Our Public Lands - Not From Our Cold, Dead Hands

By Kit Fischer

“This land is your land, this land is my land.” In 1944 Woody Guthrie made this song famous as the US struggled to lift itself out of the Great Depression and the Second World War. Today those words epitomize a new battle occurring in the American West...one where misguided lawmakers are embroiled in a bitter battle over the future of our public lands. This is land they see fit to exploit and sell to the highest bidder and, sadly enough, Montana is no exception.

Originating out of Utah in the 70s, the Sagebrush Rebellion has slowly spread into western politics and, most recently, the Republican National Committee. In addition, it has become a flashpoint in Republican-led state legislatures and rural communities. The rhetoric emerging out of Utah and the newly famed western outlaw Cliven Bundy, has focused on the transfer of federal lands to the states and, ultimately, selling and privatizing it—all to the highest bidder. This would allow private individuals to reap the benefits of sub-surface minerals, forest products, and wildlife, while locking the public out of lands designated for multiple uses. On the national level, the Republic National Committee approved a resolution, during their winter meeting, endorsing proposals to turn our public lands over to Western states that want them.

Nearly one third of Montana is owned by the federal government and managed under the multiple-use mandate, which includes our national forests, wildlife refuges, national parks, monuments and BLM holdings. That’s a hair more than 26 million acres open for fishing, hiking, biking, hunting and birdwatching. The majority of this land is also managed to turn a profit for private business. The livestock, timber and mining industries all depend on inexpensive federal leases and permits to turn a profit. It’s a balancing act that most Montanans are well aware of and respect. Everyone benefits from public lands.

For those living in the eastern part of the country, the concept of public land is a foreign concept. A mere 5% of lands east of Montana are in public ownership. Private lands and waters are the status quo in most of these states, where outdoor opportunities are limited and natural resource extraction and privatization of wildlife is the status quo. In the West, the outdoor economy is a big deal. The reason people visit the West and make their lives in the West is because of the opportunities public lands allow. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, outdoor recreation generates $646 billion to the national economy. Hunters and anglers, the vast majority of those recreating on public lands, contribute $90 billion a year, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service ...

http://mtpr.org/post/our-public-lands-not-our-cold-dead-hands