Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Sale of public lands and drilling everywhere

As guy who has supported Trump virtually from the beginning, my biggest reservation I have about him is the management of federal lands here in the west.

Our problem is most of the senators and congressman we send to Washington are in the pockets of the traditional resource extraction industries, and most of the Republicans who come kfrom outside of the interior west have this Hollywood view of limitless tracts of land that can never be "used up".

It all begins and ends with habitat. Without functioning, unfragmented habitat, there is no wildlife, without wildlife there is no hunting. Despite most Republicans who claim to support hunting, they are usually entirely unable to connect those three, simple dots.

What's worse is most of the critical habitat (read: winter habitat) occurs at lower elevations on BLM and private land. BLM is the most resource extraction oriented federal land agency of all. And this is where most energy extraction occurs.

Chaffetz bill is something he introduces practically every year since he has been in Congress and is considered a "message bill". Even though he has withdrawn it, it may well pop up again in some form. And given the current environment in Washington it does cause me concern.

Although it completely belies the stereotyping on places like the 'Fire, sportsman's groups and environmental groups have partnered up to preserve/protect public lands in the past, and I am aware of a LOT of conversation going on between sportsman's and environmental groups currently because of what they have seen since Trump's election.

Employees in the Interior Dept resource agencies I have talked to are generally pleased (relieved) with the choice of Zinke for Secretary, but nobody in the Dept of Ag (USFS) knows a thing about Perdue. And I got a feeling Perdue probably doesn't know a thing about NF management issues.

Here in Colorado I'm not too worried about transfer of federal lands. One of the very few good things about the three million immigrants into my state over the last 25 years is most of them have moved here for the "Outdoor Lifestyle" and a lot of them have money and connections. Transfer of federal lands probably ain't gonna happen in Colorado. Gov Hickenlooper is already on record as opposing it.

If tomorrow we had state by state ballot initiatives in the interior west and the west coast concerning the transfer of public lands, the vote would be an overwhelming "NO".

Casey