US Forest Service Proposes $1000 Fine For Photos of Wilderness Posted by Josh Sigurdson <http://winnipegalternativemedia.com/author/josh/> On October 01, 2014 0 Comment <http://winnipegalternativemedia.com/2014/10/us-forest-service-proposes-1000-fine-photos-wilderness/#comments>
You’re not reading this wrong. The US Forest Service really did just enhance their tax revenue through a new law that makes no sense at all. Photographers for years have taken beautiful nature shots and then went on to sell the photos. I suppose the government now wants in on that like they do everything. Their excuse to collect good money off of this practice is by fining anyone who takes photos in the forest $1000 dollars, you heard that right, a big whopping, unconstitutional $1000! They cite no actual reasons as there aren’t safety concerns. They don’t even try to come up with a good excuse anymore. The US government just basically says *“Screw you, we could give any reason we’d like to take your money.”* This infringes more than one part of the constitution, making freedom of the press null as well as freedom of expression and the right to individual liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Those who created this law should be swiftly taken out of office and this law should then be abolished. As an ex nature photographer, this stuns me as I’m sure it stuns you. [image: Beautiful Nature Photo by Zsolt Zsigmond.] <http://winnipegalternativemedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Awesome-Nature-Photography-by-Zsolt-Zsigmond-5.jpg> Beautiful Nature Photo by Zsolt Zsigmond. The US Forest Service oversees over 36 million acres of wilderness. The biggest excuse on the block would have to be that the 1964 Wilderness Act aims to protect nature from being exploited for commercial gain. The issue is, wilderness in the US is owned by the people as the US Forest Service which oversees the 36 million acres of wilderness is tax funded, of course. No wilderness is being harmed and no one is being hurt and in fact the photography of nature opens up a whole new job industry that brings money to US businesses who sell photography to magazines, books as well as frame them and sell them to restaurants, doctor’s offices and homes around the world. Peter Essick <http://peteressick.com/>, an award winning National Geographic photographer who’s worked with the US Forest Service says: “When the Wilderness Act was created in 1964, there were plenty of people doing photography. Nothing in the Wilderness Act says photography is not approved or banned.” The idea of escaping from the harsh, demanding reality of the big city and all that comes with it is beautiful. It’s not so nice when you get to the wilderness only to find out that it’s become just as corporatised as the sidewalks of a place like New York or Chicago or perhaps Winnipeg. This is a massive infringement of individual liberty and must be shut down. We cannot allow ourselves to continue gradually being pulled into this Orwellian state where we must pay for the most minute things and do it without even questioning it. Whether you’re driving down the street and get pulled over, whether it’s the new Winnipeg law that requires you to pay a large quantity of money (much more than it would cost manually) to the public insurance company for winter tires, whether you have a lemonade stand or you’re selling marijuana, the government steps on your neck and makes you cry “uncle”. The over regulation of Canada’s government as well as the US government will only continue to get worse until we finally cut the treading snake and wave the Gadsden. Next they’ll put a tax on the air we breath… Oh right… They already do that in many parts of Canada… With the angry response from basically the entire United States over this ridiculous new law, the US Forest Service released a statement… “Based on the feedback we’ve made so far, we’ll make changes to make sure this doesn’t apply to news gathering,” Tom Tidwell, chief of the Forest Service, told The Washington Post. Well that’s all good and fine Mr. Tidwell, but this is still a blatant infringement of individual liberty and the first amendment. The best way to handle this issue is by abolishing the law and forgetting the idea was ever on the table to begin with. Permits have been a part of filming in nature for a few years now, but these permits were only required for those filming full length films or commercials in the wilderness. That alone is still pretty dumb, but using such a thing against tourists, hikers and photographers? It just makes a tax collection agency out of the Forest Service much like police seat belt tickets and laws that involve the exercising of liberties by an individual. The latest update tells us that nature photographers won’t be affected unless props are used in photos. Still an absurdity. A good song to listen to about now is “Taxman” by The Beatles… Excuse us while we go shake our heads. You can find the original article here: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/news/1000-dollar-fine-for-pictures-in-the-forest?src=soc_fcbks and the Washington Post article here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/09/26/u-s-forest-service-to-clarify-wild-land-photography-permits-says-media-wont-be-affected/ http://winnipegalternativemedia.com/2014/10/us-forest-service-proposes-1000-fine-photos-wilderness/ -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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