HR 621 and 622 just the beginning

Today it's 3.3 million acres tomorrow its 640 million. If you haven't contacted your representatives on this issue, you really need to do so. Serious pushback needs to be shown here to kill the idea of both transferring or selling or public lands.

For anyone who doesn't know yet HR 621 sells 3.3 million acres of BLM land in 11 western states. HR 622 removes BLM and Forest Service law enforcement from the landscape and puts that heavy burden on local police who would end up having to enforce laws on all our federal lands. One is an outright sell of our public lands, the other is undermine the publics safety, inviting lawlessness, and undermining the agencies that manage them. Both these bills are a step in the direction of the end goal, getting rid of public lands. These 3.3 million are simply the easiest to take, so they'll take them today. Then a month from now they'll take 10 million, and so on. Sportsmen need to stand against this NOW.

Here is an easy way to send a customized email to all your representatives:

Trout Unlimited has a good way to contact your reps by email, just scroll down to where it says find your official enter your zip code and address and it lets you add all your representative from President to Lieutenant Governor:

https://www.votervoice.net/mobile/TU/Home


Also, don't just email, call your representatives:202-224-3121
Then call Jason Chaffetz: 202-225-7751

And if you have time I would send an actual mailed letter to yor representatives as well. It's time to stay involved. If you aren't prepared to get involved at this point, then you better be ready to lose. Be polite in everything you do, but make it clear who you are, how these lands are important, that you are against these two bills, and that there should be no transfer of public lands to the state or sell of them. If your representative is against these things contact them anyway and thank them. Even if you feel your just wasting air on some politicians they still need to hear from everyone.

Here is a general listing of the counties where these lands the Chaffetz bill would sell off are located.

https://chaffetz.house.gov/sites/chaffetz.house.gov/files/land disposal report.pdf

Article with links:

http://www.mensjournal.com/adventur...million-acres-being-eyed-for-disposal-w463372


Public Land For Sale! Here Are Some of the 3.3 Million Acres Being Eyed for "Disposal"

By Ryan Krogh


Fishing in Harney, Oregon, a county that has some 44,000 acres of it deemed fit for "disposal" by the Department of Interior. Credit: Getty Images

Back in 1997, then Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt was required by Congress to "examine their holdings" ? basically to rank public lands that the government could sell off to support an Everglades restoration project. The list, which is hosted here on Jason Chaffetz's (R-UT) Congressional Website, offers up a whopping 3.368 million acres in 10 states ? specifically Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. While the exact land for sale is not identified, the counties where the land is held (190 in total) is. Connecting the dots isn't too hard to do to see which areas, and communities, will be affected. And it's clear that some of this so-called "disposal land" is far from worthless ? especially for hunters, anglers, hikers, and bikers.


Why does this matter now? With public land sales back on the docket (H.R. 621, introduced by Chaffetz), this 1997 document is a sort of wish list of lands for sale (you can find another version on BLM's site). But even in 1997 this document was far from airtight: "Please note many lands identified appear to have conflicts which may preclude them from being considered for disposal or exchange," wrote then Assistant Secretary Bonnie Cohen. "Conflicts include high disposal costs, critical natural or cultural resources and habitat, mineral claims and leases, and hazardous conditions.? Many of the lands are home to endangered species, like the desert tortoise and Mexican gray wolf. Twenty years later, many of the potential conflicts have become more problematic, thanks to new National Monuments, newly identified species, and, let's not forget, outdoorsmen, who have always made use of the land ? our land.

Below are some examples of land that could be on the auction block if Chaffetz's bill is passed. Get your checkbook ready!

State: Wyoming

County: Sheridan

The Potential Land: 35,200 acres of BLM-managed land in the Powder River Basin, which is just east of the Bighorn Mountains, popular with hikers, campers, horseback riders, and hunters.



State: Wyoming

County: Park

The Potential Land: 27,300 acres surrounding the Shoshone River, a popular fly-fishing stream in northern Wyoming. Most of the BLM-managed land in Park County is downstream of the town of Cody, which sits between the Big Horn, Owl Creek, Bridger, and Absaroka mountain ranges. Tourism is the town?s primary industry.



State: Oregon

County: Harney

The Potential Land: 44,000 acres in a county that's home to Steens Mountain, a 9,733-foot peak that's popular with campers and hunters, and Malheur National Forest.



State: New Mexico

County: Catron

The Potential Land: 25,000 acres that contain ?cultural resources,? meaning it's probably home to pueblo ruins. The land is most likely a giant tract southwest of the town of Quemado, and some of the land abuts the Gila National Forest, home to the endangered Mexican gray wolf, the Gila trout, and some of the best elk hunting in the U.S.

State: Colorado

County: Montrose

The Potential Land: 2,105 acres that is home to endangered species and ?historic/cultural resources.? The surrounding area contains the Gunnison Gorge, famous for its rafting and fly-fishing trips, and Uncompahgre National Forest, which is home to elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat.



State: Nevada

County: Elko

The Potential Land: 208,900 acres that contains endangered species, historic resources, and is home to ?wetlands/floodplain.? BLM-managed land makes up a giant percentage of land in Elko County, but exactly what land is up for consideration is unclear, or what the effects might be.



State: Arizona

County: Mohave

The Potential Land: 23,525 acres with mining claims and historic resources. A comment attached to the description notes that the land is ?classified as habitat for the Desert Tortoise (a sensitive species).?

Total Acres That Could Be Up For Sale, By State:

Arizona: 453,950

Colorado: 93,741

Idaho: 110,022

Montana: 94,520

Nebraska: 6,615

Nevada: 898,460

New Mexico: 813,531

Oregon: 70,308

Utah: 132,931

Wyoming: 694,200

This makes me physically ill.


Mike Henne

I wrote my Representative and Congressmen this morning. I have never wrote them before but I think I had to this time.

Doesn't look like worthless land to me reading that article. It looks like land that would have a huge impact on our hunting,fishing, and outdoor activities.

Joe Rogan voiced his opposition to HR 621 today...

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154641658284902&substory_index=0&id=44636749901

Grizzly

ive sent my emails and made my phone calls today. ive signed petitions and joined organizations. BHA RMEF MDF. to name a few. i know there are a lot more. also i know Grizzly has been a big part of opposition to this land transfer act. so thank you! i hope we can prevent this as outdoors-men!

"Shoot Straight"

This doesn't look like "surplus" land with no value to me...

Sent messages to all of my legislators. Some legislators here in Wyoming tried to get a bad public lands bill passed in the state legislature. Luckily, Wyoming sportsmen are a tough bunch and vehemently oppose anything that even has a faint smell of losing any public land or hunting or fishing in any way. So many folks went to Cheyenne that there wasn't room for everyone!

What is it with Utah? You guys have a very passionate hunting and fishing community! What gives with the apathy???

Chaffetz says he is killing HR 621 because of concerned Sportsmen. Well done.

Now, lets make sure he knows we're grateful. Positive reinforcement can be just as important as the negative.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BP_zOxEF0-Q/

Grizzly