You may soon need a permit to take pictures or film in a wilderness area

Chipping away at your first amendment rights one piece at a time...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-09-24-18-12-16

Excerpt:

Under the plan, the Forest Service would consider the nature of a proposed project before approving a special use permit then charge fees of up to $1,500 for commercial filming and photography in federally designated wilderness areas.

Click to expand...

I wonder what this would do to the Super Cub calendar and all those awesome photos! Or people who post videos of flying or backpacking around places like Denali on YouTube?

Here is the proposed rule, by the way:

https://www.federalregister.gov/art...m_medium=email&utm_source=federalregister.gov

The comment period lasts until November 3, 2014.

Few people object to fees imposed to genuinely reimburse the cost of restoration and to regulate the activity enough to minimize the impact of other users - areas that are actually unrelated to speech or filming. It's movie and advertising companies that first come to mind when considering these regs.

The problem is that broad regulations passed in the expectation that judgement will be applied when enforcing them end up being pushed to the limit, sooner or later, by ambitious or self-entitled enforcers. One of our own got hung up in this very matter, for videos posted to the Internet that were at most tangentially commercial, and the claims made against him were absurdly broad. But when fighting the fed, when armed Federal Marshals are at your door (yes, this happened for a mere YouTube video) you lose, no matter how meritorious your defense. The fed has unlimited resources to persist. Personally, I think the feds got made because this pilot had the temerity to show himself having fun in the Church of the Wilderness.

Currently, the FS legal team assigned to the Frank Church Wilderness are over-enforcing on a lot of matters, and have made clear their belief that they are on a higher mission to protect the wilderness from nearly all human interaction, and most especially aircraft (including salvage helicopters) and I would hate to see even more power handed to them.

For every 20 wonderful people in the regulatory establishment, there are one or two misguided, mistaken, or actively malevolent people that will abuse the power that we cede to them.

I think my state, Washington, is leading the way on this. Every where you go now that isn't a regular public road or private land has a sign the (I don't remember the exact wording but): " Permit required". They cost 25$ each. It is now illegal to enter with a vehicle any state forest, federal forest, park, anywhere (I haven't seen one on the court house yet but wouldn't surprise me if that's next) I may be exaggerating a bit but this an ongoing thing seemingly driven by how fast they can print and install the signs. I resisted buying one of these things for two years but it finally came up I couldn't visit my family who was camping in a state park here this summer unless I purchased one. To launch a boat at a public boat launch you need both this parking permit and a boat launch permit. This all for a bureaucracy we already pay for out of the general fund. Double taxation. Oh and it doesn't keep the beer drinking riff raff out. If your on the dole I think you get one for free.
Better get ready to put rear view mirrors in your supercub!

It's a Discover Pass and it costs $35. You need one on any licensed vehicle that moves on that piece of state ground that we already own. You need a different pass if it's the federal land down the road.

Carey Gray said:

It's a Discover Pass and it costs $35. You need one on any licensed vehicle that moves on that piece of state ground that we already own. You need a different pass if it's the federal land down the road.

Click to expand...

Thanks I forgot what the name of that thing was and I do object to paying for it since we already pay for the parks bureaucracy through other taxes.

And after you park your car you need a pass to hike on the land and all this after you pay for gas tax, vehicle tax, yearly tax for plates and sales tax on all you purchase in state to the tune of ten percent and all of these taxes are payed out of money left after you have had your income reduced by whatever your federal income taxes are and don't forget the 15% social security fica tax everyone pays!

I am waiting to pull up to the airport and discover I have to have a "discovery pass" to park there or maybe a flashing sign on final "Discovery pass required for landing"! The only thing I have "discovered" for sure is that I'm just another frog in the water.

nanook said:

"For every 20 wonderful people in the regulatory establishment, there are one or two misguided, mistaken, or actively malevolent people that will abuse the power that we cede to them."

Like our current President...

Click to expand...

Well nanook. Congratulations you did it. See you in R&R!
I wonder if I can require permits for pictures taken of my land from drones? Heck I wish there was someway of stopping the targeted ad's I'm getting on all websites I search.