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| -Land of the Free | |
| The federal government ‐ which owns most of this land ‐ is determined to move from a "use and let use" system of accessing Western public lands to a permission-based system that will mean reservations, permits, and closures. | |
| 2023-11-07 | |
There is a plan underway to close the great open spaces of the American West to you, me, our children, and our children’s children. The federal government — which owns most of this land — is determined to move from a “use and let use” system of accessing Western public lands to a permission-based system that will mean reservations, permits, and closures. Just last month, the Bureau of Land Management issued a final decision to close 317 miles of historic and popular off-road trails near Moab, Utah. For decades, these trails — which are mostly old uranium mining roads — have been enjoyed by everyone from Jeep owners to dirt bike riders to base jumpers looking for a place to land. They have evocative names like Gemini Bridges, Mashed Potatoes, and Dead Cow Trail. They appear in guidebooks. Some of them are even featured in the hugely popular Easter Jeep Safari. The plan is already being implemented, and it threatens the freedom enjoyed by tens of millions of Americans who hike, camp, Jeep, mountain bike, ATV, fish, swim, canoe, kayak, trail run, overland, base jump, raft, and backpack the millions of acres of free space that make “the West” the West. I have enjoyed our public lands my entire life. There is nothing like a sip of coffee as you watch the first rays of dawn begin to break on the red rocks. You don’t realize how tough your kids are until they shrug off a chilly 15-degree night in a sleeping bag. And you don’t really appreciate how unfathomably vast the West is until you spend three days exploring the backcountry without seeing another human soul. All of these experiences — and many others — take place on public lands. There is no entrance fee. There is no permit required. You just lace up your hiking boots, or jump in your pickup, or hop on your mountain bike, and you go. Simple as that. So long you don’t litter or destroy or cause a ruckus, you are left to your own devices. It is something that unites Americans of every class, creed, color, and political persuasion. But now, that freedom to roam is under assault from a plan to close everything off and make you ask permission before you enjoy it. If nothing is done to stop it, one of the last, great, unifying forces in American public and private life will be fundamentally transformed and left unrecognizable before most people realize what is happening. Zooming out, the aggressive rate of federal trail closures is part of the larger “30×30” plan that President Joe Biden announced shortly after taking office. The alleged intention is to “conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters and 30% of U.S. ocean areas by 2030.” There is no evidence that users of these trails have been damaging them. Indeed, people cherish these lands. Go drive the trails and you will rarely encounter even a single piece of trash. That is why they have been in use for decades with no appreciable degradation. Nevertheless, the federal government is now implementing a plan to close hundreds of miles of cherished trails. And that is why the BlueRibbon Coalition — the nation’s premier group dedicated to preserving motorized access to wilderness — has joined with the Colorado Offroad Trail Defenders to challenge the plan in court. They are represented by my organization, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. What the Biden administration’s plan really means is an aggressive plan to close those lands to use by the public. Well, not to the entire public — crunchy backpackers and hikers are still beloved by the left. But the executive decision will limit access for the “wrong” kind of outdoorsy people — people who drive Jeeps and Toyotas and ride ATVs and dirt bikes, and who look like they might be having a good time without suffering under a heavy backpack. | |
| Posted by:NoMoreBS |
| #14 I'm a long-time foe and critic of the BLM. (In fact, I'm a co-litigant in a lawsuit against them right now.) The solution to the problem of the BLM is a simple one: devolution to the states. They need to be disbanded as a federal agency, state agencies need to be established, and all of their personnel and property need to be transferred to those newly established agencies. At this point in history the BLM exists to keep rural Americans poor. Sixty three percent of my state (Nevada) is owned by the Bureau of Land Management; 85.9 percent is owned by the federal government in total. Nobody in DC cares about what happens to Nevadans - except maybe for the people who live within the city limits of Las Vegas. As a state we are rich in only one thing: land. And that's controlled by an agency that doesn't care about us, isn't answerable to us as a polity, and has no incentive to do anything that benefits us whatsoever. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2023-11-07 18:53 |
| #13 If the Feds can't identify a national need for the property, it should revert to the States |
| Posted by: Frank G 2023-11-07 18:12 |
| #12 It has been obvious for many years that it would be best if the Federal Govt sold a lot of this. It would be best to turn it over to the sovereign states its in. Let them sell it. Could you imagine the outrage if the Feds decreed that anywhere outside of the original 13 states, that when a person dies, their land reverts back to the national government. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2023-11-07 14:24 |
| #11 Let them try to enforce it. Big, empty remote territory is big, empty and remote, just sayin'. |
| Posted by: Nero 2023-11-07 14:11 |
| #10 RV camped in the Moab/Arches area recently. Very popular place for off-road folks and their families. This will not go over well. More of the same elitist crap. |
| Posted by: Cured Romantic 2023-11-07 13:46 |
| #9 Over 500 million acres are owned by the Federal Govt west of the Mississippi. About the equivalent of the states of Alaska and Texas combined. Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Forest Service and Dept of Defense each manage a lot of land. It has been obvious for many years that it would be best if the Federal Govt sold a lot of this. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2023-11-07 13:41 |
| #8 WIll EVs get favored treatment? The EVs wouldn't last very long on some of the roads/trails mentioned. Too heavy, low ground clearance and not enough 'juice'. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2023-11-07 11:55 |
| #7 Mostly about control, taxes, and more bureaucracy. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2023-11-07 11:42 |
| #6 Maybe another shot as gas-powered vehicles. WIll EVs get favored treatment? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2023-11-07 10:31 |
| #5 How very English. King's Speech confirms Government crackdown on leasehold property regime |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2023-11-07 09:51 |
| #4 |
| Posted by: Cholutle Thrans9751 2023-11-07 09:34 |
| #3 Permitted use is a bad idea. During the pandemic you had t get a permit to DRIVE into the Rocky Mtn Forrest. It was a mess. |
| Posted by: Ebbuger Whuque4103 2023-11-07 09:06 |
| #2 The federal government owns ALL the land. There are no freeholds in the US. Try not paying your property taxes and find out |
| Posted by: Slenter Panda4300 2023-11-07 07:33 |
| #1 So basically, only wealthy and loyal democrat donators will be allowed to use the land? |
| Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance 2023-11-07 01:41 |