More Presidential discussion on public lands

[CodyCass]

People can come back to this thread and hold me to this comment. I will not vote for Ted Cruz, no matter who he has as an opponent.

I will cast a write-in vote before I would vote for Ted Cruz. As I often say, the lesser of two idiots is still an idiot.

I feel the same way. Even worse, I may "sit this one out", as unamerican as it might be. I can't bring myself to vote for any of these knuckle heads. I've had people I considered friends call me a liberal for taking such a hard line on the public lands issue, but I will not waiver.

I have told the NRA any future renewal of membership is pending them publicly picking a side in this fight. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm 99.9999% sure they don't care about the public lands we hold so dearly.

 

[Southwind]

For the first time in my life I will be sitting this one out.

 

[TheDudeAbides]

Will not vote for Tedward

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Anyone
But
Cruz

 

[Ben Lamb]

I feel the same way. Even worse, I may "sit this one out", as unamerican as it might be. I can't bring myself to vote for any of these knuckle heads. I've had people I considered friends call me a liberal for taking such a hard line on the public lands issue, but I will not waiver.

I have told the NRA any future renewal of membership is pending them publicly picking a side in this fight. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm 99.9999% sure they don't care about the public lands we hold so dearly.

Don't sit it out. There are still local races, congressional races, etc where your vote is needed.

 

[shoots-straight]

Ben is right. Even if you can't vote for anyone in the Presidential race, there are sportsman friendly candidates that need your support so they can support us.

 

[quarterhorse]

Hard to believe the transfer idea has gotten the traction it has. Part of a presidential campaign platform - must be a bought and paid for candidate.

 

[jryoung]

Hard to believe the transfer idea has gotten the traction it has. Part of a presidential campaign platform - must be a bought and paid for candidate.

Is it suprising the Wilks brothers ( in addition to locking Idaho hunters out of 38,000 acres they just acquired) have give Cruz $15M?

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/25/politics/ted-cruz-wilks-brothers/

 

[CodyCass]

Don't sit it out. There are still local races, congressional races, etc where your vote is needed.

You are right and I should have said I'll refrain from the presidential vote and stick to the local races.

 

[Lawnboy]

Can someone post some examples of how states have sold lands that were generally well used public lands? I ask because I have friends and relatives who feel he's the best candidate and I bring up this issue to them. I admit I'm not as well versed as many of you but if you could help me by providing examples I'd like to be able to share factual examples with them why this is bad.

Thanks

 

[jryoung]

That might be a tough example broadly speaking, but the Eliot State Forest is a good current example.

This link has a good list of state by state restrictions on state land.

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?t=263505

 

[Big Fin]

Can someone post some examples of how states have sold lands that were generally well used public lands? I ask because I have friends and relatives who feel he's the best candidate and I bring up this issue to them. I admit I'm not as well versed as many of you but if you could help me by providing examples I'd like to be able to share factual examples with them why this is bad.

Thanks

How many you need to get their eyes opened?

Here is one that is being sold right now in Oregon - Elliot State Forest. All 94,000 acres of it that is currently open to the public is going to private ownership.

Link here - http://www.oregon.gov/dsl/Common_School_Fund_Property/Pages/Elliott-Opportunity---Project.aspx


I think you have family in AK. Alaska sells their state land to fund the University System, the Mental Health System, and part of the Eduction System. Alaska has perfected the art of selling land as much as anyone.

Here is where you can buy some Alaska land right now - http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/landsale/


And if they want to buy some Utah land, Utah is doing a true "Land Office" business in disposing of their public lands. If your family members can get registered, they can get in on the May auction at this link - http://trustlands.utah.gov/land-sale-auctions/may-25-2016-land-sale-auction-2/

Utah sold almost 3,000 acres down by Zion (?) last fall and I guess it had some great deer hunting. Probably still great deer hunting, but rather now it is "private deer hunting." That link shows the many auctions Utah has to dispose of this nuisance hunting land.


You can tell them to email me if they want more examples. Those links took about four or five minutes.

Nevada is mad, because they sold 2,000,000 acres of their state land to the political cronies and now they are out of inventory. They are fighting to get the BLM to give them some more inventory they can move off the market. Cruz was in Nevada promising just that in February.

 

[Lawnboy]

Thanks for the examples. I'm not much of a political fighter and haven't began engaging much. I just needed some examples for when the time comes. Fin it is family on the other side of the equation

 

[Big Fin]

Thanks for the examples. I'm not much of a political fighter and haven't began engaging much. I just needed some examples for when the time comes. Fin it is family on the other side of the equation

You just have them call me. They know where to find me. Don't want you worrying about your brothers taking you out to the woodshed after Easter Dinner.

 

[Schaaf]

I'm far too young to get the blood pressure spikes that I do surrounding this topic.

I'll echo an earlier statement that for all my life I have leaned towards the conservative side and will never write Ted Cruz down on my ballot.

 

[noharleyyet]

WASHINGTON — A program that has generated $3.5 billion since 1998 for Nevada parks and trails, open spaces, forest fire prevention and hundreds of other projects is back after being hit hard by the Great Recession.

Another $39.1 million will be provided for 43 more projects in the state this year, with more sales planned until the end of the federal fiscal year in October.

U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced this week that the biggest share of the new funding — $12.2 million — will go for environmentally sensitive land acquisition with $5.1 million for capital improvements, $4.7 million for parks, trails and natural areas, and $4.1 million for a landscape restoration project in eastern Nevada.

Funds also will go for hazardous fuels reduction and wildfire prevention, conservation initiatives and multi-species habitat conservation.

Some of the projects include:

* Long-term restoration actions on 4,369 acres in the Harris Springs Canyon watershed that were damaged in the Carpenter 1 Fire in July 2013.

* Enhancement of Pahrump poolfish habitat within the Shoshone Ponds Area in South Spring Valley.

* Acquisition of 8.2 acres by the U.S. Forest Service in the Lee Canyon area of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area to consolidate federal ownership and prevent additional development.

* Restoration of about 1,500 acres within the Lake Valley watershed to improve sage grouse habitat.

* Implementation of desert tortoise monitoring within Clark County.

* An outdoor education and nature connection center at the Clark County Wetlands Park.

* Upgrades to plaza and safety enhancements at Hoover Dam.

* A stargazing theater and gathering center for a science camp at the Great Basin National Park in White Pine County.

Funding comes from the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act of 1998, which allows revenue generated by sales of public lands in the Las Vegas area to be divided among the state's general education fund, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and a fund under the Interior secretary for recreation and conservation projects.

"Thanks to productive partnerships at every level of government, these projects will restore and enhance Nevada's natural beauty and unique landscapes while improving the quality of life for millions of people in the state," Jewell said.

"This year's funding will make landscapes more resilient in the face of longer wildfire seasons, create economic opportunities through increased outdoor recreation, and enhance protections for environmentally and culturally sensitive areas."

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, who promoted the 1998 law, welcomed the agency's announcement and said the level of funding is the largest under the program since the recession.

Until the recession cut the demand for Bureau of Land Management land, the program was a welcome and dependable source of money for parks and other projects.

According to a report, 10,329 acres of public land were sold in 2004 for $884 million with $248 million going to Las Vegas and $280 million to Clark County. The fund brought in only $457,000 in 2010, near the end of the recession.

Wetlands Park and the Clark County Shooting Park were built with that money, along with dozens of trails.

The land sale funds also paid for the construction of Centennial Hills Park, a new Red Rock Visitors Center, outdoor exhibits at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve and the Neon Museum and Boneyard.

More public land is scheduled to go up for sale soon. The Bureau of Land Management announced it was seeking public comments on a proposal to sell 608.57 acres of public land in Clark County.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/federal-land-sale-fund-growing-again-nevada

 

[Southwind]

I have told the NRA any future renewal of membership is pending them publicly picking a side in this fight. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm 99.9999% sure they don't care about the public lands we hold so dearly.

I have notified them also in the same manor, not sure it will matter but I thought the more that contact them and let them know where we stand the better.

I asked them to take the lead against transfer or sale of federal lands and to not support any candidate that would be in favor of transferring or selling. I also strongly urged them not to alienate the western sportsman by ignoring this issue because our eyes are watching how they will respond.

Like I said it may fall on deaf ears but I stated my views.

 

[Trial153]

Cruz will not get a vote out of me no matter who the opponent is.

 

[Nameless Range]

Cruz is about as slimy as they come, and with the recent poor showings of Rubio, it looks like it is between him and Trump for the Republican nomination, with Cruz having an uphill climb. Interestingly the "establishment" hates Cruz almost as much as Trump.

NRA members are passionate, and in some cases rightly concerned. That said, if this were any other org advocating for any other issue, and that org consistently supported candidates aligned in direct contradiction to something as intertwined to the issue as hunting and public lands, that org would be chained to the whipping post. To most of its members, the NRA is Religion, and Wayne LaPierre is an omniscient disembodied cosmic mind. With one sentence, the NRA could end the whole transfer movement.

The longer the NRA is silent, the more apparent it should become that they are as much a part of the problem as the Rob Bishops and ALCs of the world.

 

[Cheaha]

Please do not sit out the presidential election. Silence is not helpful. May I suggest you write in a vote for a public land advocate, like Randy Newberg, or, if you want to be more esoteric, Theodore Roosevelt? Write ins are listed on election results but are almost never reported by news media. However, if a name shows up consistently election officials will notice and, hopefully, it will make its way to the public eye.