I’m not much into politics, but I absolutely adore the outdoors. When something steps up with the potential to affect what I love, it catches my attention.
I’m going to insert an excerpt from http://www.wilderness.org below, with a link to the full article afterward, and I suggest you read it. If you agree that this is wrong, please follow the link and sign the petition to stop it. Together, we can make a difference and keep the property of the people, the property of the people, instead of selling it off to the highest bidder.
Special interest groups are trying to seize your public lands
America’s national forests, wildlife refuges, parks, and public lands are part of our national identity. That our public lands should be open to everyone to experience and enjoy is one of our nation’s proudest and most sacred traditions.
But this powerful American idea—defended by generations of bipartisan leaders—is under attack. In 11 western states (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming), a coalition of special interest groups is lobbying state governments to seize America’s public lands so they can be privatized or auctioned for drilling, mining, and logging.
More recently, the idea of state take-over of our national lands has spread to Congress. In late March, the Senate approved a budget amendment (S.A. 838) that would facilitate the transfer or sale of national forests, wilderness areas and wildlife refuges to states. Also, a budget resolution in the House of Representatives (p. 119) expresses support for this idea: “The budget resolution supports reducing the Federal estate, and giving States and localities more control over the resources within their boundaries. This will lead to increased resource production and allow States and localities to take advantage of the benefits of increased economic activity.”
Both the Senate amendment and the House resolution speak to a broader agenda in this Congress to suppress Americans’ rights to access and enjoy the lands that belong to all of us—whether we live in Maine, Montana, or Mississippi.
This radical notion of locking up public lands—including forest lands and Bureau of Land Management lands where Americans love to hike, camp, hunt and fish—would reduce the freedom to access these lands for all of us, including our children and grandchildren. Ultimately, this effort could sacrifice our most treasured parks, wilderness, and national monuments, we may find ‘no trespassing’ signs and barricades instead of open trails and scenic views.
Sign the petition: Keep public lands in public hands.
http://wilderness.org/keep-america%E2%80%99s-public-lands-public-hands
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