Re: “More people aren’t the problem outdoors. Access is” (May 27, Opinion):
There are many factors restricting public access to outdoor recreation. Private tree farms, previously relatively accessible for free, have become increasingly gated to all but the few who can afford a limited number of access permits. The tree farms are private property, but in many cases U.S. Forest Service roads previously providing access to public land have been gated where they cross tree-farm land.
Many previously accessible fishing lakes on state land have become inaccessible because property owners put up gates on state Department of Natural Resources roads, effectively making private fishing lakes.
A lack of funding to maintain Forest Service roads has caused a high percentage of roads to become impassable to all but high-clearance four-wheel vehicles or completely blocked by road washouts that remain unrepaired for many years. Access roads have been gated because some use public property as a disposal site for old appliances or in other ways trash public lands.
Budget cuts have reduced trail maintenance, causing the closure of many trails and roads. Volunteer trail crews help, but basically maintenance funding needs to be restored and increased, and cooperative agreements to restore access corridors to public lands need to be prioritized.
Robert Nielsen, Seattle
