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U.S. Forest Service Fining People for Taking Pictures in National Forests

since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Dear Congressman X:

We the People of the United States of America do NOT fork out over $5 BILLION to the U.S. Forest Service just so they can turn around and fine us $1,000 for taking photos of family members or our campsite in a national forest!

Yes, it's true.

Colorado is covered in National Forest, as are much of our other 50 States. I've taken thousands of pictures of friends, family, nature, and wildlife in National Forests. Must I now stuff them all in a box or on a hard drive never to be seen again because yet another government agency is being allowed to create its own income-generating rules at the expense of U.S. Taxpayers and without proper or effective, much less sane, Congressional oversight?

Why is Congress allowing government agencies to run roughshod over the People whom government is supposed to be serving, not fleecing?

What, specifically, are you going to do to put an immediate stop to this insane nonsense?

"According to the text of the regulation, the USFS requires a permit for any photography that “uses models, sets, or props that are not a part of the site’s natural or cultural resources.” So technically, if your mom in your hiking photo, she’s a model, and you owe USFS a thousand bucks. Want to take a picture of your backpack on top of a summit? Sorry, that’s a prop, fork over another grand."

Here's a link to the regulation.

Do you know what time it is? It's time to change the blasted regulation! That's what time it is!
 

davidmcbeth

Banned
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
16,167
Location
earth's crust
According to the text of the regulation, the USFS requires a permit for any photography that “uses models, sets, or props that are not a part of the site’s natural or cultural resources.”

So no one can take pics of me at a park? I'm a model, you know what I mean.

I have not read the regulation because its not linked in the article (the current one is a modification of an existing reg related to commercial photography).

But I think we can still take pics at parks w/o issue from reading the comments on the web page.
 

MAC702

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
6,331
Location
Nevada
...I have not read the regulation because its not linked in the article (the current one is a modification of an existing reg related to commercial photography).

But I think we can still take pics at parks w/o issue from reading the comments on the web page.

This is my ASSUMPTION as well, but I am critical of the, no doubt purposely, vague wording so that it COULD apply to broader circumstances as they later see fit.

They see me OC'ing? They can now use the fact that I am constantly surrounded by beautiful models as RAS for detaining me.
 
Last edited:

rightwinglibertarian

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2014
Messages
827
Location
Seattle WA
Pictures are as protected by the 1st Amendment as taking videos of police. Since this is true taking pictures isn't RAS to stop and detain, therefore no one will no your name or address and can't extort money from you for exercising a right.
 
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