Chair- man and the Ranking Member. However, I ask unanimous consent to include any other Members’ opening statement in the record, if they submit it to the clerk by close of business today. And, hearing no objections, it is so ordered. If I can start with my opening statement and see if we can move this along as best we can. STATEMENT OF THE HON. ROB BISHOP, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF UTAH Mr. BISHOP. Americans are clearly blessed with vast expanses of land suitable for almost every type of outdoor recreation: hunting, fishing, off-road vehicles, hiking, camping, boating. They are among the recreational activities that, for generations, American families have enjoyed on public lands. In my home State of Utah, outdoor recreation opportunities are aplenty, from world-class skiing in the north, to the Red Rock Country in the south, Utah is a truly remarkable place to enjoy the great outdoors. Utah is leading the way when it comes to accommo- dating outdoor recreation enthusiasts and business. Governor Her- bert recently released the ‘‘State of Utah’s Outdoor Recreation Visit,’’ which we could probably kill a whole lot of trees if I put that in the record, but it is there. The State legislature adopted this vision, its first recommenda- tions, when they created the Office of Outdoor Recreation. And I have initiated a multi-stakeholder process to harness Eastern Utah’s conservation, outdoor recreation, and mineral assets into a balanced, locally driven concept. (1) 2 Although our opportunities on Federal lands are unsurpassed, they are not being realized as fully as they should, simply because Federal land management has become often bureaucratic, always autocratic, and traditionally dysfunctional. I believe this dysfunc- tion has catapulted Federal land management to the forefront of the public lands issues. And I believe we are in the midst of a para- digm shift when it comes to the management of our Federal lands. Put simply, a major reassessment of our Federal land management apparatus is clearly needed. Public use is one of the fundamental purposes of public lands, and it requires an open and a fair process. Properly managed, our lands could provide far more toward our economic well-being, our recreational use, and our conservation interest. To be good stew- ards of the Federal land, we need to encourage all three objectives, and they are compatible. It is not a zero-sum game. The land and all the nature of this big continent is resilient, it is dynamic, it re- sponds well to good management. In many instances, public access and enjoyment depends upon the service of outfitters