Montana joint resolution to transfer federal public land

[Gila]

It sounds like the national chapter is problematic!!

No they are not. Radical right-wing pundits are always trying to make organizations like BHA look bad so they can get their grubby little hands on public lands. They dissed the Wildlife Federation also. They did the same thing with Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl who were pushing for CRP around the wetlands. They wanted to end the CRP program because the land they wanted to buy for extraction/development was off limits for 15 years under CRP contracts. But, take a long trip to the other end of the political spectrum and you will find radical left-wing nuts who are pushing “The Buffalo Commons” movement. It seems too “kooky” to ever happen but millions of acres in some states are already in their possession.

The Buffalo Commons is a movement to create a vast nature preserve by returning 140,000 square miles of the Great Plains to native prairie, and by reintroducing the bison ("buffalo") wolves and grizzlies, that once roamed the shortgrass and long grass prairies. The movement’s goal is to acquire contiguous parcels of land in ten states: Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. Montana has a good example of what is going. The following is from FOX news in 2022.

“The American Prairie (AP), a conservation project in Montana, has quietly scooped up more than 450,000 acres of land with the help of its billionaire donors and the federal government.

The little-known project aims to create the largest "fully functioning ecosystem" in the continental U.S. by stitching together about 3.2 million acres of private and public lands, according to the American Prairie Foundation, which founded the reserve more than 20 years ago. The group has recorded 34 transactions spanning roughly 453,188 acres of land throughout central Montana — much of which were once used for farming and grazing — since 2004 and continues to aggressively expand.

"Our mission is to assemble the largest complex of public and private lands devoted to wildlife in the lower 48," Pete Geddes, AP's vice president and chief external relations officer, told Fox News Digital in an interview. "For comparison, about 25% larger than Yellowstone."

Billionaire-funded eco group quietly taking farmland out of production in rural America

A little-known conservation project funded by billionaire moguls is slowly acquiring land made available for cattle grazing in an effort to create a "fully functioning ecosystem."

www.foxnews.com

 

[elkhunter505]

No they are not. Radical right-wing pundits are always trying to make organizations like BHA look bad so they can get their grubby little hands on public lands. They dissed the Wildlife Federation also. They did the same thing with Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl who were pushing for CRP around the wetlands. They wanted to end the CRP program because the land they wanted to buy for extraction/development was off limits for 15 years under CRP contracts. But, take a long trip to the other end of the political spectrum and you will find radical left-wing nuts who are pushing “The Buffalo Commons” movement. It seems too “kooky” to ever happen but millions of acres in some states are already in their possession.

The Buffalo Commons is a movement to create a vast nature preserve by returning 140,000 square miles of the Great Plains to native prairie, and by reintroducing the bison ("buffalo") wolves and grizzlies, that once roamed the shortgrass and long grass prairies. The movement’s goal is to acquire contiguous parcels of land in ten states: Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas. Montana has a good example of what is going. The following is from FOX news in 2022.

“The American Prairie (AP), a conservation project in Montana, has quietly scooped up more than 450,000 acres of land with the help of its billionaire donors and the federal government.

The little-known project aims to create the largest "fully functioning ecosystem" in the continental U.S. by stitching together about 3.2 million acres of private and public lands, according to the American Prairie Foundation, which founded the reserve more than 20 years ago. The group has recorded 34 transactions spanning roughly 453,188 acres of land throughout central Montana — much of which were once used for farming and grazing — since 2004 and continues to aggressively expand.

"Our mission is to assemble the largest complex of public and private lands devoted to wildlife in the lower 48," Pete Geddes, AP's vice president and chief external relations officer, told Fox News Digital in an interview. "For comparison, about 25% larger than Yellowstone."

Billionaire-funded eco group quietly taking farmland out of production in rural America

A little-known conservation project funded by billionaire moguls is slowly acquiring land made available for cattle grazing in an effort to create a "fully functioning ecosystem."

www.foxnews.com

You know I want to see Bison back on the landscape in large contiguous herds. I know it’s an unpopular opinion particularly among cattle ranchers. At the very least APR does have some transparency surrounding hunting on their properties and is not just a Ted Turner type of ranch where you pay to play. There are type 1 and type 2 opportunities that are available for the average every day hunter and I believe in that personally. Does that mean I’d rather have it in their hands than in the public’s? Absolutely not. Would I be okay with them having bison on public if it had to be through livestock designation status, absolutely.

Hunting

americanprairie.org

 

[Big Easy]

Yes it’s a TV show but that dialogue is a quite accurate assessment of the inputs involved in wind farms. And the characters summation at the end is pretty darn accurate.

 

[Gila]

Solar and wind have huge impacts on the landscape, that is not even an argument anymore. No need to rehash an established fact.

The push towards green energy and the propaganda behind it are despicable also.

With our own tax dollars we have been fed total lies from a subsidized media and education system to believe this way of energy is sustainable and is a feasible answer to environmental issues with power. Which anyone with common sense can immediately see the huge plot holes in that. Not to mention the entire cart before horse rollout of wind and solar in regards to storage and transportation.

It truly was a monumental grift to simply put money into the pockets of different shareholders. That’s all

National BHA is primarily funded by the same subsidized environmental organizations that peddled this lie. This is also well established and noted throughout many different posts on here and other media. They are at the national level a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

I’ll save you the retort about being a big fan of oil and lng or some bs about not caring about the environment. They also have massive impacts on everything and all options should be on the table to find the least impactful and most efficient way to power the world that lives in reality. IMO that answer is most likely nuclear.

This type of propaganda is what divides us and cancels our collective voices. Everyone has an opinion but this type of demonization targeting the very organizations that have our six is wrong!

 

[Billinsd]

This type of propaganda is what divides us and cancels our collective voices. Everyone has an opinion but this type of demonization targeting the very organizations that have our six is wrong!

What he wrote is not propaganda, it’s his opinion based on facts that I agree with. I am generally against green energy, firstly because “green” is a misleading euphemism to me. Secondly, the footprint of so called green energy is gigantic, and thirdly the conservation positives compared to carbon are pretty much a wash to me. Us outdoorsmen have a wide spectrum of political and policy views. My main priority is liberty and freedom above all else, including hunting and conservation. I will not support any conservation effort that I believe infringes on my freedom and liberty or others in anyway. Obviously, there are people on this forum whose main priority is conservation and hunting opportunities, it seems like, and with freedom and liberty they are free to pursue.

 

[oregonoutdoors]

The reality is we are not talking about logging virgin roadless land. The roads are already established and either they start cutting some of these 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation forests to create diversity or we continue to watch it burn and live in smoke for 2-4 months out of the year.

I was really hopeful that we were all growing out of the timber harvest/fire is bad phase. But it’s a catch 22 to some people. If we don’t want roads to be built we have to let it burn and if we don’t want it to burn, we have to build roads. Personally, id rather let it burn and not develop roads. Our forests are horribly degraded by conifer encroachment due to a century of fire suppression to protect human interest. That in combination with the removal of logging just spells disaster. Our ecosystems are so far out of line because our poor management. Protect structures only, let the fires burn otherwise. And harvest timber in places that may need it because fire isn’t doing the job.

 

[Gila]

I hope the following bill gets some traction. If the divisive posts on this thread alone are any indication of where this bill will go….it doesn’t look good. My focus is on Hunting and sport-fishing opportunity and that depends on access to public (as well as private) lands and waters. There have always been forces to the right and forces to the left, leaving the Outdoors Sports in the middle. The advocacy groups need to remain bi-partisan. There just is no other way to get anything accomplished.

Sometimes you need to align or negotiate with enviro groups when you can find common ground. The same thing with the right. Old proverb: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”. The bottom line is that the Representative that is willing to introduce a bill for public lands needs as many arrows in his/her quiver that we can provide. If you don’t like BHA then donate to an advocacy group of your choice that will support this bill because the bill has to have support from all of the stakeholders or it is DOA!

From BHA
————————————————————————-
Bipartisan Legislation Aims to Block Public Lands Privatization, Continuing Hunting and Fishing Access
BHA applauds the reintroduction of Public Lands in Public Hands Act

Washington, D.C.—Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), the leading voice for North America’s public lands, waters, and wildlife, enthusiastically supports the Public Lands in Public Hands Act, reintroduced by Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM). Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy and Government Relations for BHA, highlighted the importance of this bill in the following statement:

“Our nation’s public lands are an irreplaceable asset for hunters and anglers who rely on them for access as well as the intact habitat they provide fish and wildlife. We thank Reps. Zinke and Vasquez for their leadership introducing the bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act. By making it more difficult to sell or transfer public lands, this legislation would strengthen the integrity of our public lands heritage at a time when many unsavory interests seek to privatize one of our most American ideals.”

What You Need to Know:

The Public Lands in Public Hands Act would require congressional approval for the sale or transfer of publicly accessible tracts of federal land greater than 300 acres, or greater than five acres if accessible by public waterway.

This is a critical improvement from current law in which federal land management agencies have broad discretion to sell or transfer publicly owned parcels that provide valuable habitat, public access, and recreational opportunities.

Limiting lands available for disposal by the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service will greatly reduce the threat of privatization for valuable public resources owned by all Americans.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. To learn more about issues important to BHA’s membership, visit www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues.
————————————————————————

 

[Ten Bears]

I hope the following bill gets some traction. If the divisive posts on this thread alone are any indication of where this bill will go….it doesn’t look good. My focus is on Hunting and sport-fishing opportunity and that depends on access to public (as well as private) lands and waters. There have always been forces to the right and forces to the left, leaving the Outdoors Sports in the middle. The advocacy groups need to remain bi-partisan. There just is no other way to get anything accomplished.

Sometimes you need to align or negotiate with enviro groups when you can find common ground. The same thing with the right. Old proverb: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”. The bottom line is that the Representative that is willing to introduce a bill for public lands needs as many arrows in his/her quiver that we can provide. If you don’t like BHA then donate to an advocacy group of your choice that will support this bill because the bill has to have support from all of the stakeholders or it is DOA!

From BHA
————————————————————————-
Bipartisan Legislation Aims to Block Public Lands Privatization, Continuing Hunting and Fishing Access
BHA applauds the reintroduction of Public Lands in Public Hands Act

Washington, D.C.—Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), the leading voice for North America’s public lands, waters, and wildlife, enthusiastically supports the Public Lands in Public Hands Act, reintroduced by Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM). Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy and Government Relations for BHA, highlighted the importance of this bill in the following statement:

“Our nation’s public lands are an irreplaceable asset for hunters and anglers who rely on them for access as well as the intact habitat they provide fish and wildlife. We thank Reps. Zinke and Vasquez for their leadership introducing the bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act. By making it more difficult to sell or transfer public lands, this legislation would strengthen the integrity of our public lands heritage at a time when many unsavory interests seek to privatize one of our most American ideals.”

What You Need to Know:

The Public Lands in Public Hands Act would require congressional approval for the sale or transfer of publicly accessible tracts of federal land greater than 300 acres, or greater than five acres if accessible by public waterway.

This is a critical improvement from current law in which federal land management agencies have broad discretion to sell or transfer publicly owned parcels that provide valuable habitat, public access, and recreational opportunities.

Limiting lands available for disposal by the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service will greatly reduce the threat of privatization for valuable public resources owned by all Americans.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. To learn more about issues important to BHA’s membership, visit www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues.
————————————————————————

do you work for BHA ?

 

[goathunter]

I hope the following bill gets some traction. If the divisive posts on this thread alone are any indication of where this bill will go….it doesn’t look good. My focus is on Hunting and sport-fishing opportunity and that depends on access to public (as well as private) lands and waters. There have always been forces to the right and forces to the left, leaving the Outdoors Sports in the middle. The advocacy groups need to remain bi-partisan. There just is no other way to get anything accomplished.

Sometimes you need to align or negotiate with enviro groups when you can find common ground. The same thing with the right. Old proverb: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend”. The bottom line is that the Representative that is willing to introduce a bill for public lands needs as many arrows in his/her quiver that we can provide. If you don’t like BHA then donate to an advocacy group of your choice that will support this bill because the bill has to have support from all of the stakeholders or it is DOA!

From BHA
————————————————————————-
Bipartisan Legislation Aims to Block Public Lands Privatization, Continuing Hunting and Fishing Access
BHA applauds the reintroduction of Public Lands in Public Hands Act

Washington, D.C.—Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), the leading voice for North America’s public lands, waters, and wildlife, enthusiastically supports the Public Lands in Public Hands Act, reintroduced by Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM). Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy and Government Relations for BHA, highlighted the importance of this bill in the following statement:

“Our nation’s public lands are an irreplaceable asset for hunters and anglers who rely on them for access as well as the intact habitat they provide fish and wildlife. We thank Reps. Zinke and Vasquez for their leadership introducing the bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act. By making it more difficult to sell or transfer public lands, this legislation would strengthen the integrity of our public lands heritage at a time when many unsavory interests seek to privatize one of our most American ideals.”

What You Need to Know:

The Public Lands in Public Hands Act would require congressional approval for the sale or transfer of publicly accessible tracts of federal land greater than 300 acres, or greater than five acres if accessible by public waterway.

This is a critical improvement from current law in which federal land management agencies have broad discretion to sell or transfer publicly owned parcels that provide valuable habitat, public access, and recreational opportunities.

Limiting lands available for disposal by the Department of the Interior and U.S. Forest Service will greatly reduce the threat of privatization for valuable public resources owned by all Americans.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. To learn more about issues important to BHA’s membership, visit www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues.
————————————————————————

Zinke's the man

 

[Gila]

do you work for BHA ?

No I don’t. I don’t represent any outdoor group at the present time. The following is from Gabe Vasquez’s (not my rep) webpage. At the bottom are some advocacy groups that you may want to donate to (other than BHA) who are supporting this bill.

————————————————————————————————————————————
“In New Mexico, and across the West, public lands are an integral piece of our way of life. Both the Forest Service (USFS) and the Department of the Interior (DOI) have the power to sell or transfer public land, with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) handling most of these sales. While many of the lands put up for sale are small and hard to access, some are open to the public and important for outdoor recreation. The Public Lands in Public Hands Act aims to give Congress more oversight over land sales and protect smaller pieces of land that help expand public access.

“New Mexicans treasure public lands and rely on them to support healthy communities, our traditional way of life and our outdoor recreation economy. We thank Rep. Vasquez for confirming that bond and upholding New Mexicans’ access to the beloved places where they hunt, hike and find refuge,” saidMichael Casaus, New Mexico State Director for The Wilderness Society.

Joel Webster, Chief Conservation Officer with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership said, “Millions of American sportsmen and sportswomen depend on public lands for their hunting and fishing access. TRCP appreciates the leadership of Representatives Vasquez and Zinke to prevent the sale or transfer of our valued public lands by introducing the Public Lands in Public Hands Act.”

“Our nation’s public lands are an irreplaceable asset for hunters and anglers who rely on them for access as well as the intact habitat they provide fish and wildlife,” said Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy and Government Relations for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. “We thank Reps. Vasquez and Zinke for their leadership introducing the bipartisan Public Lands in Public Hands Act. By making it more difficult to sell or transfer public lands, this legislation would strengthen the integrity of our public lands heritage at a time when many unsavory interests seek to privatize one of our most American ideals.”

Leading outdoor recreation, sportsmen and conservation organizations collaborated on and support the legislation including: Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, The Wilderness Society, Boone & Crockett Club, Congressional Sportsmen Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wild Sheep Foundation, Trout Unlimited, Montana Guides and Outfitters Association, Revelyst (VISTA Outdoor), Backcountry Horsemen’s Association and others.
——————————————————————————————————————————————