TAKE ACTION NOW

Stop Radical Giveaway of America’s Public Lands

 

America’s public lands are under attack by a well-funded campaign that seeks to transfer most of them to state and private interests for disposal. The effort is being driven by radical groups such as the American Lands Council (ALC) and their allied lawmakers.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), who chairs the House Natural Resources Committee, has been leading this effort in Congress. He has assembled a “congressional team” of likeminded lawmakers to “develop a legislative framework for transferring public lands to local ownership and control.” He also plans to advance legislation soon that would seize most public lands in Utah for private use.

Moose in Wonder Lake, Denali National ParkAs Americans, we share a rich natural heritage of spectacular public lands—parks, forests, wildlife refuges, national monuments, and other special places—that refresh and inspire us. These lands provide recreational opportunity, wildlife habitat, and educational resources. They supply vital water resources and generate well over $600 billion in sustainable economic growth.

We all own this uniquely American endowment thanks in large part, to the vision and stewardship ethic of great conservative leaders like Theodore Roosevelt. It is worth noting that every Republican president since has added to that land conservation legacy. President Reagan, for example, signed more wilderness bills into law than any other president.

Please let your representatives in Congress know that you value America’s public lands and oppose any effort to surrender them to private interests. You can use the Congress Look Up tool on the right of this alert to access your congressman’s web form and tell them they should vigorously oppose these radical efforts to give away America’s natural heritage.

“I do not intend that our natural resources should be exploited by the few against the interests of the many.” –Theodore Roosevelt

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Senator (or Congressman) ___________:

I am a conservative who cares deeply about our nation’s public lands and the role they play in providing all Americans with recreation and enhancing our quality of life. I am writing to urge you to vigorously oppose any legislation to transfer our nation’s public lands, which currently belong to all of us, to state and private interests.

Radical groups such as the American Lands Council and their allies in Congress are seeking a complete reversal of Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation vision and legacy. Their seizure effort would abandon the nation’s well-established and inherently conservative land conservation ethic. It would also squander a natural endowment—and more than a century’s worth of public investment—intended to benefit our children.

Their agenda includes land transfer legislation, such as Bishop’s yet to be introduced “Utah Public Lands Initiative” or Representative Mark Amodei’s (R-NV) HR 1484 that would cede “all right and title” of national public lands in Nevada to the state.

It also includes legislation in both the House and Senate to undermine the 1906 Antiquities Act, a bedrock conservation law that was written by a Republican, passed by a Republican Congress and signed into law by Roosevelt, a Republican president. The Antiquities Act is responsible for protecting the Grand Canyon, California’s giant redwoods, the Tetons and many other American treasures, both natural and historic.

As Americans, we share a rich natural heritage of spectacular public lands—parks, forests, wildlife refuges, national monuments, and other special places. These protected lands provide recreational opportunity, wildlife habitat, and education. They refresh and inspire us. They also supply vital water resources and generate well over $600 billion in sustainable economic growth.

We all own this uniquely American endowment thanks largely to the vision and stewardship ethic of great conservative leaders like Theodore Roosevelt. It is worth pointing out that every Republican president since has followed in his footsteps and added to that land conservation legacy.

Please stand with Theodore Roosevelt and real conservatism. Oppose these radical efforts to give away and exploit our natural heritage. I’m counting on you to protect our nation’s endowment of public lands, and to ensure that these lands continue to belong to all Americans. Thank you for considering my views and please let me know where you stand on this matter.

Sincerely,

 

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