NPS Raises BD Landing Fees 429%

[Treejumps 0]

Hi Jason,

How about a huge sign at the exit point that says "To all spectators, Your Welcome" "The jumpers at Bridge Day collectively Spend over $100,000 to put on this show. The BDC charges $10 a head to perform for you, the NPS charges us $2500.00 to land on THEIR (our) property, and we all have to pay for travel & lodging (at overinflated BD weekend rates) just to make BD the festival it is. If you feel it is worth a dollar, please donate to keep BD and annual event.

Its time to take the fight to a new level, and really use the media spotlight to our benefit. We have 6 hours to tell what goes on, to tell how a festival that generates $25M in economic impact is carried on the backs of the people who make worth coming to.

I'll bet TF would be tickled pink to have 450 jumpers come to town for a long weekend and spend all of their hard earned money there. TF would roll our the red carpet. The BDC, the NPS, and the Town of Fayeteville spits in our face.

[Helmut 0]

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Hi Jason,
I'll bet TF would be tickled pink to have 450 jumpers come to town for a long weekend and spend all of their hard earned money there. TF would roll our the red carpet. The BDC, the NPS, and the Town of Fayeteville spits in our face.

Amen my brother!!! Can I get a witness!!!

[klapaucius 0]

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Rhonda is correct about mailing letters, and I assumed everyone would read the attached letters and pull Calvin's mailing address from it. In case you missed it:

Calvin Hite
Superintendent
National Park Service (NERI)
PO Box 246
Glen Jean, WV 25846

I, too, have tried various methods of communication to the NPS....

...

It is a big mess

The media say that there is push for a large land development in the area of the Gorge. Apparently the developers want to build 2500 homes in the vicinity and it must be a dividing issue in the community. It must be a headache for the park too.

Jason may be caught in a difficult situation, where jumping relies on support or at least positive attitudes from many sides, who often have opposite interests themselves (NPS, BDC, city, sponsors, public, media), so he can't "take sides":
gain support of one and alienate the other.

It must be quite a mess.

[ACMESkydiver 0]

I can't believe I'm making a post in here, I can't even remember what I came into the BASE forum to find in the first place, but oh well...

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Just so you know, I got no sympathy from the Bridge Day Commission (BDC) at their meeting today. I was often told to simply "raise my jump ticket prices" and no one from the BDC wanted to get involved. Several BDC members rejoiced when I mentioned that Bridge Day would not exist without us (indicating they'd rather see the event go away).

If you think like a 'committee' that wants to see something go away...or a major company...how did we phase out bad products in corporate America? We raised the prices until the interested parties weren't interested anymore. It was that simple. We didn't have to state that we didn't want to provide low-income loans anymore, we just raised the rates until nobody wanted them. -Is this what's happening to you?

And if so, why? From what I have read from all of you (and that's all the knowledge I have, you know I have never been there) the BASE population brings a great deal of commerce to local businesses during this event, yes? I guess the committee is attributing this increase to the event itself and not specifically to the BASE jumping? Just wondering if it might be possible (I think it was mentioned earlier) to have an economic impact statement letter included in your petition? Something to the effect of 'X' amount of BASE jumpers, bringing 'X' amount of family/friends to witness the event enjoy the festivities with them, spend on average $75 each at local establishments on food, gas, lodging, entertainment, blah, blah, blah...which equals 'X' dollars economic impact to your community. Higher fees, means less jumpers, reducing the positive economic impact, etc etc etc.

Sorry if that's been thought of and is too simplistic to be of any help at all, but I thought I'd try anyhoo.
Secondly, what is the permit fee for the rapellers? How about other activities on/around the bridge? There must be permits issued to other groups for other activities as well, and those must also be public info. I wonder how they compare, price-wise, for their permits? Just a thought. Is there a huge difference? Does it look biased? Are those groups having the same economic impact as BASE jumpers are?

And last, I think this sign is a great idea! Shoot I'd pitch a buck in the bucket to see that show, and I would bet you it would bring in a whole lot more than you'd think. <--Here's the sad part about it though: you'll have to assign a guard to the donation station. It sucks, but that's society today. IF you're going to do that, I'd have one at each end of the bridge.

Just some random thoughts, but hey, it might lead somebody to something that would help.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[skypuppy 1]

I'm guessing the extra rangers they want to bring in are just going to be hanging out at the 'other' local bridges/etc in the area during the meetings.... And for this, they want to charge you.

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[velocityphoto 0]

I like your idea! I know the celebration i heard about out there sounded like it was becoming a little bridge day event ...

A friend will bail you out of jail , a REAL friend will be sitting next to you in the cell slapping your hand saying "DUDE THAT WAS AWSUM " ................

[RhondaLea 3]

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I like your idea! I know the celebration i heard about out there sounded like it was becoming a little bridge day event ...

It would be nice to have two events.

It would be sad, after so many years, to turn away from Bridge Day.

rl

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[base428 1]

Don't worry, Bridge Day will be around for quite some time.

Maybe the NPS is pulling in rangers from other parks and using 5 rangers this year instead of 2 so they can hide at the bottom of one of the other local bridges that jumpers frequent? The day before Bridge Day 2003, the chief ranger at New River sent two plainclothes rangers dressed as fisherman to a local bridge where they waited for jumpers to leap. The rangers had fishing poles and video cameras and quickly arrested four jumpers after they landed.

I can't wait to see what the public thinks of the above paragraph. And if the NPS doesn't budge on the fees, the public WILL find out very soon.

It's no secret that I'm going to drag the NPS through the mud this year if fees are increased. I just hope the NPS is smart enough to back off before they get hurt.

(c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted. <==For the media only

[Zennie 0]

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Ted since you worked for the man do you have any ideas for Jason I am sure he would love any suggestions or help.

There are two basic forces at play when you talk about changing government policy (and I'm talking at the agency level here).

1. People are the same everywhere. No one likes "outsiders" making their job more difficult. If anything it just makes them more resistant to change.
2. An agency will change only if it has more or less been ordered to.

Related to the first principle, is if you have a problem person or group of people, you use the system to make their lives so miserable that they eventually get tired and go away. I personally think the present situation is related to that.

In other words. If you want real change, you need to bring it about from the inside, not the outside.

Media campaigns only work where the situation is so scandalous that the higher-up politicos feel the heat and thus put heat on the offending agency. With the NPS ban in general, I don't think you have that.

With BD, it MIGHT be a little bit more effective because now you have real people, with real business, who vote, ALSO getting the shaft if we pack up and leave. So you might be able to get some politicos (i.e. a certain extremely powerful WV Senator) to turn up the heat and get the NPS to back off.

My personal take on the who NPS problem is that we really need to get some politcal heavy hitters in out court. The WV Senator would be one. If we could get some in the areas we jump... Congresspersons/Sentors from CO & Utah (a certain extremely powerful Senator also hails from UT)... we might be able to get some results. Be it through legislation (which the agency has no control over and can't ignore) or just the standard politcal heat.

460 has some ideas for maybe getting some help in our area as well.

I'd also add that finding an established lobbyist with a proven track record in DC would also be EXTREMELY helpful.

- Z
"Always be yourself... unless you suck." - Joss Whedon

[klapaucius 0]

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Don't worry, Bridge Day will be around for quite some time.

Maybe the NPS is pulling in rangers from other parks and using 5 rangers this year instead of 2 so they can hide at the bottom of one of the other local bridges that jumpers frequent? The day before Bridge Day 2003, the chief ranger at New River sent two plainclothes rangers dressed as fisherman to a local bridge where they waited for jumpers to leap. The rangers had fishing poles and video cameras and quickly arrested four jumpers after they landed.

Here is an issue. One day before BD they get pissed of by four people who stretch it too much.
Can't do that. Must stop jumping outside of the window. It's sort of like self-regulation, ethics or just preventing site-burning.

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My personal take on the who NPS problem is that we really need to get some politcal heavy hitters in out court. The WV Senator would be one. If we could get some in the areas we jump... Congresspersons/Sentors from CO & Utah (a certain extremely powerful Senator also hails from UT)... we might be able to get some results. Be it through legislation (which the agency has no control over and can't ignore) or just the standard politcal heat.

1. People are the same everywhere. No one likes "outsiders" making their job more difficult. If anything it just makes them more resistant to change.
2. An agency will change only if it has more or less been ordered to.

3. If a government agency or part of it can be recognized internally, they may engage in a discretionary activity.

It's like brownie points, but can be used as ammunition when applying for promotion or budget increases.

[leroydb 0]

I received a snailmail reply from the NPS NRG.

They basically say that the increases are to cover BASE activities on ALL park lands during bridge day... blah blah blah...

then they say that since there are and avge of 450 jumpers that the initial increase would be 1.37 USD per jumper for 2005, ending up with an overall increase of 4.09 per base jumper based on 450 registered Base jumpers.

posted a scaned copy of the letter.

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

[NickDG 23]

One take being missed is the "slippery slope" that brought us to this point in time. It helps to have jumped at Bridge Day prior to the NPS's involvement at Bridge Day to see it, but we had our chance to put our foot down and we missed it.

The NPS began their campaign to control not only the LZ but the entire event during Bridge Day 1991. However at first they basically hit the brick wall that was Jean Boenish and it wasn't until Andy Calistrate became the organizer they made serious inroads. The first attack came in the form over the controversy of giving the list of registered jumpers to the NPS which later morphed into why you get warrant checked. Jean simply said no way while Andy gave it up like a new fish in cellblock D.

Then there was the pre-jump Friday briefing where a new NPS tactic was rolled out. They are now hiding the more militant anti-BASE Rangers like Bill Blake in favor of presenting a younger long haired and bearded Ranger whose name I won’t mention as he was a pretty good guy who I thought was being duped by his bosses.

When this Ranger, instead of an experienced BASE jumper, gave the water landing briefing I was the only one asking how many water landings had this fellow done? While the briefing itself was basically the same as any jumper would've given, the scary thing is the jumpers saw this fellow as the "friendly" Ranger rather than the wolf in sheep's clothing he really was.

The next thing is the Ranger presence on the bridge itself. Again, except for the Bridge Day article I wrote that year not much notice it is made of the fact the Rangers are video taping everyone and everything. I wondered what their authority on the Bridge was in the first place as the bridge isn't part of the National Park. What they were doing was sniffing the breath of jumpers and looking for drug use. They were exercising "control."

Fast forward to Bridge Day 2004 and now we have a time when after landing a Park Ranger will scream at you to clear the landing area, well gee, I've been dodging landing jumpers all my life, but okay, thanks for that . . .

The NPS says they need extra money to cover expenses incurred for monitoring the LZ. Well, what the heck are they monitoring? And how did we survive all those years before the NPS arrived on the scene? The NPS sometimes seems like a traveling road show that sets up their tents under the guise of education and preservation simply to start collecting money, bloat their own numbers, and then have an excuse to collect more money. The NPS has grown into 1000 pound gorilla that morphed first into a police force and now can almost be considered a new and undeclared branch of the armed forces.

Here is a snapshot of the NPS world:

BTW, the current Bridge Day LZ isn't technically a National Park, its The New River Gorge National River. Besides the sixty-nine places called National Parks the NPS also controls the following areas.

National Historical Parks, National Monuments, National Preserves, National Reserves, National Military Parks, National Battlefields, National Battlefield Parks, National Battlefield Site, National Historic Sites, National Memorials, National Seashores, Parkways, National Lakeshores, National Park System Rivers, National Historic Area, National Heritage Areas, National Recreation Areas, National Heritage Corridors, National Historic Trails, National Scenic Trails, International Historic Site, International Park, and National Cemeteries.

What we do at the NRGB over the next few years is going to be important to the very future of BASE jumping in National Parks. I'd like to see an "opt out" provision made for jumping at Bridge Day. What this means is a jumper declares his preference to decline the offer of landing on NPS property by landing on the RR tracks (yes I realize the consequences of that), in the river itself, or somewhere along the banks downriver. There's no reason we can't contract for separate boats to accommodate the "opted out" jumpers.

It's not perfect solution of course. And it will make jumping there more dangerous, but that's what the NPS does anyway every where else, the lengths we go to in avoiding contact with them makes BASE jumping more dangerous.

Right now the only way for me to "opt out" is not to attend the event. They win and I lose and that's what they want anyway. Depending on how it goes a few hundred landings on the RR tracks, depending on how the RR pursues it, may individually cost less than a night at the Holiday Inn . . . In any case I'd much rather donate, if it could be arranged, a hundred dollar bill to the home for retired RR workers than give another dime to the NPS. We are simply paying them to persecute us . . .

NickD BASE 194

[base428 1]

The situation with the NPS landing area is very dynamic right now and I'm not quite sure of the proper plan of action. I've got a few aces up my sleeve that I'll unveil at the proper time, but I'm sort of stuck in the middle of a messy situation.

On one side are 450 jumpers who've paid their $75 jump fees and arranged plane tickets and time off work. On the other side is the NPS, who is raising our special use permit fees to unacceptable levels.

I've explored the option of landing in the river (NPS says they control it and will arrest us). Gary Hartley, their Chief Ranger, said he'd send me the paperwork on how the NPS has control of the river, but it's been 11 days and nothing so far. Landing on the RR tracks was mentioned at the last Bridge Day Commission (BDC) meeting, but I'm sure any mass attempt to land there would be met with opposition (not that it's out of the question). Another option is that ace up the sleeve, to which we should know more shortly.

Keep in mind that the BDC sets no real rules for us at Bridge Day. That job, so far, has been wrongly forced into the NPS Special Use Permit each year. If we don't get the permit, the BDC will surely implement some of the NPS's own rules. Some of those rules include things like a maximum 15 way, jumpers must attempt to deploy a parachute, and many other rules developed by NON-parachutists. Apparently, they trust me enough to organize the BASE portion of the event, but not enough to develop my own safety standards.

One of the NPS's requirements for issuing a Special Use Permit is that, upon request, I must hand over a list of registered jumpers names, addresses, and birthdates. It's been a permit requirement for many years - long before I became organizer. Last year, I demanded that this item be removed from the permit requirements because the local Sheriff has all this information for his background checks. There was no need to give it to both the Sheriff and then the NPS. But the NPS refused and I was again forced to accept the permit as is in order to keep jumping.

But this year is different. I have never and will never hand over any information to the NPS regardless of the requirement. The NPS can put me in jail or sue me, but they'll never get the list from me.

We're being forced to pay outrageous landing zone fees and possible travel costs. As NickDG stated, the only work those rangers do is yell at jumpers and my staff members. I'm not willing to accept this and I'll fight this one all the way up to October 15th.

I've filled out the NPS's Special Use Permit application and mailed in the required $100. Now, I'm waiting to see of Calvin Hite has reconsidered my request to NOT raise fees. I'll find this out as soon as I get the conditions of the permit and the fee amount. If Calvin raises the fees, then I've already got newspapers, radio, and TV ready to report on it. And as I said in the past - "it ain't gonna be pretty."

(c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted. <==For the media only

[RhondaLea 3]

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One of the NPS's requirements for issuing a Special Use Permit is that, upon request, I must hand over a list of registered jumpers names, addresses, and birthdates.

Does the NPS require this information of everyone who goes down to the landing area?

If not, what is their stated reason for demanding this information of jumpers only?

rl

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[NickDG 23]

I can't speak for all, but I'm happy you are there at this time of great change, Jason. I think we have the right guy in the right place with the right amount of across the board jumper support to swing a big hammer . . .

Jean couldn't do it as she was too divisive, Andy couldn't do it as he was too busy selling us out. Of all the Bridge Day orgainizers you are the only one so far that could pull the trigger and have a majority of the jumpers behind you.

But we need you to tell us what we should be aiming at. It seems like they are trying to price us out and some type of drastic response is needed. I mean no pain, no gain, right . . .

NickD BASE 194

[base428 1]

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Does the NPS require this information of everyone who goes down to the landing area?

No, only registered jumpers.

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If not, what is their stated reason for demanding this information of jumpers only?

Last year at a BDC meeting, I told everyone that the NPS wants our info only to add to their "list" of base jumpers (link here). I told them they should have no interest in the jumper list. The NPS responded by saying they might need to see the list because of security concerns (I love how everyone uses 9/11 as an excuse!). To which I responded that the Sheriff already has that taken care of with his own background checks. The NPS refused to budge. But it really doesn't matter because I'll never give them the jumper list anyway. But who knows if the Sheriff is secretly providing the list to the NPS. The good thing is that jumpers are only background checked once and the Sheriff only gets new jumpers on the list each year.

(c)2010 Vertical Visions. No unauthorized duplication permitted. <==For the media only

[cornishe 0]

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Here is an issue. One day before BD they get pissed of by four people who stretch it too much.
Can't do that. Must stop jumping outside of the window. It's sort of like self-regulation, ethics or just preventing site-burning.

BULLSHIT. That's not self-regulating, that's enforcing THEIR REGULATIONS.

DON'T JUMP AT BRIDGEDAY! STRIKE AT BRIDGEDAY!


.

Abbie Mashaal
Skydive Idaho
Snake River Skydiving
TandemBASE

[NickDG 23]

Bridge Day, because of what it is, does from time to time create situations that could only occur there.

One year (1987, I think) Lane K. smoked one down to the water and then stood dumbfounded as several Rangers "warned" him about pulling low. Lane "opted out" and never returned to Bridge Day again.

Another jumper cited for landing on the RR tracks, which he deemed safer than the small LZ that year, said later, "WTF, I've made hundreds of BASE jumps and the first time I get busted is at Bridge Day?

Still another jumper after dealing with line twists turned low to avoid someone not paying attention in the LZ and crashed through the windshield of a privately owned Ranger vehicle stupidly parked close by. The person not paying attention was the Ranger who owned the vehicle.

BTW, did anyone notice the mob of EMT personal in the LZ last year? Who in their right mind would think that number was necessary? I mean what has happened over the last 25 years of Bridge Days that warrants that many back boards and ambulances? I can see having a large EMT presence to look after the thousands of spectators "on" the bridge but not for the jumpers below the bridge.

If you have a look at Pope's excellent BD DVD from last year, about midway through or so, there is a very scary "almost" incident when a young boy is almost cleaned by a jumper swooping the LZ. The boy appeared to be with the EMT crowd and indeed he's pulled out of the path of the jumper by one of them. Anyone looking at the video can easily see he could have been killed had he been hit. He just shouldn't have been where he was in the first place.

All those EMTs and the ambulances should be staged up the dirt road closer to the packing area. To me it seemed like they were just there to watch the show and it certainly didn't take thirty EMTs to save Russel's broken big toe . . .

Also, and I've said this before, experienced BASE jumpers, not Rangers, should be running the LZ just like experienced jumpers run the launch point. An experienced jumper can look up at parachute in the air and more or less know where it's going to land. A Ranger can't and it causes a lot of unnecessary danger, yelling, and confusion in the LZ.

Editied to add: BTW, I'm not blaming Jason for the above as I know he has his hands full with all the other BS thrown his way by the powers that be . . .

NickD BASE 194

[RhondaLea 3]

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Here is an issue. One day before BD they get pissed of by four people who stretch it too much.
Can't do that. Must stop jumping outside of the window. It's sort of like self-regulation, ethics or just preventing site-burning.

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BULLSHIT. That's not self-regulating, that's enforcing THEIR REGULATIONS.

You're right. That's exactly what it is...

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DON'T JUMP AT BRIDGEDAY! STRIKE AT BRIDGEDAY!

...but boycotting Bridge Day is a bad idea for the long-term good of the sport.

The solution to the problem of access will not be found in piecemeal, random actions. Eventually, a broad and cohesive plan to attack all the issues needs to be put into place.

Disappointing people who support the jumpers--whatever their reasons for doing so: entertainment, news value, whatever--is not the way to go.

Protest only works for an idea whose time has come. BASE ain't quite there yet. Almost, but not quite. Plan now quietly, Abbie. When you're done, you can hit them with both barrels.

rl

If you don't know where you're going, you should know where you came from. Gullah Proverb

[fastpete 0]

it`s really sad that that you guys have that kind of problems. I really cannot understand whats the thing with the NPS, i mean within them. because isnt it more like "lots of tourists" etc thing...like commercial stuff for whole neighbourhood...money for hotels, restaurants etc...or what...??

I was there last year with my friends. 10.000 kilometres of travelling and all worth it.
It was really great event, and i will be there again for sure. Its a unique event with seeing lots of friends and having new ones.
I had a great time guys, hope you get all things ok soon.

FastPete

_____________________________________________
F......ck the Finns !!!
FastPete www.pete.fi email: [email protected]