Residents sue over recreational access tax

Posted by egable on May 7th, 2008 filed in Public lands

Arizona and Colorado residents filed civil, class-action lawsuits against the U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday, claiming that it is illegal for the federal government to charge fees for access to public lands. The Colorado lawsuit, filed May 5 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, alleges that it is illegal for the Arapaho National Forest to charge fees for access to Mt. Evans, west of Denver. A similar complaint was filed simultaneously against the Coronado National Forest in Arizona, which operates a similar fee program at Mt. Lemmon near Tucson.