National Parks to Start Charging Photographers Location Fees

Submitted by Charles on Thu, 06/08/2006 - 01:15.


According to new rules released by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the National Parks will begin charging fees of $150 per day to film, video and comercial photography projects, accroding to the National Press Photographers Association.  These fees  could total up to $500 per day when monitoring and additional costs are assessed. The fees took effect May 15th.

I'm all for the government trying to maintain public assets but in this case, one can't help but wonder if they are going overboard. Where would we be if these rules had existed when Ansel Adams was photographing in national parks?

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NO GOV. FEE YET 4 USING EYES, EARS, OR NOSE

Submitted by Jeff Buster on Sat, 06/10/2006 - 14:57.

Charles,

Look at the good side; the feds aren't yet charging national park visitors to use their eyes, ears, or sniffer to take in their natural environment.  That is probably coming if the present "blue sky's" policy dictators stay in office. 

I would think that this charge will be challenged in federal court, because (unless the film production is the size of Ben Hur with 10,000 extras trampling the underbrush)  there seems no reasonable basis to charge one person or group for taking photos, while not charging the All American Family snapping their Kodak moment. 

Anyway, with Goggle earth, we can get an up close and personal experience of Yellowstone and Arches right from our desk top - an no need to even pay the park's gate fee! 

All this to collect a silly $1.6 million... pathetic

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sat, 06/10/2006 - 22:26.

Thanks for posting this - sort of like Network Neutrality... we need national park neutrality. I read the source posting at OnTheCommons.org - another great Drupal site... good summation with "By now, it is trite to complain about the misguided priorities of this Administration. There are SO many issues to cite.  What these Interior Department rules show, however, is just how effective it has been in extending warped priorities to the most remote reaches of public policymaking -- nature photography on public lands."