SELL THE LAND!!! Stop hording so much of our States territory!
Posted on 02/25/2011 5:08:40 PM PST by IYAS9YAS
SOUTHERN NEW MEXICANS TO RALLY TO KEEP GILA ROADS OPEN
Congressman Steve Pearce Expected to Attend, Along With Hundreds of New Mexicans
Las Cruces, NM (February 25, 2011) Hundreds of New Mexicans are expected to rally in Silver City on Saturday, March 5th against the U.S. Forest Service’s plans to close access roads inside the Gila Forest. The rally will take place starting at noon at the Silver City Convention Center.
“This is the time to come together and say, ‘enough is enough’”, Congressman Steve Pearce told about 100 residents of Truth or Consequences Thursday night. “It is time for the Forest Service to keep those roads open to the public. This is about an attempt to take away another of our freedoms as Americans.”
The meeting in Truth or Consequences Thursday night was organized by the new group, “Keep Our Forest Open.” It was created by individuals that have voiced frustration over the Forest Service’s proposed Travel Management Plan, which calls for thousands of miles of roads inside the Gila to be closed.
“Can we count on you to be at the rally March 5th in Silver City?” Reverend Mike Skidmore asked at the meeting. Nearly every hand was raised. “We’re just regular people leading everyday lives, but it’s time for folks like us to rise up and let our voice be heard,” said Skidmore. “We are against the Forest Service taking away our access, and we need to let them know it.”
Congressman Pearce is expected to be one of several speakers at the rally in Silver City. The “Keep Our Forest Open” organization said it is working with other organizations that use the forest, including ATV users, hunting and gun clubs, Tea Party activists, and other concerned citizens. All are planning to rally March 5th in Silver City, just two days before the deadline set by the Forest Service for public comments to be made on the issue.
“I see everyday people getting energized and motivated to get involved when their freedoms are being threatened such as with the proposed road closures,” Pearce said. “It is amazing what can happen when citizens want freedom. These organizations in New Mexico are gathering momentum, and I anticipate the Forest Service will hear the voices of freedom at the March 5th rally.”
During WWII the feds took (long term lease at well below market values) the land of 100+ ranchers in NM for White Sands missile range. it is over 7,000 sq. miles. That is the size of New Jersey.
I say if we want to reduce the national debt we should have a 50 year plan to sell off these extra lands. (oh and give the ranchers their land back).
SELL THE LAND!!! Stop hording so much of our States territory!
Not that they are the last word, but the Wikipedia entry excerpts below are fairly accurate as far as I am aware. These are Federal lands - owned by the Feds and managed by the Feds for public use of their resources. Out West here, the fact that the Feds have commandeered so much of the land, and then refuse the taxpayers access to the intended use of the land is a big deal.
“National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas focuses on timber harvesting, livestock grazing, water, wildlife, and recreation. Unlike national parks and other federal lands managed by the National Park Service, commercial use of national forests is permitted, and in many cases encouraged. National Forests are categorized by the World Commission on Protected Areas as IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area).
“The National Forest System was created by the Land Revision Act of 1891.
“In the United States there are 155 National Forests containing almost 190 million acres (297,000 mi²/769 000 km²) of land. These lands comprise 8.5 percent of the total land area of the United States, an area about the size of Texas. Some 87 percent of National Forest land lies west of the Mississippi River; Alaska alone accounts for 12 percent of all National Forest land.”
“buy them from the feds. They’s be glad to give up the maintenance and headaches.”
There is a plan, though you hear little of it these days, to return our part of the continent to wilderness, with humans confined to a few cities linked by “corridors.”
The rapacious acquisition of land by the bureaucrats is in support of that agenda.
It was usually discussed together with the plan to get Americans out of their cars by running up the price of gasoline so high that no one could afford to drive.
The fedgov should close the roads leading to Manchester State Park, Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, Wateree and Marion Lakes. Francis Marion and
Sumter National Forests access roads should be locked.
“The fedgov should close the roads leading to Manchester State Park, Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, Wateree and Marion Lakes. Francis Marion and
Sumter National Forests access roads should be locked.”
____________
And the properties should be tiurned back over to the states for us to determine if we even want to keep them or sell them to private entities.
I agree. But it will take forever to get the feds off our backs!
YEP the feds fight like hell to maintain control over the land they have and are always looking to take more land where they can. Can you imagine if they put that kind of effort into controlling the border, their actual job?
It is funny reading all the complaints from people about Fed funding of roads in the National Forests. Without the roads there would be no access to logging or mining which both pay way more into the Fed coffers than a little “road maintenance” takes out. Anyway, I have traveled thousands of miles on roads in the National Forests and I have yet to see any road maintenance being done. However, I do occasionally see a few Forest Service employees driving around doing nothing at our expense.
These bondholders will probably get a lot of this locked up land (as well as locked up petroleum and mineral reserves) traded back as payment for our unpayable national debts.
No sense letting the lumpen-proletariat get used to using this "public" land, can we? These shlubbs might object even louder when it happens.
We already own those parks. The feds nationalized them to maintain them for our benefit. They never paid New Mexico for them. And now they are keeping us out because they can't afford to keep the up?
When did the government get so thrifty?
There is virtually no upkeep to the old roads; it will cost a more to build fences and signs to keep the off-roaders and campers out. Then the only people using the area will be the illegals and drug smugglers.
The area around Columbus N.M. used to be a primary route for drug smugglers. It was called the Columbus Air Force because there were so many light planes landing on the roads at night to drop off loads of drugs to waiting vehicles. Now they are proposing to lock out our law enforcement too?
The fees the feds collect more than cover any "maintenance" for these roads. They're dirt. Often, those who use the roads for business purposes (farmers and ranchers who may hold grazing permits) pay fees. Those who hunt and fish on federal lands pay access fee for every license they hold. Campers pay fees to camp in campgrounds, those fees cover the costs of maintaining the campgrounds and access to them. These roads are more than paid for by those who use them.
Often, these roads were also built and maintained by logging companies. Once the logging is/was complete, the Forest Service takes over. There was no money invested by the Forest Service to build the roads to begin with. There is very little maintenance performed, dollar wise, on these roads.
I usually return to Texas from Spring training via Columbus.
Lawdie, is that an empty part of the world. It would be so easy to just walk into the country. Or find an empty road to land on...
No forests around there, though, that's for sure.
That map was from 2004....I would really HATE to see a current one.
How much of SC is federal land? I thought so.
For someone who lives in a state where <3% of the land is owned by the federal government to give flack to those worried about access in a state where the feds own 42% (48% in Arizona and 57% in Utah) takes more balls than brains.
If the feds want to let the state take over, fine! But for the federal government in DC to decide to shut off access that already exists for much of the land in the west is obscene!
Most of the roads in federal land in the west are built by private money - loggers and ranchers. The fees paid by ranchers and loggers covers the maintenance and more.
That’s my opinion also, and to do it by fiat of an agency instead of law by Congress is BS.
Spending taxpayer money on the favorite social programs of the demons is what prevents the necessary resources for the upkeep of our national parks and infrastructure.
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