Keeping public land is vital for future generations to enjoy the wild
One of the most prevalent resources this nation holds is in danger of disappearing, falling to the wayside only to be squandered and forgotten.
A vast majority of the land that the United States of America owns is part of an expansive system of nationally held public lands, which are used, cherished and owned by every tax-paying citizen.
The first real movements to publicize lands for the members of this nation to use and enjoy came about near the turn of the century, with the Conservation Movement, John Muir, Theodore Roosevelt and the rest of that ilk. Since the opening of the first National Parks there has been a continuous stream of land not turned over to private investors. Not to those whom can pay top dollar for a prime parcel of land, but rather to the public, who pay for all to have equal and fair use.
Public lands and their federal ownership was recently forced into the national light when, at the beginning of 2016, a sizable group of men and women gathered at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to protest the ownership of federal lands in Oregon and throughout the Western United States. The real issues came about when, rather than peacefully protesting, these individuals advocated for the release of the state-held lands using force, taking the refuge at gun point and holding it in an armed standoff with local, county, state and federal law enforcement authorities.
The heart of the issue — the same one these men and women advocate so endearingly for — is if these lands were to be sold, who would be getting the best of that deal?
The vast stretches of national forest and sprawling watersheds protected in perpetuity as wilderness are a resource that any person, willing and able, can use. It is the ability for an individual to access such an expansive and inclusive system that makes these lands so special to begin with. To think that someone with enough capital and legislative clout could strong-arm these opportunities out of so many peoples’ lives is a terrifying thought.
As a tax-paying citizen, I have helped purchase and preserve these refuges, forests and parks for the enjoyment of everyone. The ability of a faceless corporation to gobble up land for its own gain is a genuine fear. When people are denied a privilege as grand as open space and boundless landscapes, we are all worse off for it.
Some may say that this is a big “if.” They’d be wrong. It has happened in this state.
A vast private timber stand owned by Potlatch Corporation, in West Central Idaho, was recently sold to a group of eastern businessmen. Upon delivery of the deed, they immediately closed the mountains to all public access. Hundreds of hunters were left with unfillable tags, and recreators throughout the community were left wondering what the future would hold.
Because in the end, it is not about me or any other single living person when I talk about protecting and preserving public lands. People of the present already have the chance to experience and explore these gems sprinkled through the West.
The true victims of acts such as these are the future generations that will never get the change to experience the wonder of the American wild.
Spencer Colvin can be reached at [email protected]