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2A | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2021 | APPEAL TRIBUNE Trails too limited? Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK In the first year of a sweeping new program de- signed to stop overcrowd- ing in three of Oregon’s most popular wilderness areas, U.S. Forest Service officials say they’re facing an ironic problem: not enough people showing up on the trail. This summer, hikers and backpackers were required to purchase a special per- mit to enter the Three Sis- ters, Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington wilder- ness areas under a plan de- signed to limit skyrocketing crowds, trash and damage across 450,000 acres of Oregon’s most iconic back- country. But the new system was plagued by what forest offi- cials are calling “no-shows.” Put simply, people pur- chased overnight and day- use permits in droves but often didn’t use them or cancel them, leaving the permits to essentially go to waste, officials said. The result was frustrat- ed hikers and backpackers unable to visit their favorite places because the permits sold out, while at the same time, trailhead parking lots and backcountry campsites sat half-filled. Forest Service data indi- cates around 30 to 50 per- cent of the permits pur- chased were never used, a figure forest officials said was backed up with obser- vations from the field. “Many weekends a pop- ular place like the Green Lakes were totally sold out — meaning we should have seen around 100 people at the trailhead or on the trail. But frequently, we saw only 40 to 50 people show up. For most of the summer, only about half the back- country campsites were filled,” said Jason Fisher, wilderness specialist for Deschutes National Forest. “It was frustrating for the public and for us,” he said. “When you buy a per- mit and don’t use it or can- cel it, that means someone else doesn’t get to go. And when it happens in such large numbers, it drags down the entire system.” There were plenty of positive comments about what’s officially known as the Central Cascades Wil- derness permit system, which began May 28 and ends this Friday. Many said they had no trouble getting permits and were thrilled by solitude at camps and on trails. But figuring out how to limit no-shows and ensure more people have access to the backcountry is the top priority as officials look to tweak the system for 2022. “It was definitely a learning year,” said Matt Peterson, who helped de- sign the system for the For- est Service. “A lot of things did work well, and ulti- mately it served its purpose in reducing recreation im- pacts. We heard a lot of positive comments. But the bottom line is that we want all the permits to get used. We want people out on the trail having a wilderness experience. “We’re already brain- storming things we can do. There will definitely be changes next year.” How does the permit system work again? Known generally as a “limited entry,” the system works by applying a quota of permits to each trailhead in the three wilderness areas. At Marion Lake Trail- head in the Mount Jeffer- son Wilderness, for exam- ple, there are 10 overnight group permits and 40 day- use permits available. Once they’re gone, no one else can enter, thus limiting Affected by the Oregon wildfires? Find resources to help you recover. Call today 1-833-669-0554 Open 24/7, every day. crowds. The day-use permit is only required for the 19 most popular trailheads. Overnight permits are re- quired everywhere. An overnight permit costs $6 and a day-use per- mit is $1. The system is just one of a growing number of limit- ed entry systems across the United States and especial- ly the West, where fast- growing crowds have flood- ed national parks and wil- derness areas over the past decade in numbers that overwhelm parking, trail space and campsites. Permit systems have been a common tool in na- tional park backcountry for decades along with famous rivers, such as Oregon’s Rogue and John Day. And in the Central Cascades, Ob- sidian Trail (Three Sisters) and Pamelia Lake (Mount Jefferson) have required similar permits since the early 1990s. But the system applied this year expanded the idea of a permit system far wider than most places, across a disjointed collection of highways and forest roads, as opposed to a single des- tination like Glacier Nation- al Park. Frustration with getting permits By just about every ac- count, once the permits were released, they went fast. But there was also frustration, confusion and bugs with the website, es- pecially in April, when 40 percent of overnight per- mits and 20 to 50 percent of day-use permits were re- leased, according to multi- ple users. “It was a disorganized rollout,” said Erik Badzinski of Redmond. “Several peo- ple had issues booking overnight permits. There was little instruction on how to use the system. Many people didn’t realize they had to highlight and click on every day they planned to be out there, leading to either just a sin- gle overnight permit when they wanted multiple days or someone snagged the available days in the confu- sion.” Alex Moore, who lives in Bend, said she tried numer- ous times to get permits for Devil’s Lake Trailhead from different phones, comput- ers and Internet providers, but always struck out. “It would show a bunch of dates and times avail- able, but when you tried to add the permit to your cart, you got an error message repeatedly and for hours,” she said. “We even took a laptop down to Starbucks in case our internet was messing up, but still the same error message.” Adding to the confusion was where to find the right permit. 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Main Statesman Journal publication Suggested monthly rates: Monday-Sunday: $22, $20 with EZ Pay Monday-Saturday: $17.50, $16 with EZ Pay Wednesday-Sunday: $18, $16 with EZ Pay Monday-Friday: $17.50, $16 with EZ Pay Sunday and Wednesday: $14, $12 with EZ Pay Sunday only: $14, $12 with EZ Pay To report delivery problems or subscribe, call 800-452-2511 To Place an Ad Published every Wednesday by the Statesman Journal, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309. USPS 469-860, Postmaster: Send address changes to Appeal Tribune, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID: Salem, OR and additional offices. Send letters to the editor and news releases to sanews@salem.gannett.com. people a while to figure out in some cases. Another issue was per- mits going on sale for hikes that were still snow-cov- ered, such as permits for trails on McKenzie Pass in May or early June. Peterson said that issue would be corrected in 2022. The bugs in the system appear to have improved as the summer got underway and permits went on sale seven days in advance, but numerous people said they still couldn’t get the permit they wanted, even if they logged onto the computer at 7 a.m. and seven days in advance. “I have given up on hik- ing in permit-required areas,” said Trent Thomas of Corvallis. “I’ve tried get- ting on the site, but nothing is ever available even at 7 a.m.” (There was also concern about “bots” — internet programs — buying up per- mits. Forest Service offi- cials said Recreation.gov is designed to avoid that). The no-show problem One of the reasons peo- ple couldn’t find permits was that popular ones were snapped up as soon as they went on sale, and during the April release. But often, the permits ultimately went to waste, the Forest Service said. There were a variety of good reasons that people purchased permits but then didn’t use them, from heavy smoke ruining the experience to injuries to simply forgetting about the reservation, conversations with hikers and Forest Ser- vice employees indicate. And many held onto permits as long as they could, in hopes of the smoke clearing or condi- tions improving, because they couldn’t get another date. “Life happens and it was a smoky summer,” Peterson said. “We understand that plans change. We’d just hoped that when they did, people would cancel their reservation more frequent- ly so that others could use them.” The highest number of no-shows came on reserva- tions made during the April permit release. Of the per- mits sold during April, 52% were not used nor canceled, going to waste, Forest Ser- vice data says. Rates of using permits were far better in the seven- day window, when the per- centage of no-shows dropped to 27%. The Forest Service com- piled the data on no-shows by looking at the number of people that clicked on the link to print off the permit itself. They also had volun- teers and rangers at popular trailheads that ground- truthed the rates they were seeing. People buying but not using permits is a common issue across permit sys- tems, and it’s dealt with in different ways. On South- ern Oregon’s Rogue River, for example, people who no-show for a permit can get “black listed” — pre- vented from buying future permits. That type of hard-line is unlikely and probably im- practical in the Central Cas- cades, but with little incen- tive to cancel and good rea- son to hold on as long as possible, many said the sit- uation was predictable. No refund or economic incentive to cancel, and good reason to wait until last minute Originally, the Forest Service planned to charge a higher fee for the permits, but that plan was scuttled and left the current $1 or $6 charge. (The $1 and $6 cost is a processing fee charged by Recreation.Gov, a vendor owned by Booz Allen Ham- ilton that distributes all per- mits and reservations on federal lands. None of the money actually goes to the Forest Service or to support the permit system). Hikers who buy a permit and then decide they can’t use it for one reason or an- other can’t get a refund, meaning there’s no real economic incentive to be careful with permits. “I don’t want to be too harsh because the first year is always challenging, but it was foreseeable that when they required such a mini- mal investment, it’s not a big leap to expect people to just snap them up and not worry about canceling be- cause they have no real skin in the game,” said Sarah Bradham, acting executive director of the Mazamas, a Portland-based outdoor club. While it might have been predictable, that didn’t make it any easier for hikers shut out of their favorite places who then drove past half-empty parking lots, particularly locals. “The few dates I was able to plan time off for, I wasn’t able to get a permit on,” Mara Carnes said. “It was frustrating trying to plan any trips. Then I’d drive by the trailhead to a few I had tried unsuccess- fully to get a permit and there weren’t any cars there! “I was just a solo hiker and couldn’t get a single permit for my trip.” Good experiences, less trash While there was a high amount of frustration with the new system, many said they were able to get per- mits without issue and ap- preciated the level of soli- tude. “I don’t discount the challenges that others have had, but my experience was pretty positive,” said Ste- phen Jenkins. “Using the 7- day window, I was able to obtain overnight permits for both of the trips I want- ed to complete. It was a slight inconvenience but worth it for me.” The reduced crowds also brought a measure of peace to backpacking trips, bring- ing less anxiety about find- ing a good camping spot, even on a weekend, which hikers with children said they appreciated. Forest rangers said the amount of trash and hu- man poop left near camp- sites was also down this season. “In the places where we historically see tons of trash and human waste, that de- creased dramatically,” Fish- er said. Citations on the trail/compliance Despite some frustra- tion with the new permits system, most people had them when checked by rangers this season. As of last Saturday, the compliance rate — or the number of people checked — was 74 percent. “That’s pretty good for a first year,” Fisher said. Forest Service issued 315 verbal warnings in the wil- derness areas. “This was a big educa- tion year, so if our rangers came across someone who didn’t have a permit, they’d usually just direct them to a different trailhead where it wasn’t required,” Fisher said. “Obviously we had some conflicts and some people who were really ready to get into it and some heated situations did take place. “But I’d say it was a gen- tle year all things consid- ered.” What next? Peterson said the Forest Service will look at tweak- ing the system for 2022, but it’s unclear how much will actually change. “It’s really good for them to acknowledge their bumps and bruises and come back to the table and talk to user groups, to share data and look at how we can solve this,” Bradham, with the Mazamas, said. “How can we work together to achieve the original in- tent of minimizing over- crowding without practi- cally closing it off.” Others thought the sys- tem should just be scrapped. “My hope is that sooner rather than later, we look back on this decision with great embarrassment and find a better solution to pro- tect access for everyone, not just people who can sit on their computer 6 months in advance and re- serve all their paid permits,” said Jess Beauchemin of Bend. “User fees are not the answer for systemic prob- lems. They’re a distraction. They’re pitting people against each other when we should be working together to change the mission of the Forest Service and lobby for adequate funding so that they can do their job.” Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 13 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. Urness can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJour- nal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.