Traveler's View: Republican Presidential Contenders' Dim View of Federal Lands Is Short-Sighted

* “I don’t know why the government owns so much of this land.” -- Mitt Romney, during an appearance in Reno, Nevada, on February 2.

I started this blog to warn the public that our National Parks & Monuments are protect only because we the people want them to be - BUT do not be fooled into thinking that they are safe for all time! America's Best Idea, can be eliminated by a few powerful people if we let them.

Leonardo A. Gem
Photo below by Michael Quinn

 www.AcrossArizonaTours.com

Submitted by NPT Editors on February 27, 2012 - 1:11am

Valley of the Gods in southern Utah is part of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management landscape. Should it be sold off or given to the state to manage? Kurt Repanshek photo.

Though national parks, per se, haven't come up during any of the debates among the Republican presidential candidates, their statements on federal lands in general look down upon the public landscape.

* “I don’t know why the government owns so much of this land.” -- Mitt Romney, during an appearance in Reno, Nevada, on February 2.

* “I want as much federal land to be turned over to the state(s) as possible.” -- Rep. Ron Paul, during an appearance in Elko, Nevada, on February 2. Mr. Paul also has called for the elimination of the Interior Department.

Sadly, these views are shortsighted.

Were it not for the foresight of earlier Congresses that retained key parcels of land as states were carved out, we would not have places such as Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain, and Glacier, nor would we have invested in landscapes that became Acadia, Great Smoky, and Shenandoah national parks...

http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2012/02/travelers-view-republican-presidential-contenders-dim-view-federal-lands-short-sighted9528