If the motivation of the agencies is simply to gain support for the fees, it may not be necessary to convince the taxpayer that the fees will definitely produce increased quality of services. There is ample evidence and sufficient alternatives to suggest caution in applying recreation fees in designated Wilderness areas. The very act of purchasing a wilderness experience may have the associated civilizing effect of turning a natural area into a consumer good for some people. Fees are likely to have a commodifying effect by narrowing the focus of the meaning of wilderness to functional, utilitarian values at the expense of the symbolic, emotional, and spiritual experience values. Thus, a wilderness recreation fee program may run counter to the integrity of the relationship between people and wilderness.
Civilization is the reduction of everything to the common denominator of the dollar.
These objectives need to more clearly reflect broader agency policy and philosophy, and address concerns about increased development of sites and increased influence of revenue motives in management decisions. Fee programs need to differentiate among users based on costs and impacts. They perhaps see wilderness to some degree as a commodity, not unlike other recreation sites such as Disney World, Vail, or a KOA campground. The new fee policy for wilderness must be sensitive to the fact that wilderness managers are not just in the business to provide a wilderness experience commodity, but also to protect part of our American heritage. Users most sensitive to these sentiments may find fees objectionable to the extent that they detract from these symbolic values.