I've actually known about this new $1000 fine that the U.S. Forest Service wants to slap people with but, up until recently, it had always been my understanding that it was intended for businesses such as advertising agencies or TV shows. Apparently, this is now a fine that the feds want to enforce on journalists and quite possibly, YOU!
Don't Take That Photo! The U.S. Forest Service Might Fine You $1,000
Better be careful about what you do with that photo you just took in a U.S. Forest (Photo: Thinkstock)
Hey hikers, that scenic forest photo you just posted on Instagram may cost you a thousand dollar fine. According to a proposed update to U.S. Forest Service regulations, still photography or video taken in any of its 439 Federal Wilderness Areas is subject to permitting (costing up to $1,500) or you can face a $1,000 fine per photo.
A little-noticed USFS “interim rule” has been in place for four years, and is now being updated to include new restrictions on vaguely defined “commercial filming” in wilderness areas. The new regulation was set to go into effect at the end of October, but due to a recent social media and political uproar, the USFS has graciously allowed the public to comment on the regulation an extra month until December 3. You can post your opinions their website, but keep in mind, the USFS says it will merely “consider such input” but it “may not be implemented, and we wish for the public to understand that.”
According to the text of the regulation, the USFS requires a permit for any photography that “uses models, sets, or props that are not a part of the site’s natural or cultural resources.” So technically, if your mom in your hiking photo, she’s a model, and you owe USFS a thousand bucks. Want to take a picture of your backpack on top of a summit? Sorry, that’s a prop, fork over another grand.
If you want to follow the rules and get a permit, guess what, the Forest Service is able to approve what sort of message your photo or video will deliver. From the updated regulations, photo or video must have: “a primary objective of dissemination of information about the use and enjoyment of wilderness…”
So it’s now federally mandated you must enjoy your hike — Smokey the Bear will tolerate no malingerers. The USFS says it is also permissible for video to promote “other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value.” You better hold your iPhone steady, or else your blurry photo might be judged to not have enough “scenic value” for Forest Service approval.
Read the entire article here:
https://www.yahoo.com/travel/dont-take-that-picture-the-u-s-forest-service-might-98484656432.html