62,000 acres of land in 32 states- Actually that’s not a very large acreage, but the acres were generally quite exceptional. What the land trusts are doing is mostly quite beneficial, but what we need from Obama is a large government land acquisition program for wildlife habitat and other conservation purposes. Non-profits are going to…
The beginning of a land base for a tribe that was terminated? Trust for Public Land, Klamath Tribes to Buy Mazama Forest Land. News release. Trust for Public Lands.
The RAT Drives the Public Away- Fees Keeping People Off Their Land: When the public stops using public lands, who will be there to protect them? By Bill Schneider. New West. Even many western Republicans hate these fees — the RAT (Recreation Access Tax). The new Congress should eliminate them quickly. The amount of revenue…
Restoring old mining claims to the public- Old mining claims have a nasty tendency to become remote, jarring, difficult-to-service trophy homes. For years the Trust for Public Lands has helped move old mining claims (federal lands that were privatized and perhaps mined at one time) back into the public estate. John Miller of the Associated…
The monies to buy the land came from the controversial Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. It is very important wildlife habitat. 17,000 acres purchased by BLM for public use. By Susan Voyles. Reno Gazette Journal. Google Maps. The general area of the purchase.
The Conservation Reserve Project has removed many millions of marginal and sub-marginal lands from agricultural production over the last 20 years or so. It has had an enormous beneficial effect on water quality and wildlife habitat in some places. Southeast Idaho, where I live is one of the most important places to benefit. On the…
I was just in this country. It is not well known, but scenic and wildlife rich public land. Given the abundance of windy private lands, why don’t they build their wind farms there and make the landowner some money. BLM to hold public meetings. Idaho Statesman. Jarbidge Mountains from site of wind farm proposal. Photo…
With relatively high gas prices, oil companies, their political puppets, and media continue the reverberation suggestive of the idea that drilling for oil on federal lands will bring prices down. Framing policy issues in the media is the first step – the take comes shortly after. It seems logical that drilling on federal lands would…
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.