Transfer of Public Lands Act and Study

[Big Sky Dreamin]

KMWJR- record the phone call and you will have a record. Maybe not admissible in court but it'll work in the court of public opinion if he turns out to be full of manure.

 

[BigRack]

Nevada - Granted 2.1 million acres at statehood. They now have 3,000 acres remaining. All sold for $1.50 per acre to political cronies.

Wyoming - Granted 4.2 million acres at statehood. They now have 3.5 million acres remaining. They sold 700K acres that we can no longer hunt, fish, etc. No camping on state lands. Imagine doing a Wyoming Range mule deer hunt in Region G if you had to hike in each morning and hike out each day because these lands that are currently USFS lands became state trust lands that you could not set your camp on.

Utah - Granted 6 million acres at statehood. They now have 3.4 million acres remaining. That is 2.6 million they have sold or otherwise disposed of. Utah is very active in selling state trust lands, the most recent being sold in October. Link here - http://trustlands.utah.gov/sitla-land-auction-earns-673k-for-public-schools/

Alaska - Granted 100 million acres, though some is still waiting to be transferred. Alaska is very active in selling their state lands. They sell land to fund the school system, the university system, and their mental health system. Here is the link to how you can buy some if you qualify - http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/landsale/sale_faq.cfm#9

Colorado - No hunting allowed on CO state lands, unless permission from the lessee. There are 23 million acres of BLM and USFS land in Colorado that if transferred to the state would not allow for open public hunting. Here is their land board website. Read this opening paragraph - Unlike federally owned land in Colorado, state trust land is not open for public recreational use.

These are some examples to start with. Similar examples in NM, MT, and ID. Arizona is one state that has been aggressive in retaining their state lands and also adding to them as they are able.

Those are State issues. I don't recall you saying people in those States should do something about that in your shows.

 

[Big Fin]

Those are State issues. I don't recall you saying people in those States should do something about that in your shows.

And the point being?

I doubt you are suggesting I should tell Wyoming of Colorado or New Mexico what they should do with their state laws. If you are, I would disagree. I wish they would change these laws, but that is up to them, not some guy in Montana.

I doubt you are suggesting that other states with a big cadre of fringe legislators would never attempt to change their state laws to look like what is used in Colorado, given the venom state legislators have shown against public access in places like UT, MT, AK, and ID, where we can currently access state trust lands. If you do think those states would be immune from the efforts to limit or reduce public recreation on lands they would acquire, then again, we would disagree.

Maybe you see a way to disconnect Federal transfer idea from the quirks of state laws that restrict public access to State Trust Lands in many western states. If you have a way to disconnect those realities, I would be interested in hearing it.

 

[Big Fin]

This article is one of the best I have found giving an abbreviated history of the public land topics the folly-driven Utah legislature thinks is worth their $14 million lawsuit against the Feds. Worth the time to read, for sure.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/3365969-155/the-history-and-law-behind-utahs?fullpage=1