Nature: Now Available in Designer Colors

by Scott Silver, Wild Wilderness

In the two most recent editions of the Earth First! Journal, the group Wild Wilderness has warned that our nation's public lands are under attack from a new enemy. We named the culprit "industrial strength recreation" and identified its chief proponents as the pro-wise use, corporate-backed American Recreation Coalition (ARC) along with the usual cadre of right-wing Western congresspeople led by Senator Frank Murkowski. What we have not revealed in past articles is where this trend is leading, nor have we given specific examples with which to prove our point. That will be the focus of this article.

It used to be that when we needed a nature fix, we'd jump in the car and head for the nearest mountain or desert. Once we finally pulled off the paved highway, what usually greeted us was a fairly natural outdoor experience just sitting there for us to discover, explore, interpret and enjoy. Unfortunately that type of free-wheeling experience is about to go extinct because federal land managers want to turn that kind of raw nature into a "product" and then repackage it, market it and sell it in the form of differentiated "brands" of value-added recreation.

Public lands managers are working from basic tenants that are key to their new recreation paradigm. These tenants hold that:

1) Public lands recreation must be self-supporting. The Demonstration Recreation Fee Program recently implemented on many public lands, with the ARC as the program's private partner, is expected to generate only $300 million over the next six years. In order for recreation to fully "pay its own way," as many say it should, access fees would need to be increased dramatically or additional businesses would need to be operated upon public lands.

2) "Interpretation‚" through informational signage, guided nature tours and the like will be heavily emphasized. This trend is led by two organizations, The National Association for Interpretation and the Walt Disney Corporation, an ARC sustaining member. In 1995, Disney signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and four other federal land-management agencies. That agreement defined a working partnership between Disney and the US government and states: "focus areas will include joint environmental education/interpretation efforts." I'm sorry, but Mickey Mouse knows no more about ecosystem management or biodiversity than Smokey Bear knows about the benefits of fire. This partnership has major implications regarding the type of self-serving, mind altering, corporate propaganda that Disney will be forcing upon future public-lands visitors. They do it at Disney World, and they will soon be doing it in the real world as well. But by then we will hardly be able to tell the difference.

3) The cost of public lands recreation must be increased to the point that privately provided recreation can compete. Raising prices is touted as the solution to the over-crowding now caused by tourism. The theory is that private recreation providers will be able to absorb increased customer demand so long as there is little or no cost differential compared to the public alternative. Many of ARC's members, such as Kampgrounds of America (KOA), are providers of private recreation alternatives.

4) Federal recreation dollars will be preferentially spent on facilities located near urban population centers. It takes lots of paying customers to run a profitable recreation business. Urbanites tend to have greater disposable incomes and are generally quite willing to "purchase" recreation. Unprofitable federal facilities will be closed or allowed to fall into disrepair. Opportunities for undeveloped recreation do not figure in this equation.

5) "Under-utilized" recreational resources should be developed to facilitate increased usage. The Department of Interior's web site includes an article written an ARC member corporation that speaks of a terrifically over-used, motor-boat lake near Boise, Idaho and explains how this crowding problem could be solved by developing new marina facilities at and paved acesss to the absolutely "pristine" Owyhee Reservoir in nearby (yet remote) eastern Oregon. The wanton sacrifice of such a magnificent lake is unconscionable.

6) Partnerships with private corporations shall be encouraged. In a document entitled "Recreation 2000 Update" the BLM states: "the federal government is taking a completely new look at the way we do business. In the past, we relied heavily on congressional appropriations as the traditional means for supporting recreation management efforts. We must now continue to look outward instead of upward for new sources of funding. In the future, we will strive to develop partnerships that assemble a wider range of potential partners who can share resources to help manage defined landscape units." On the last page of this document it is revealed that the American Recreation Coalition and four ARC member corporations are the "Stake Holders Team" that helped develop this recreation/management agenda.

7) "Interpretation‚" through informational signage, guided nature tours and the like will be heavily emphasized. This trend is led by two organizations, The National Association for Interpretation (a BLM Stake Holder) and the Walt Disney Corporation, an ARC sustaining member. In 1995, Disney signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and four other federal land-management agencies. That agreement defined a working partnership between Disney and the US government and states: "focus areas will include joint environmental education/interpretation efforts." I'm sorry, but Mickey Mouse knows no more about ecosystem management or biodiversity than Smokey Bear knows about the benefits of fire. This partnership has major implications regarding the type of self-serving, mind altering, corporate propaganda that Disney will be forcing upon future public-lands visitors. They do it at Disney World, and they will soon be doing it in the real world as well. But by then we will hardly be able to tell the difference.

8) "Scenic byways" and "all-American roads" will be designated and actively promoted. ARC, along with its corporate members, Chevron, Exxon and the American Petroleum Institute, have been promoting "driving for pleasure‚" as one of the centerpieces of their motorization agenda. ARC's membership also includes a half dozen RV manufacturers, a similar number of RV campground associations and a whole host of firms now providing wayside attractions and services. According to the US Department of Transportation, "All-American roads are the crème de la crème of all scenic byways. These roads are destinations unto themselves." And for those wishing to nominate a road to receive this great distinction, applicants are instructed to "describe how lodging and dining facilities, roadside rest areas and other tourist necessities are in place or planned for the number of visitors persuaded to visit by the byway's designation as an All-American Road." It seems that the purpose of designating a road as a scenic byway is to give people an excuse to burn gas and a chance to spend money along the way.

9) New and imaginative methods of doing business should be actively sought. Federal land managers are quickly learning how to become successful businesspeople. In fact, ARC's Recreation Roundtable has created a special 12-week private/public training program designed exclusively for high-ranking p