From The Denver Post:  A U.S. Forest Service proposal to require permits and fees for commercial photographers and filmmakers who use wilderness areas has drawn opposition from those who could be affected.

Sen. Mark Udall, chairman of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on National Parks, urged the Forest Service on Thursday to reverse course on the proposal.

“A picture is worth a thousand words, but the U.S. Forest Service’s proposed rule on wilderness photography conjures only one: Wrong,” Udall said in a news release.

The Forest Service proposal to require media to obtain permits to film or shoot photographs in wilderness areas would affect more than 3.5 million acres of such lands in Colorado, as well as those who document the landscape.

Late Thursday, the Forest Service released a statement to “clarify” the agency’s “intentions.”

“The U.S. Forest Service remains committed to the First Amendment,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “To be clear, provisions in the draft directive do not apply to news gathering or activities.”

The proposal does not apply to news coverage, gathering information for a news program or documentary, the Forest Service release said. However, if a project falls outside that scope and filming is on wilderness land, additional criteria are applied to protect the wilderness, it said. A permit would have to be obtained before any photography is permitted.

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