Public Lands Constitutional Amendment Proposed in Wyoming

[highplainsdrifter]

As you may have heard, a handful of Wyoming legislators are proposing a Public Lands Constitutional Amendment that would pave the way for federal land transfer sometime in the future. They first proposed the amendment at a committee meeting in Riverton on November 9th. Nearly 100 citizens voiced opposition to the amendment, but they went ahead and voted for it anyway.

That same committee held another meeting in Cheyenne on December 14th. Nearly 150 people attended the meeting, and NOT ONE person testified in favor of the amendment. Wyoming Hunters and Anglers Alliance has produced a video of the meeting in Cheyenne. It is an AMAZING demonstration of the breadth and intensity of Wyoming citizen's love for our federal land.

https://www.facebook.com/WYHAA/videos/1795697197314437/

Unfortunately, the proposed amendment is still alive. It will be considered for introduction when the Wyoming Legislature convenes next week. Please contact members of the legislature and remind them that federal land transfer in Wyoming is as unpopular as gun control! Here is a list of email addresses.

http://legisweb.state.wy.us/LSOWEB/64thLegislaturePublicContactInformation.pdf

Ten legislators who have made public statements in favor of the amendment are: Senator Eli Bebout, Riverton; Senator Gerald Geis, Worland; Senator Larry Hicks, Baggs; Representative Norine Kasperik, Gillette; Representative Tim Stubson, Casper; Sen. Ogden Driskill, Devils Tower; Rep. David Miller, Riverton; Rep. Jim Allen, Lander; Rep. Lloyd Larsen, Lander, Rep. Don Burkhart, Rawlins.

If you live outside Wyoming and think this is none of your business, you would be wrong! This is YOUR land they are talking about.

 

[highplainsdrifter]

The Facebook video (see link above) is going viral. As of 2 pm today, it had 71,000 views!

 

[highplainsdrifter]

96,000 views at 6:45 pm!

 

[rammont]

Actually it's not our land and hasn't been since statehood.

 

[highplainsdrifter]

106,000 views at 9:00 pm...unbelievable!

 

[shootbrownelk]

I certainly hope that the citizens that are represented by that weasel Senator Stubson remember what he did come re-election time. He also ran a losing campaign against big money backed (thanks to her daddy) Liz Cheney. Didn't matter who won that lone House of Representative seat as both Liz and Stubson are lockstep Republicans and are Transfer backers.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Actually it's not our land and hasn't been since statehood.

Once it gets into state hands and is sold piecemeal it will belong to the highest bidder to lock-up as they see fit. Then you will have no public land to hunt, guess that would make you happy because it won't be in the hands of the "gubment".

 

[300bee]

How can concerned non residents help?


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[highplainsdrifter]

How can concerned non residents help?


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You can email the ten legislators identified in the post at the beginning of this thread.

 

[mntnguide]

The best thing you can do is actually Call these legislators...the emails help,but an actual phone call is far more important

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[Gr8bawana]

We all need to call the legislators in our own states as well because it will only be a matter of time before the same type of bills come up in every state that has significant amounts of public land. Hopefully we can keep them from getting enough votes to push the bills through..
Seems it would have been better to be proactive during the elections to keep these clown out of office since their agenda was already known. The mid term elections will be our next chance.

 

[highplainsdrifter]

We all need to call the legislators in our own states as well because it will only be a matter of time before the same type of bills come up in every state that has significant amounts of public land. Hopefully we can keep them from getting enough votes to push the bills through..
Seems it would have benn better to be proactive during the elections to keep these clown out of office since their agenda was already known. The mid term elections will be our next chance.

The legislators in Wyoming who are promoting this are ALL Republicans. In this state, it would be impossible to keep Republicans out of office...and I really don't want to. Our goal should be to take the transfer platform out of the Republican Party. Sportsmen need to send a message to the GOP that federal land transfer is as unpopular as gun control. I think we are making some progress in that direction.

The legislative testimony video referenced in the opening post has now had 172,000 views! That is sending a powerful message to the Wyoming GOP. My wife and I are proud to be in that video.

 

[buckbull]

Actually it's not our land and hasn't been since statehood.

There's hundreds of case law rulings that say it is.

 

[rammont]

Don't worry guys, your progressive hero is doing his best to prevent those greedy states from taking away your land.

Obama Designates Two New National Monuments, Protecting 1.65 Million Acres...He has designated about 553 million acres..., as national monuments; that figure does not include other newly protected lands and waters.

Isn't that great? Millions of acres that will be protected from those terrible industrialists and saved for our free use...well not really free, we might have to pay a fee to use them, depending on who actually manages that public - oops, I mean federal land (the land is no longer public property when the federal government controls access to and the use of that land). But at least we will all be able to hunt and fish any place we want on that federally controlled land that we now have to pay a daily fee to use - well not exactly any place, the local and federal rules will control if and/or where you can hunt and fish and quite often there are either strong restrictions to or simply no hunting or fishing allowed, especially in the National Parks but also in the National Monuments. But as long as we can pay our fees and we don't do anything that the federal government and social rights groups disagree with, we can enjoy using that land that we supposedly control and own, well except for the areas that are currently being burned to the ground due to bureaucratic mismanagement.

So I'm happy to say that we, and our posterity, can all enjoy the limited access to millions of acres of mismanaged parks, forests, and monuments when ever we are allowed to by the experts that have done such a great job of protecting our land.

 

[rammont]

Once it gets into state hands and is sold piecemeal it will belong to the highest bidder to lock-up as they see fit. Then you will have no public land to hunt, guess that would make you happy because it won't be in the hands of the "gubment".

You mean that state land that was originally owned by the territories (before they became a state) and transferred to the Federal Government (in accordance with each state's enabling act that created that state)? The same land that the Federal Government gave back to the state in lieu of money so that the states could use that land as necessary?

The Federal Government recognized that new States needed to develop their infrastructure and education systems in order to make the country stronger but the Federal Government didn't have the money to help the States develop nor did the government believe that they were as qualified to determine where to spend the money, so they gave the States back some of their land to be used as they felt was best. That land is used to help pay for building roads, bridges, railroads, schools, etc.. The State lands that you claim are sold piecemeal were given to the states by the "gubment" (nice snarky, asinine remark by the way) to be used for exactly that purpose.

Some states have sold almost all the land that they were given control of (Nevada for example) while others have not, the reality is that younger states have changed how they manage their land and they don't tend to sell the land, they manage the resources and rotate the use while keeping control of the land.

Look up R42346, a Congressional Research Service report on Federal Land Ownership. Notice that throughout that report they never state that the people own the land, it always says that the Federal Government Owns the land and that it manages the land through several agencies, all with different management goals. If nothing else, read the historical background section and it'll explain that the Federal Government uses the land for a variety of reasons but retaining it for public recreational purposes isn't one of them.

 

[rammont]

There's hundreds of case law rulings that say it is.

Show me at least one case that says that you and I can make decisions about how that land is used. I'll bet that all of the cases that you refer to simply reiterate that Federal agencies are tasked with managing the lands for the public. If the land is ours then I challenge you to go to any National Park next elk season and shoot an elk, it's your land so you should be able to use it for your recreation. It's great propaganda to tell us that the law tells us that the land is ours but the truth is that we have no direct authority over the management of that land so we don't really own it.

 

[highplainsdrifter]

You mean that state land that was originally owned by the territories (before they became a state) and transferred to the Federal Government (in accordance with each state's enabling act that created that state)? The same land that the Federal Government gave back to the state in lieu of money so that the states could use that land as necessary?

While you are entitled to your own opinion, you are not entitled to your own facts. Here's a fact: Federal lands were NEVER owned by the states. They were NEVER transferred back to the federal government when a state became a state. The lands were originally purchased by the federal government (i.e. Louisiana Purchase) or obtained via wars. Western states were required by the federal government to relinquish claim to federal lands within their boundaries in their enabling constitutions. Almost all have exactly the same words as the Wyoming Constitution which says: “The people of this state do agree and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within the boundaries thereof…” These words were required by the federal government to make it absolutely clear that the states were giving up claim to all remaining federal lands at statehood. I would like to draw your attention to the word FOREVER.

 

[Ridge Runner]

. Read this for a good idea of what happens when Republicans control the Presidency and Senate...1986...Shell made billions, Americans lost prime mule deer habitat forever. Sadly, gun owning hunters have given Republicans the same political leverage to do it all over again. Read the GOP's statement on public lands, look at Zinke's recent vote, and prepare to watch your lands get privatized for profit.

 

[shootbrownelk]

Show me at least one case that says that you and I can make decisions about how that land is used. I'll bet that all of the cases that you refer to simply reiterate that Federal agencies are tasked with managing the lands for the public. If the land is ours then I challenge you to go to any National Park next elk season and shoot an elk, it's your land so you should be able to use it for your recreation. It's great propaganda to tell us that the law tells us that the land is ours but the truth is that we have no direct authority over the management of that land so we don't really own it.

Grand Teton Park in Wyoming would be the exception. They've had an Elk reduction hunt there for decades.

 

[BuzzH]

Rammont,

We cant hunt National Park Service administered Federal public lands?

Keep trying, you're doing "great" with your opinions...