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SAVE OUR PUBLIC LANDS - 10/14/96
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THE ATTACK ON OUR PUBLIC LANDS AND
WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT THIS FALL
10/14/96
An Alert from the Sierra Club Task
Force to Keep the Public Lands Public
Everyone in the United States of America owns 624 million
acres of land in our national parks, national forests, national
wildlife refuges and BLM lands. We enjoy forests and sand dunes,
beaches and lakes, streams and rivers, grasslands and ice fields,
pre-historic sites and battlefields, and all the animals and
plants that run wild. We own where the water flows and share the
air that is purified by these forests.
However this natural heritage is in grave danger. There are
proposals in Congress backed by special interests who want to
sell these lands to private companies. The Republican Party
Platform contains recomendations to begin the privatization
process that will result in the loss of our American heritage.
The GOP platform calls for a review of the lands owned by the
federal government with a goal of transferring many of them to
state, county or municipal control. This is the first step in a
plan supported by special interests to privatize public lands and
sell them to developers. If America's parks, forests and wildlife
refuges are transferred to the states, some would probably sell
them off, since they may not have the funds to manage them. Here
are just a few of the many examples which show that the ultimate
goal of some GOP congressional leaders is to sell off much of our
natural heritage to the special interests:
1. The following excerpts were taken from the 1/12/95 Boulder
(Colorado) Daily Camera:
"SKAGGS RIPS PLAN TO SELL PARKS - GINGRICH'S BRAINSTORMERS SEEK
TO PRIVATIZE NATIONAL FOREST LAND"
"Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich whipped up a posse of
property rights gurus and wise use supporters to propose new
directions for federal land policies and the results left Rep.
David Skaggs (D-CO), aghast. At Gingrich's direction, speakers
from four conservative think tanks brought their brainstorming to
the House, suggesting that virtually all federal lands be turned
over to private individuals or states. "This is selling public
lands to the highest bidder", Skaggs said, "And I think everybody
should be absolutely appalled. It is a case of marketism run
rampant." Among suggestions made by the think tanks were:
a. Charging citizens to enter the U.S. Capitol.
b. Turn all national forests over to private landowners.
c. Turn over to energy industries ownership of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge.
d. Eliminate all local zoning regulations on land use.
e. Turn over to the states most federal lands, except places
deemed to have national significance.
Skaggs blasted the proposals, saying they took market value as
the only indicator of worth for public lands. "We don't know if
Rocky Mountain National Park would survive", he said. Skaggs also
said that the Republicans put them (these proposals) on display
for a reason: "One has to wonder what is the ultimate motivation
if not to get some of this passed."
2. "We should vastly shrink the size of Redwood National Park,
transfer some to the county and sell the rest of it." -
Representative John Doolittle (R-CA).
3. The following excerpts were taken from the 8/13/95 Star-Ledger
(Newark, N.J.) and dramatically show the threats to our parks:
"INTERIOR SECRETARY VOWS TO SAVE GATEWAY PARK"
"Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt vowed that as long as he is
in office there will be sufficient funding for the Gateway
National Recreation Area, which has been threatened by a
Republican push to eliminate it from the national park system.
The park superintendent said that on an annual basis, there are
2.5 million visitors to the recreation area. Rep. Frank Pallone
(D-NJ), also stated that, "For millions of people from our area
(NJ&NY) and throughout the region, Sandy Hook (Gateway) offers an
accessible and affordable day at the beach."
Representative Joseph Hefley (R-CO, is sponsoring legislation
that would preserve "crown jewels" of the national park system
while creating a commission to eliminate other sites. Pallone
said that when Hefley wrote to colleagues in Congress, the
Republican mentioned Gateway as the type of park that should be
eliminated. Babbitt said the Republican lawmakers are targeting
urban parks incorporated into the parks system."
This legislation, if passed, could result in the elimination
of federal parks that are used by millions, thus denying many
people an affordable family day at the beach.
4. Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club warned that
James Hansen (R-Utah), the Chair of the House Subcommittee on
National Parks and Public lands, has threatened to start closing
down national parks, including the Great Basin National Park on
the Utah-Nevada border, of which he says: "If you've been there
once, you don't need to go again."
5. Time Magazine reported that Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) has
been eager to return federal land to state authority. However,
Republican state senator Al Bishop predicts that, "If the state
gets the lands, they will go on the sales block."
6. Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT) introduced a bill, S.1151, that
would set up a commission that would consider, among other
things, possible sales of federal land to private persons.
7. "Give them all (endangered species) a designated area and then
blow it up. It sounds insane, but that's how insane the
endangered species people are." - Representative Sony Bono (R-CA)
However, Rep. Bono should read this important information
provided by the Endangered Species Coalition:
"Over 40% of all pharmaceuticals used today are derived or
synthesized from natural substances. Wetlands and forests,
ecosystems that purify our drinking water and filter our air, are
protected when we protect the habitats of endangered species.
Thousands of jobs in businesses like the salmon fishing industry
depend on strong protection for endangered species. In many cases
the Endangered Species Act brings economic prosperity."
8. The following appeared in the Star-Ledger on 5/31/95 and on
6/8/95:
"A quirky little book (Patterns of Corporate Philanthropy)
that labels organizations like the American Cancer Society and
the Nature Conservancy as "center-left" and therefore undeserving
of corporate gifts recently arrived on the desks of some 80 CEOs.
House Majority Leader Richard Armey (R-TX, who sent the book to
the CEOs), scolded corporate leaders for using their
philanthropic money to support groups that seem to him to thwart
a free-market economy. Nature Conservancy communications director
Mike Coda said, "I don't know in what sense we aid the
organization of the welfare state. I can't begin to understand
it." Stuart Nolan, the book's author, countered that the Nature
Conservancy puts land under government control and keeps it from
being developed.
Rep. Luis Guitierrez (D-IL) responded by saying, "Why would
you want to send a letter like that in the first place? How is
America being served when well-meaning corporations are told that
they cause harm by giving to groups that fight poverty, disease,
discrimination and pollution?"
9. Former Governor Cecil Andrus of Idaho captured the essence of
what is at stake here when he wrote, "Which policy would keep the
West most free and open: Continued federal management with
liberal public access and public use of the public lands? Or
transfer of big chunks of public land to the states, many of
which would sell it off to private parties and large corporations
who would post it off limits to the public"
It should be noted that the vast majority of rank and file
Republicans, Democrats, members of most other parties and
Independents support protection of our public lands and the
environment. There are also a number of GOP senators,
representatives and leaders such as Sen. John Chafee (R-RI) and
Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) who are strong supporters of the
environment. Why then, are some of the Republican Party leaders
pursuing policies which are clearly at odds with the wishes of
the American people?
These examples clearly demonstrate that the long-term goal of
some key Republican Party leaders and their congressional allies
is to sell off and develop large portions of the Lands of the
United States. The sale of our natural heritage to developers
will have many negative consequences, such as water pollution,
more flooding and loss of recreation opportunities.
Other proposals to weaken protection of our public lands have
come from both political parties, and there is an ongoing need to
remind Republican and Democratic leaders that our natural
heritage must be preserved.
Preservation of our public lands is good for our health, will
help reduce taxes, enhance the economy and improve our long-term
quality of life. We need to tell everyone, particularly our
elected officials: "Keep the public lands public for our families
and for our future. Protect our environment for ourselves and
those that will follow us. Save our heritage."
We are asking for your help in getting the message out to the
American people that their national parks, forests and refuges
are in danger as never before. Here is how you can help:
1. Forward this alert to everyone on your e-mail lists, post it
to listservers and electronic bulletin boards and ask everyone
who receives it to do the same.
2. Print paper copies of this alert or transfer it to word
processing software and print your own fliers. Mass reproduce the
paper copies/fliers and distribute them to as many people as
possible. Send them to friends, relatives and people you know in
other states.
3. Use the facts contained in this alert to write letters to the
editors of all the newspapers in your area protesting the planned
sale of our natural heritage.
4. Every Republican up for election should be contacted to see if
they support the Republican Platform and in particular this provision. If
they
are pledging to support it, call attention to it. Activists should ask
questions at debates and news conferences and continue to remind senators,
representatives and candidates of all parties about the need to protect our
public lands.
5. Every Democrat up for election should be contacted to see if they support
retention of public lands in public ownership and stewardship programs to
make
sure our public lands are not abused to benefit special interests.
6. For an informative brochure with facts about our public Commons and an
action plan showing how you can help save this priceless resource, contact
Dave Mortensen at the e-mail address of dmortnj@aol.com or at P.O. Box 273,
Hibernia, N.J. 07842. The online version and/or paper copies of the brochure
are available.
Thank you,
The Sierra Club Task Force to Keep the Public Lands Public:
Dave Mortensen, Chair
Stan Haye, Vice Chair
Marianne Thaeler
David Carson
Ralph Maughan
Mark Lawler, Sierra Club Wild Planet Strategy Team
Melanie Griffin, Sierra Club Washington, DC Office
Dan Smuts, Sierra Club Washington, DC Office