Volmer, you should include the issues states like Idaho are facing when you post these things from groups like the Wilderness Society based out of Washington DC
http://www.quitandliveglobal.com/news.asp?id=17
"BOISE, Idaho, Jan. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ On the heels of heart wrenching public testimony at historic Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee hearings last week regarding harsh Medicaid cuts, things may be going from bad to worse as estimates for state budget shortfalls soar from $35 million to roughly $185 million and counting."
But then again, the Wilderness Society land use management programs have directly lead to an increase all across the west to results like this instead of using these lands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieTQvIdG-Vo
Is there a balance that needs to be reached? indeed. But groups like The Wilderness Society push the pendelum just as far one way as those "greedy" folks do the other. The article in your link mentions the American Lands Council.
Here is their mission statement. Tell us what are the negatives.
Our Mission
American Lands Council is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization of individuals, counties, business, and organizations that was founded by County Commissioners in 2012. The Mission of the American Lands Council is to secure local control of western public lands by transferring federal public lands to willing States. ALC is leading the charge by giving leaders the knowledge and courage to battle for the only solution big enough to ensure
better access,
better health, AND
better productivity through the Transfer of Public Lands (TPL) to local stewardship.
here is their public policy statement.
Public Policy Statement
Ratified by unanimous consent Oct 9, 2014 at ALC Multi-State Workshop
Salt Lake City, UT and Oct 20, 2014 by American Lands Council Board of Directors.
1. WE URGE THE TIMELY AND ORDERLY TRANSFER OF FEDERAL PUBLIC LANDS TO WILLING STATES FOR LOCAL CONTROL THAT WILL PROVIDE BETTER PUBLIC ACCESS, BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, AND BETTER ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY;
2. WE SUPPORT EXCLUDING EXISTING NATIONAL PARKS, CONGRESSIONALLY DESIGNATED WILDERNESS AREAS, INDIAN RESERVATIONS, AND MILITARY INSTALLATIONS FROM THE TRANSFER; AND
3. WE SUPPORT EQUIPPING FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL AGENCIES WITH RESOURCES NECESSARY TO PLAN FOR A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO STATE-BASED OWNERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT OF THE TRANSFERRED PUBLIC LANDS; AND
4. WE URGE MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES FOR THESE LANDS THAT WILL:
i. IMPROVE PUBLIC ACCESS: Protect public access, rights of way, and multiple-uses on public lands for all people including sportsmen, tourists, recreational users, subsistence and sustenance activities, and emergency access; and
ii. IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH: Reduce catastrophic wildfire fuel loads that threaten communities, infrastructure, watersheds, critical wildlife habitat, and our environment. Facilitate restoration of healthy forests, range lands, and waterways; and
iii. IMPROVE ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY: Secure jobs and economic growth through responsible natural resource stewardship and use including tourism and recreational opportunities; and
iv. RETAIN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF PUBLIC LANDS: Federal public lands shall become state public lands to be managed in accordance with state and local plans; and
v. IMPROVE EFFICIENCY OF WILDFIRE CONTROL: Provide state, local, and tribal government with adequate wildfire prevention and control resources and develop interstate/interagency cooperative agreements necessary to combat wildfires effectively; and
vi. INCREASE LOCAL INVOLVEMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY: Ensure state-based public land management activities are consistent with local government plans, policies, and objectives; and
vii. PROTECT USE RIGHTS: Protect all valid existing rights and multiple uses, and enhance the viability of compatible, land-based livelihoods; and
viii. PRESERVE CUSTOMS & CULTURE: Preserve and protect important wild, scenic, cultural and economic resources; and
ix. INCORPORATE FEDERAL AGENCY EXPERTISE: Seek to utilize federal expertise and research through employment and/or cooperative agreements; and
x. GENERATE SELF-SUPPORTING FINANCE: Foster compatible economic productivity to support essential government services such as local roads, utilities, emergency services, public health and safety, education, justice, and other civic functions while reducing tax burdens on citizens nationally and offsetting federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes and Secure Rural Schools funds.
On the other hand here is what the Wilderness Society supports. Note the sign, it shows what the "conservation mission" of these groups truly are. Perhaps hunters should not be so easily fooled into supporting their "mission".
The focus of our work
Achieving the BLM's conservation mission
Araviapa Canyon, Arizona, by Scott Jones, flickr.
The BLM is responsible for managing a wide range of lands and resources, as well as the types of activities that take place on those lands. Energy development and grazing are two well-known activities the BLM manages, but there is another very important mission. Conservation is an integral, yet often overlooked, part of the agency’s responsibilities. We work to help the BLM embrace its conservation legacy by ensuring that conservation objectives are integrated into BLM plans and policies.
McKenna Peak, Colorado, by Soren Jespersen
An extensive network of off-road vehicle trails and roads traverses much of our public lands. Keeping some of our land accessible to a non-motorized experience is an important means of protecting our natural heritage. We consider the increasingly rare opportunities for quiet and primitive recreation on BLM lands to be a resource that all people should be able to experience.
