BEND (AP) - The cost of spending time on public land in Oregon can add up - to $155 a year for somebody who pays for all federal and state annual passes.

The nine recreational pass programs allow unlimited visits to state parks, national forests, coastal parks, the lower Deschutes River, Sno-Parks during winter recreation and national parks in Oregon.

Granted, not everyone buys every annual pass. Many people may choose to pay a more moderate day fee, or they may not purchase all of the passes that allow access to all areas of the state.

But just how much people should pay for recreation has become a hot issue in Oregon. Fee proponents defend the costs, saying recreation should be paid for, in part, by those who use the trails, parking lots and facilities such as picnic tables, boat launches and restrooms.

Opponents of fees complain of incessant charges and increases and say fees are double taxation.

The fees supplement stagnant or slightly increasing government budgets that don't cover the costs of maintaining trails, trailheads and other recreation areas, fee proponents say.

Everybody agrees the fees are going up.

That was the case earlier this spring when government officials representing eight agencies decided at a meeting to increase the annual pass required to boat the lower Deschutes River from $35 to $75.

Later, they reduced the cost for this summer to $60, but the Web site that sells the pass says the annual fee will be $75 after this year's summer season. One thing is clear: Whether it's a pass to float the river, hike the forest, climb rocks or hang out on the coast, today's recreationists have to navigate government bureaucracy to get the proper pass before heading out; and some also must tighten their own budgets if they want to enjoy nature.

"The user-fee thing has the effect of keeping us off of our land," said Andre Pinette, 49, of Bend.

"I like to get out (in nature) for a couple of days, and just rest and get solitude. But now, that is called 'recreation,' and I am considered a customer to the federal government and other land management agencies. There is something seriously wrong with this picture."

In protest, Pinette no longer buys forest passes and does not visit areas that require parking fees.

But government agencies do not have enough money to accommodate the public at popular areas, said David McClain, a part-time Bend resident and developer who serves on an advisory committee for the Deschutes National Forest.

Fees help pay for rangers, trail crews and comfort facilities like toilets and visitor centers, he said.

"The bottom line is there aren't enough dollars to go around," McClain said in a telephone interview from Portland. "There is an idea that the consumer has to pay for some of the benefits they get from the use of the national forest. It's not a free lunch."