Trump on Public Lands-Maybe Not the Ally You Thought Edition

[Straight Arrow]

Sec. 4. Authorization to form constitution and state government; limitations... Third. That the people inhabiting said territory do agree and declare that they forever disclaim all right
and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within said territory, and that the same shall be and remain
at the sole and entire disposition of the United States

Thanks, neffa3. That language seems to be either ignored or misinterpreted by the transfer movement. It is perplexing that the enabling act language seems to be the legal context which they assert as supporting "taking back" federal public lands. I don't get it.

 

[jryoung]

Speaking for myself, I would hope all who voted for Trump or voted third party or write-in stick around and help fight against these attempts to eliminate public lands, clean air and clean water. If we truly want unity, here's a great way to put aside partisan bickering and come together against an overwhelming force that seeks to undermine not only our public lands & access, but our bedrock environmental laws.

It will take an army of Americans to beat back what is sure to be one of the largest assaults on lands & wildlife since before TR's time

True dat, party affiliation should be about the eleventieth reason for taking up these issues. Quite frankly, it's becoming an ad hominem attack when there is plenty actual substance to disagree with. There are folks from all colors, stripes, and polka dots that want access, healthy landscapes, and a place to hunt and fish.

 

[Tkaldahl2000]

My assessment of this election is that we got the second worst possible outcome. My take-away though (cuz I want to leave the lid on THAT can of worms) is that it is not enough to vote once every two or four years. When I saw an ad that insulted my intelligence I let my representative know what I thought of it. I will be contacting my representative to let him know what I think of this transfer plan. I did vote 3rd party, but this should not be a partisan issue. The politics of division are intended to keep us from working together. It is to easy to call someone a Libtard or a Republitard and dismiss all of their ideas out of hand, but if we show some respect and put the name calling aside we might actually be able to forge a reasonable solution out of the best ideas from both sides.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Bwana, serious question..why don't you just come out and invite the "majority of people here" to leave because that's what your broken record is playing.

Harley, serious question ...why don't you just come out and tell me to leave because I don't share your viewpoint.
I see this forum first and foremost as a public land hunting forum and I am very worried about the future of our public lands. Perhaps you don't care about public land because TX has so little.

 

[Southern Elk]

And for those wondering how long it would take the fringe elements of the Republican Party to start their push to transfer Federal lands, here you go. The House Natural Resource Committee is holding a hearing today on a bill for Nevada, the state with the worst track record of selling their lands.

https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr1484/BILLS-114hr1484ih.xml

This bill has been sitting in Committee for over a year, but now, feeling emboldened, it is the first artillery volley in what will be a long battle to protect our hunting access to these public lands. Stand and fight or be prepared to get kicked off the public landscape.

View attachment 64473

Here is a link to the House Natural Resource Committee. If you want to be a public land advocate, here is your chance to be one.

http://naturalresources.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=401321

BHA sent out an email on this earlier today. It contained a link to email your congressman and senators. I emailed mine. Here's the link, if people here didn't get the email. Everyone should do this and ask your friends and family to do the same.

http://www.backcountryhunters.org/s...tm_medium=email&utm_source=backcountryhunters

 

[noharleyyet]

Perhaps you don't care about public land because TX has so little.

Keep painting....

 

[beginnerhunter]

Has anyone put together an email specific to this bill?? I think it would have more teeth if it were more specific. The language in the bill seems obvious but I'm not a lawyer. If someone has put together an email explaining exactly why this bill is a bad idea, I'd love to copy it. Thanks.

 

[shoots-straight]

It's pretty simple in that it says Nevada will identify no less than 7.2 million acres of federal lands to have transferred to their coffers.

 

[Gerald Martin]

As J.R. Young's post alluded to, breaking this down into a "blame the R's and the people who voted for them" is not going to protect public lands. Those who are determined to alienate potential allies in this fight because they have different interests in other areas of political policy are going to be just as much a part of the problem as the people who blindly pull a R lever at election time and trust them to properly manage public lands because they don't like Obama and the feds.

I did not vote for Trump, but I was glad to see him prevail over Clinton. The R's are wrong on this issue and I will be doing all I can to challenge, change and oppose this idiotic policy. On other issues and policies their platform is reflective of my own values and I support them. My ballot was a hodge-podge of votes for R and D and independent based completely on who I thought the best individual for that position was. Some I voted for won and some lost. The key to winning this fight is to be able to develop an ability to lobby representatives on both sides of the aisle so that no matter where a politicians lands on the conservative/liberal metric on other positions they know that public lands are something most Americans treasure regardless of party affiliation.

Petty finger pointing and further splintering of sportsmen by name calling, blaming, etc. does nothing to further public land protection.

 

[e300winmag]

Well said Gerald and JR. It's time we all put our efforts together in protecting our lands and stop fighting over political affiliations. If we do this our child and grandchildren will have lands to explore and hunt and fish like we enjoy today!!

 

[Big Fin]

As J.R. Young's post alluded to, breaking this down into a "blame the R's and the people who voted for them" is not going to protect public lands. Those who are determined to alienate potential allies in this fight because they have different interests in other areas of political policy are going to be just as much a part of the problem as the people who blindly pull a R lever at election time and trust them to properly manage public lands because they don't like Obama and the feds.

.......

Petty finger pointing and further splintering of sportsmen by name calling, blaming, etc. does nothing to further public land protection.

Completely agree, Gerald.

And to those who want to continue with the partisan division on these topics and incite further rancor on a very important topic such as this, you can pack your keyboard and go elsewhere. There will come a time when you log in here and you password is not valid.

There is a hurricane of public land bills coming our way. I don't care if you are a Bernie supporter, a Trump supporter, or someone who did not vote for any of them. We need the help and advocacy of every hunter. Folks better get over the partisan crap or move along.

 

[Big Sky Dreamin]

To the Minnesotans on here, keep an eye on your reps. I've written Ellison several times. He is pro public lands and an ally in this fight. I do not know where Paulson, Emmer, or Peterson stand but we do have fed lands in this state and we need to put pressure on them to oppose divesting our lands. I also suspect Lewis will support the Republican platform once in office but I don't know and I'm not in that district.

We need to get as many congressmen onboard with keeping our lands and pressure the snot out of any R Rep that could be vulnerable in the midterms especially if they are soft on public lands.

Be active, write letters, join BHA, follow TRCP, do all that you can and more.

 

[glassy]

Thanks for the reminder, BigFin and Gerald. I certainly did not mean to create any sort of division or derision when reinvigorating this thread with post #37 on Nov. 11, 2016. I almost didn't post the question as I had just read your post on being respectful and not corrosive here, but I figured I'd try it anyways.

With that said let's move forward. If it's true that folks who are in favor of lands transfer (like in HR 1484) now control the majority of congress, then what can we do about it at this point. I have a feeling there are probably many others in the same boat as myself. I voted; I've already written my senators and reps; what can I do at this point. I just have this overwhelming feeling that it's not enough. Saying that I went to the polls and sent a letter, and then rolling over to let these lands transfer is not an option. We cannot lose control of these lands. It is not an outcome I'm willing to accept. But I don't know what else to do at this point.

Let's put all our other issues aside and agree that we don't want public lands transfer. Who's got creative ideas about what else we can do?

 

[Big Fin]

With that said let's move forward. If it's true that folks who are in favor of lands transfer (like in HR 1484) now control the majority of congress, then what can we do about it at this point. I have a feeling there are probably many others in the same boat as myself. I voted; I've already written my senators and reps; what can I do at this point. I just have this overwhelming feeling that it's not enough. Saying that I went to the polls and sent a letter, and then rolling over to let these lands transfer is not an option. We cannot lose control of these lands. It is not an outcome I'm willing to accept. But I don't know what else to do at this point.

Let's put all our other issues aside and agree that we don't want public lands transfer. Who's got creative ideas about what else we can do?

Continue to write and call. Personal visits with them or staff are very helpful. Even if they are not on a Committee on which the bill is being heard, make sure they know where you stand. Be precise in discussing what bills and what provisions you don't like, or if it is a good bill, which you do like. Their staff will look up the bills and if they see these bills are continually being promoted by a group or segment of the Legislature/Congress, your elected person will start to question why some of their colleagues continue down this path.

Also, there are three groups who are leading the fight on this, at least on the national level - BHA, RMEF, TRCP. Even if you are not a member, at least give them your advocacy; follow them on FB or elsewhere, share their information on the topic, subscribe to their mailing lists, or any other way you can support them. There is risk in national level advocacy. If they hear from you that you appreciate them sticking their necks out, that is helpful.

Be your own advocate. Make sure your circle of family and hunting friends know about the issues you care of. Professionally and politely share that information with them, either in person, email, or via social media.

It is all about having the facts straight and having the loudest volume directed at the people making the decisions, either against the cause or for the cause.

The world is seldom changed by well-behaved people.

 

[RobG]

I'm guilty of letting the presidential circus distract me. The important stuff is with our Senators and Reps.

 

[beginnerhunter]

It's pretty simple in that it says Nevada will identify no less than 7.2 million acres of federal lands to have transferred to their coffers.

That's how I understand it as well. But when I send this sort of thing to my elected officials, they usually say "Nah, it's not going to do that." Just trying to think ahead to what their response might be. Maybe I'll just highlight that portion and say to them "Are you really going to vote to allow Nevada to sell federal lands?"

 

[JDH]

Is this another bill that has on the sideline waiting until the time is right? Is this the feds way of showing that the States can be responsible for the lands? Below is an excerpt from the response I received from my rep.

"On April 14, 2015, Representative Raul Labrador introduced H.R. 2316, the Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act. This legislation would require the Department of Agriculture to establish “community forest demonstration areas” at the request of individual states. The land made available for these demonstration areas would not exceed 4 million acres nationally. National Wilderness Preservation Systems, national monument sites, and select areas of the Forrest Service would not be available for designation as demonstration areas. Existing federal lands designated as demonstration areas would be managed by state advisory committees consisting of community, recreation, environmental, and forest industry stakeholders appointed by the governor of the respective state. These committees would make determinations regarding land use consistent with applicable state laws and incorporate local conservation, timber, grazing, and community requirements. Currently, H.R. 2316 awaits consideration by the House Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources."

 

[Irrelevant]

I'm guilty of letting the presidential circus distract me. The important stuff is with our Senators and Reps.

Yes and no. It's like that quote about bullies from the Ghost in the darkness. It's the fact that the party of sale owns all three. If it was just the president, or just congress it wouldn't be a big deal, but they have all the cards right now.

"When I was growing up, there was a bully in my hometown [Trump]. He used to terrorize everybody. But he wasn't the problem. He had a brother who was worse than him [R controlled Congress]. He wasn't the problem, either. One or the other was always in jail [deadlocked]. Problem was when they were together [NOW]. Alone they were just bullies,but together... they were lethal [to our public lands!]."

Corny, I know.

 

[JoseCuervo]

Is this another bill that has on the sideline waiting until the time is right? Is this the feds way of showing that the States can be responsible for the lands? Below is an excerpt from the response I received from my rep.

"On April 14, 2015, Representative Raul Labrador introduced H.R. 2316, the Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act. This legislation would require the Department of Agriculture to establish “community forest demonstration areas” at the request of individual states. The land made available for these demonstration areas would not exceed 4 million acres nationally. National Wilderness Preservation Systems, national monument sites, and select areas of the Forrest Service would not be available for designation as demonstration areas. Existing federal lands designated as demonstration areas would be managed by state advisory committees consisting of community, recreation, environmental, and forest industry stakeholders appointed by the governor of the respective state. These committees would make determinations regarding land use consistent with applicable state laws and incorporate local conservation, timber, grazing, and community requirements. Currently, H.R. 2316 awaits consideration by the House Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources."

Yes, that is the one that Labrador is pimping. He is feeling it will now be able to move forward.

As of now, here are his co-sponsors:

Rep. Young, Don [R-AK-At Large]* 05/14/2015
Rep. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY-At Large]* 05/14/2015
Rep. Amodei, Mark E. [R-NV-2]* 05/14/2015
Rep. Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-4]* 05/14/2015
Rep. Pearce, Stevan [R-NM-2] 05/19/2015
Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4]


If you are a resident of Alaska, you need to send Don Young a note letting him know what you think of him, or, better yet, calling him and telling him what you think of him and his support of this idea.
Call either of his local offices:

ANCHORAGE DISTRICT OFFICE
4241 B Street, Suite 203
Anchorage, AK 99503
T (907) 271-5978 F (907) 271-5950

FAIRBANKS FIELD OFFICE
100 Cushman St. Suite 307
Key Bank Building
Fairbanks, AK 99707
T (907) 456-0210 F (907) 456-0279​

If you are a resident of Wyoming, you need to call Congressperson Lummis.

Cheyenne Office
2120 Capitol Ave., Suite 8005
Cheyenne, WY 82001
Phone: (307) 772-2595
Fax: (307) 772-2597

Casper Office
100 E. "B" Street, Suite 4003
Casper, WY 82602
Phone: (307) 261-6595
Fax: (307) 261-6597

Sheridan Office
45 E. Loucks, Suite 300F
Sheridan, WY 82801
Phone: (307) 673-4608
Fax: (307) 673-4982​

If you are a Nevada resident, you should contact Amodei:

Reno Office

5310 Kietzke Lane, Suite 103
Reno, NV 89511

Phone: (775) 686-5760
Fax: (775) 686-5711

District Director -- Stacy Parobek


Elko Office
905 Railroad Street, Suite 104 D
Elko, NV 89801

Phone: (775) 777-7705
Fax: (775) 753-9984

Rural Representative -- Martin Paris​

If you are an Arizona resident, you might contact Gosar and give him your opinion on Labrador's folly.

Gold Canyon
6499 S. Kings Ranch Road, #4
Gold Canyon, AZ 85118
Phone: (480) 882-2697

Prescott
122 N. Cortez Street, Suite 104
Prescott, AZ 86301
Phone: (928) 445-1683​

If you are from New Mexico, you can contact Pearce at his local, vanity phone number:

570 N Telshor Blvd
Las Cruces, NM 88011
Phone: 855-4-PEARCE (732723)​

If you are from Washington, you can contact Dan Newhouse at:

Yakima Office
402 E. Yakima Ave
Suite #445
Yakima, WA 98901
Phone: (509) 452-3243
Fax: (509) 452-3438


Tri-Cities Office:
3100 George Washington Way #135
Richland, WA 99354
Phone: (509) 713-7374
Fax: (509) 713-7377​

Call up, let them know you are a life-long Republican, an avid hunter, a fisherperson, and, most importantly, a Dad (mom), GrandDad (Gma) and you are upset with their support of Rep. Labrador's H.R. 2316.

 

[Big Fin]

Is this another bill that has on the sideline waiting until the time is right? Is this the feds way of showing that the States can be responsible for the lands? Below is an excerpt from the response I received from my rep.

"On April 14, 2015, Representative Raul Labrador introduced H.R. 2316, the Self-Sufficient Community Lands Act. This legislation would require the Department of Agriculture to establish “community forest demonstration areas” at the request of individual states. The land made available for these demonstration areas would not exceed 4 million acres nationally. National Wilderness Preservation Systems, national monument sites, and select areas of the Forrest Service would not be available for designation as demonstration areas. Existing federal lands designated as demonstration areas would be managed by state advisory committees consisting of community, recreation, environmental, and forest industry stakeholders appointed by the governor of the respective state. These committees would make determinations regarding land use consistent with applicable state laws and incorporate local conservation, timber, grazing, and community requirements. Currently, H.R. 2316 awaits consideration by the House Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources."

They have a lot of BS bills on the sidelines. Every time they pull one from the closet, we need to knock the political chit out of them. This week and the next month is just the pre-season, as they know they have zero hope until they take control in January. After that, have your knives sharp and your horn filled with powder. Gonna be two really tough years.