U.S. Forest Service wants to charge $1,500 to take photos on federal wild lands

washingtonpost.com

11 pointsgolemotron6 comments

It seems like there must be more to the story...

But it's fun to imagine the US Forest Service subpoenaing GPS data from Instagram / Facebook whenever they need to raise money.

Permits would cost up to $1,500, even if someone was taking photos or video with their phone, and fines for shooting without a permit could be as high as $1,000

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just risk the possibility of a $1000 fine for shooting without a permit than to get a $1500 permit upfront?

Unless you want to come back.

"up to"

The article in unclear, but I am guessing that more professional looking cameras require the more expensive permit.

So anyone who would require a $1500 permit should just shoot illegally and risk a $1000 fine, assuming no other legal action besides the fine.

My mistake. I incorrectly parsed this sentence:

"Permits would cost up to $1,500, even if someone was taking photos or video with their phone, and fines for shooting without a permit could be as high as $1,000"

as

Permits would cost up to $1,500. Even if someone was taking photos or video with their phone, fines for shooting without a permit could be as high as $1,000

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