We should let elected officials and park administrators know how distasteful user fees are. In the past we've been free to experience the greatness of our national landscape, test ourselves, and ponder imponderables under a vestibule of stars for the cost of sweat and sore muscles. That spoke powerfully about what Americans believed in. A new precedent is being established. Public lands are now being managed like privatized commodities.
Development is the price of giving private enterprises access to our public lands.
The Forest Service is aware of the price. In its Public-Private Ventures Desk Guide, it notes that changes are required to accommodate private partners. If a night on public lands is sounding more like a night at KOA, you're right. That's where the trail blazed by the Fee Demonstration Program leads. If this doesn't conform to your notion of what public lands are about, your voice needs to be heard.