Forest Filming

As many of you may know by now, I have spent years doing outdoor television shows for ESPN and the Outdoor Channel. Here's a dirty little secret I will share with you. For many of those years, and I have to tell you I wasn't the one making the call, but the producers and production team would actually have to sneak into national Forest locations to get shots of wildlife. It always occurred to me that if we wanted to get an elk, a Buffalo, a wild turkey or a white tail on videotape, we should have that right. We weren't exploiting this wildlife, we were bringing it to television so that sportsmen and sportswomen could enjoy and cherish our great natural resources. The reason we had to sneak? In order to get into these wilderness locations, we had to practically write a novel in order to get a permit. Well, those rules were about to tighten even more but Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson has sent a letter to U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell expressing his strong concern about the Service's Proposed Rules for Commercial Filming in Wilderness Areas. Simpson's primary concern is that the Administration's final rule will place an undue burden on journalists, television programs, outfitters and guides and other media-related activities that have traditionally enjoyed access to wilderness areas for filming or photography.

Simpson's primary concern is protecting the First Amendment, "Under no circumstances should the Forest Service be dictating its views about content to the media," Simpson wrote. "The portion of the rule that leaves open the possibility that the Forest Service could deny access over content raises serious First Amendment concerns and is contrary to any Congressional intent associated with the creation of the National Wilderness Preservation System."

Simpson is requesting Chief Tidwell to ensure the final rule addresses concerns from journalists and others who would like to film or take photographs in wilderness areas administered by the U.S. Forest Service.