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ARC and The Coleman Company support recreation use fees that are equitable, 

 understandable to those paying, cost-efficient to administer, and dedicated to 

 supporting the programs and facilities for which they were collected. Those charged 

 with paying a user fee must be provided a direct and identifiable service. We support 

 the enactment of H.R. 2107, a bill approved by this committee with bipartisan support to 

 expand greatly the collection of recreation use fees across all federal lands, because it 

 reflects these principles. 



The concept of a user fee is not in question; rather the issue is what constitutes 

 an appropriate user fee and where and how collected funds are spent. ARC finds that 

 the "Teaming with Wildlife" proposal fails to meet the recreation community's criteria for 

 an acceptable user fee and therefore is not something we can support. While noble in 

 intent, it is flawed in design and scope, and will not accomplish our goals. It is the 

 wrong tool for the task. The recreation community does pledge its efforts to pursuing 

 comprehensive conservation programs which will produce quality outdoor experiences 

 for all and which sustain the ecosystems which are vital to environmental quality. 



Mr. Chairman, we thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today on 

 this issue of vital importance to the recreation industry. 



Charles B. Mcllwaine 



Vice Chairman, American Reaeation Coalition 



c/o The Coleman Company, Inc. 



1526 Cole Boulevard, Suite 300 



Golden, CO 80401 



(303)202-2418 



