Facts:

• National Parks and National Forests are two totally different entities.
• National Parks were established to preserve natural features and areas of exceptional beauty or historical interest.  Examples of National Parks include the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone.
• National Forests were established "...to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the use and necessities of citizens of the United States..."  and to improve and protect the forest, securing favorable conditions of waterflows.
• The U.S. Forest Service provides for sharing a portion of revenue from commodity receipts (timber sales, grazing, minerals, and recreation use) to counties in proportion to the number of acres of National Forest land within each county.
• These funds are primarily designated to use for schools and roads.
• Prior to 2001, this was a straight 25% of the gross receipts.  New legislation is altering the formula to provide counties with a stable source of payments.
• In 1999 alone, West Virginia counties received $1,823,553.95 from Forest Service receipts of timber sales, grazing leases recreational use fees and other land uses.
• West Virginia contains one entire National Forest, the Monongahela, and portions of two others, the George Washington and the Jefferson.  Together, these comprise over one million acres of forested land.
• National Forests are administered by the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Hunting and trapping are prohibited in National Parks, but encourage in National Forests.
• National and State Parks do not pay annual fees or taxes.  These lands are effectively removed from the tax base.