National Forest Homeowners
Cabins
NFH
No new permits have been issued since the 1960’s and, while some cabins have been remodeled, most remain as they were originally built, with a significant number now owned by the third or fourth generations of the same family.
Recreational Residences - Next 100 Years
Today there are just under 15,000 special use term permits issued by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service for “recreation residences” on National Forest System Lands. Those cabins, often grouped together into cabin tracts, are a quiet but important part of the recreation component of the Forest Service program and of its history over the last 100 years. They are an equally important part of its future and, with a continued partnership between the Forest Service and cabin families, will be of significant aid in our country’s stewardship of our National Forests over the next 100 years.
Attached is a historical summary of the cabin program. Updated for the Centennial, it contains the citations to the relevant laws which enacted the program and which have brought about its present administration. This recitation of the cabin program’s history hints at the reasons why this program is so important to the future of our forests.
Many of the cabins were built by families to replace the canvas tents hauled in by horseback to their favorite mountain spots. In later years, rustic cabins enabled recreation in forests when long automobile rides across unimproved dirt roads were still needed to reach remote mountain areas. No new permits have been issued since the 1960’s and, while some cabins have been remodeled, most remain as they were originally built, with a significant number now owned by the third or fourth generations of the same family.
Those families represent an important resource to the Forest Service. Even cabin families who are not the original owners frequently have a long experience with their cabins’ locale. This “place-based,” intergenerational memory represents a resource in the protection and preservation of the forests which are shared by cabins. Through the memories of cabin families, it is possible to revisit what areas looked like 20, 30, 40, 50 or more years ago.
Cabin families also constitute a ready source of volunteers in their forests. They have helped fund, construct and staff visitor kiosks, built bridges, cut and maintain trails, and picked up mountains of trash along roads and trails. They have helped with search and rescue, and are often the first responders when fires are spotted. They are a vital part of the local management in forests where effective partnerships exist between the Forest Service staff and the cabin communities.
Many Forest Service administrators have commented that, notwithstanding the fact that cabin fees bring a fair-market return to the Federal Treasury far in excess of the cost of this program’s direct administrative costs, few of those funds have found their way to the local forests to help administer the program. While the rules and laws applicable to cabin permits have ballooned over the years, aid to the administrators in terms of labor and resources has dwindled. One solution would be for Special Use fees from the cabin program to be retained on the forest. While we are supportive of this proposal, similar initiatives have resulted in a reduction of Congressional funding, resulting in no added program resources at the local level.
The fundamental dilemma of this recreation residence program is that we are acknowledged as an important component of the recreation program on National Forest Lands, but we are administered by the Lands Division of the Forest Service, not the Recreation Division. Our placement under Lands arises from the fact that this program is governed by a Special Uses Permit, which is under the purview of the Lands staff within the Forest Service structure. This schizophrenic nature may be the reason for its apparent lack of specific program funding and a voice in the national forest administration.
Nevertheless, as all cabin permits have to undergo a strenuous screening process before their terms expire, the majority in 2008, this lack of funding has become critical. Cabin administrators are having difficulty getting the time from other staff, such as biologists, historians, soils geologists, and archeologists, needed to complete the permit continuation process. In the short term, funding is needed now. In the long term, thought should be given to solving the problem which appears to arise from the nature of the program itself.
The recreation residence program is both an important part of the National Forest legacy and an essential resource for the future of these forests. Just as it enabled the American public to access and recreate in forest areas during its first 100 years, it will continue to provide an unparalleled recreation experience to many thousands of cabin families and friends in a manner that protects and enhances these very forests. Indeed, for some – seniors, the disabled and the very young – this program provides a recreation experience which is not available through other programs on the National Forests
There is no question that the next 100 years will bring great challenges, most of which cannot be anticipated at this juncture. As these challenges become clear, this is a program that can be part of the solution. Cabin owners and their extended families are truly stewards of the lands that they have shared for generations.
For More Information, Contact:
Mary Ver Hoef, NFH Executive Director
5150 Fair Oaks Blvd, Suite 101/315, Carmichael, CA 95608
1-800-669-9971 / FAX: 916-359-5271
nfh100@yahoo.com