Folks,
I could go on and on obout this subject, but I'll try and keep it short...
When the .gov (by this I mean the Forest Service, BLM, etc.) owns land they have to manage it. Special interest environmental groups want it managed *their way*, and generally sue the crap out of the .gov to get it so. Read what some of those groups are after - essentially they want to protect the land *from* the people, which means no recreation OF ANY SORT on it. Totally locked down.
This is a very serious problem to those of us in the Western half of the US, where most of the land is .gov controlled. We are used to using it for camping, hiking, etc. In washington dc politicians don't understand this concept and continue to pass restrictive rules, regulations and fees that are designed to keep us off our lands.
Maybe someone else can add some more here, I have to head home...
-Gator