RECREATION FACILITY ANALYSIS
AKA RECREATION SITE FACILITY MANAGEMENT PLANNING
Under a program originally called Recreation Site Facility Master Planning, the Forest Service, beginning in 2006, conducted an inventory and ranking of all developed recreation sites, and closed or downscaled those that cannot pay their own way in fees.
In a 2006 report, the Western Slope No-Fee Coalition projected that 3,000 to 5,000 developed recreation sites were to be closed, decommissioned, or otherwise removed from the developed recreation program under RSFMP. Our report charged the Forest Service with acting in secret, and was followed by a flurry of negative publicity nationwide.
Another bombshell dropped in January 2007 when leaked minutes of a Forest Service leadership meeting (page 28) revealed that the costs of these closures was to be paid with $93 million in recreation fees collected under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act that had been withheld from the Forest Service until then by the Office of Management and Budget.
The Forest Service reacted by calling a halt to all decision making while a review team convened by then-Chief Dale Bosworth studied whether public participation was adequate. The review team delivered its report to Chief Abigail Kimbell on April 2, 2007. When it had still not been released to the public seven weeks later, WSNFC charged the Forest Service with keeping it under wraps.
The review team’s report was finally released on May 26, 2007. It confirmed our assessment that RSFMP was a completely internal process with no public participation, but its only effect on the program was that they changed its name to Recreation Facility Analysis. WSNFC issued an Update to our original report, analyzing the review team’s findings.
Forests then continued their planning under the new name of Recreation Facility Analysis, with minimal, shallow, and disjointed levels of public participation. Our summaries of the management changes planned (not all of which were implemented) can be read below. Following the summaries are links to each of the individual forest plans.
National Summaries
RFA Management Changes National Summary
Region 1 Montana, Idaho Panhandle, and Dakotas
RFA Management Changes Region 1
Region 2 Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska
RFA Management Changes Region 2
Region 3 Arizona and New Mexico
RFA Management Changes Region 3
Region 4 Utah and southern Idaho
RFA Management Changes Region 4
Region 5 California
RFA Management Changes Region 5
Region 6 Oregon and Washington
RFA Management Changes Region 6
Region 9 the Northeastern states
RFA Management Changes Region 9
Region 10 Alaska
RFA Management Changes Region 10
Individual Forest Plans and Related Documents
Allegheny National Forest
Allegheny NF 5 Year Plan
Allegheny Rec Budget annotated
Allegheny Plan Meets Local Opposition
Allegheny Defense Project Opposes Plan
Allegheny NF Public Meeting Derails
No More Public Meetings for the Allegheny RFA
Campground Closures Cause Distress in Erie
Allegheny Plans Destruction of Historic Sites
Tionesta Valley Snowmobilers Comment Feb2008
Tionesta Valley Snowmobilers Allegheny Niche Questionnaire
Allegheny Defense Project Opposes Allegheny NF 5 Year Plan
Walt Atwood Comment re Allegheny 5 Year Plan
Tionesta Valley Snowmobilers Comment July2008
Allegheny Comment Period is Over
2008 09 25 Senator Casey Questions Closures on Allegheny NF
Allegheny NF Defends Closures To Casey
Forest Service Backs Down In PA
Angeles National Forest
Angeles NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Apache Sitgreaves National Forest
Apache Sitgreaves NF 5 Year Plan
Arapaho National Forest
Arapaho NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Ashley National Forest
Ashley NF 5 Year Plan
Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest
Beaverhead Deerlodge 5 Year Plan
Bitterroot National Forest
Bitterroot NF RFA
Black Hills National Forest
Black Hills NF RFA 5 Year Plan of Work
Biodiversity Conservation Alliance Comment on Black Hills RFA
Bridger-Teton National Forest
Bridger-Teton NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Caribou-Targhee National Forest
Caribou-Targhee NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest
Chequamegon Nicolet NF 5 Year Plan
Chequamegon Nicolet NF Press Release
Chippewa National Forest
Chippewa NF 5 Year Plan
Chugach National Forest
Chugach NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Chugach NF Fee Increase Plan
Chugach NF Business Plan For Visitor Center
Clearwater National Forest
Clearwater NF 5 Year Plan of Work
Nez Perce-Clearwater Budget annotated
Clearwater Summary of Comments
Friends of Clearwater Comments 1
Friends of Clearwater Comments 2
Cleveland National Forest
Cleveland NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Columbia River Gorge NSA 5-Year Plan of Work
Colville National Forest used a non-standard format for its Recreation Facility Analysis 5 Year Proposed Program of Work. They called it a Briefing Paper but it contains most of the same information as the standard format.
Colville NF 5 Year Plan of Work
Coronado National Forest
Coronado NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Custer National Forest has not released its Recreation Facility Analysis 5 Year Proposed Program of Work. This summary is all that they have published.
Custer NF 5 Year Program of Work
Dakota Prairie Grasslands
Dakota Prairie 5 Year Plan
Deschutes National Forest Two versions published dated June 2006 and November 2007.
Deschutes NF RFA June 2006
Deschutes RFA November 2006
Deschutes Rec Budget annotated
Deschutes To Get New Fees
Dixie National Forest Dixie was a pilot forest for the RSFMP program. Their plan is dated 2006 but was not posted until sometime in 2008. It does not use the standard codes that more current plans used.
Dixie 5 Year Plan
Eldorado National Forest Two versions published one day apart.
Eldorado NF 5 Year Plan 28 July 2008
Eldorado NF 5 Year Plan 29 July 2008
Flathead National Forest
Flathead NF RFA
Fremont Winema National Forest
Fremont Winema NF 5 Year Plan
Gallatin National Forest
Gallatin NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Gila National Forest
Gila NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison National Forest Two versions published dated September 2007 and January 2008.
GMUG RFA September 2007
GMUG RFA January 2008
Locals Concerned About GMUG Secret Planning
Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests
Green Mountain Finger Lakes 5 Year Plan
Helena National Forest Three versions published dated September 2006, April 2007, and May 2007.
Helena NF RFA September 2006
Helena NF RFA April 2007
Helena NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work May 2007
Hiawatha National Forest
Hiawatha 5 Year Plan
Hoosier National Forest
Hoosier NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
Humboldt-Toiyabe NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Huron Manistee National Forest
Huron Manistee NF 5 Year Plan
Idaho Panhandle National Forest
Idaho Panhandle NF 5 Year Plan
Inyo National Forest
Inyo NF 5 Year Plan
Kaibab National Forest
Kaibab NF 5 Year Plan
Klamath National Forest
Klamath NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Klamath Proposes Fee Increases
WSNFC Comment re Klamath Fee Increases
Kootenai National Forest
Kootenai NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Lewis and Clark National Forest
Lewis and Clark NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Lincoln National Forest
Lincoln NF 5 Year Plan
Lolo National Forest
Lolo NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Los Padres National Forest
Los Padres NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Malheur National Forest
Malheur NF RFA
Manti-La Sal National Forest Two versions published dated March 2007 and September 2007.
Manti-La Sal NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work March 2007
Manti-La Sal NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work September 2007
Mark Twain National Forest
Mark Twain NF RFA
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest
Medicine Bow-Routt NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Mendocino National Forest
Mendocino NF RFA
Monongahela National Forest
Monongahela NF 5 Year Plan
No More Monongahela Free Campsites
Mt Baker Snoqualmie National Forest
Mt Baker Snoqualmie NF 5 Year Plan
Mt Hood National Forest
Mt Hood NF 5 Year Plan
Day Use Fee Planned at Timberline Lodge
Nebraska National Forest
Nebraska NF RFA 5 Year Plan of Work
Retired Forest Service Manager comments on Nebraska NF RFA
Retired Forest Service Manager alternate niche statement for Nebraska NF RFA
Ochoco National Forest Although dated July 2007 this plan was not published until June 2008.
Ochoco NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest
Okanogan Wenatchee NF 5 Year Plan
Olympic National Forest
Olympic NF RFA 5 Year Plan of Work
Ottawa National Forest
Ottawa NF 5 Year Plan
Pike-San Isabel National Forest
Pike-San Isabel NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Prescott National Forest
Prescott NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande NF 5 Year Plan
Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
Rogue-Siskiyou NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Salmon Challis National Forest This plan is dated 2006 but was not posted until sometime in 2008.
Salmon Challis 5 Year Plan
San Bernardino National Forest
San Bernardino NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
San Juan National Forest Two versions, the original from April 2008 and the revised version dated July but actually released in September, 2008. The principal change was to remove the plan to impose a fee at the Little Molas Lake Dispersed Camping Area at the insistence of the San Juan County (CO) Commissioners.
WSNFC Comment re San Juan NF 5 Year Plan
San Juan NF RFA 5-Year Plan April 2008
San Juan NF RFA 5-Year Plan Revised July 2008
San Juan NF May Close Six Sites
Santa Fe National Forest
Santa Fe NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Sawtooth National Forest
Sawtooth NF 5 Year Plan
Sequoia National Forest Two versions published, original in April 2006 and revised version dated March 2008.
Sequoia NF RFA April 2006
Sequoia NF RFA March 2008
Sequoia Rec Budget annotated
2009 03 07 Cant See The Sequoia Forest For The Fees
Shawnee National Forest
Shawnee NF 5 Year Plan
Shawnee Scraps Fee Plans
Sophie Says Dropping Shawnee Fee Proposal Was The Right Thing To Do
Shoshone National Forest
Shoshone NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Sierra National Forest
Sierra NF 5 Year Plan
Stanislaus National Forest
Stanislaus NF 5-Year Plan of Work
Superior National Forest
Superior NF 5 Year Plan
Tahoe National Forest
Tahoe NF 5-Year Plan of Work
Texas National Forests
The National Forests in Texas have not released their 5-year plans but we did obtain this spreadsheet showing how their allocated funding for recreation is disbursed.
Texas Rec Budget annotated
Tongass National Forest
Tongass NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Tonto National Forest
Tonto NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
2008 02 28 Gila County Opposes Tonto RFA
Uinta National Forest
Uinta NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Umatilla National Forest
Umatilla NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Umpqua National Forest
Umpqua NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
Wallowa-Whitman NF RFA 5-year Plan of Work
Wasatch-Cache National Forest For some reason this forest posted their 5 Year plan in four parts.
Wasatch Cache NF 5 Year Plan Part 1
Wasatch Cache NF 5 Year Plan Part 2
Wasatch Cache NF 5 Year Plan Part 3
Wasatch Cache NF 5 Year Plan Part 4
Wayne National Forest
Wayne NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work
White Mountain National Forest
White Mountain NF 5 Year Plan
White River National Forest
White River NF 5 Year Plan
White River Rec Budget annotated
White River 5 Year Plan Calls For Fees and Closures
Public was excluded from White River plan
Willamette National Forest
Willamette NF RFA 5-Year Plan of Work