US Forest Service "encourages" inholders to leave

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth (R-ID) is fighting yet another battle against the agencies. This time, it's the U.S. Forest Service, which has instituted new lease fees for individuals who have cabins or other inholdings on leased federal land. "Idaho was one of the first states hit with the new lease fees," Chenoweth said, "which reached as high as a 4000% increase in some cases. The new fees could force many Idahoans to sell cabins they have used for generations, simply because they cannot afford the Forest Service fee."

The Idaho representative will host a congressional hearing on the issue Feb. 21 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. "I'm also searching for solutions to what is also a nationwide problem," she said. She hopes to use her jurisdiction in Congress to make sure the Forest Service assesses fees that are fair to both the inholders and the taxpayers, stating that the Forest Service's appraisal procedure is flawed at the national level.

"When fees are raised from $156 a year to $900 a year, or from $244 to $8,750 a year, many lease holders will be forced to sell," Chenoweth said. "This new program is going to have a severe impact on middle-income and retired people on fixed incomes who own more than half of the cabins nationwide that will be reassessed." She added that many will have a difficult time finding buyers who will pay a reasonable price.
(from Blue Ribbon Magazine, 2/98)