If you have ever, or would like to hunt in a Western state, you need to be aware of HR. 621 introduced into the House of Representatives Rep. Jason Chaffetz-Utah-3. This bill calls for the direct sale of public lands in several western states. Text - H.R.621 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): To direct the Secretary of the Interior to sell certain Federal lands in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, previously identified as suitable for di I have written my congressman and both senators about this. Many of you who hunt in the Eastern or Southern US will know how hard it can be to find public land to hunt. Do not let this happen in the Western States. Below is a copy of the letter I sent to my congressman and senators. Feel free to copy it and change it to make it relative to your representatives. No public land means no hunting, fishing, camping, or hiking for those who cannot afford to own land. Good Morning Congressman, First of all, thank you for representing the people of Arkansas District 2. I feel that overall, you are doing an excellent job of keeping our interests represented in Washington. It has been a privilege to vote in support of you. I am writing to inform you that I am vehemently opposed to H.R. 621 introduced by Rep. Jason Chaffetz-Utah-3. This bill calls for the outright sale of federally owned public lands in several states in the western portion of America. Fortunately, Arkansas is not on the list. But for how long? As an avid outdoorsman, I enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing, and camping. I have done at least one, and wish do to all, in almost every state listed in H.R. 621. Mr. Hill, I recognize that there is a severe debt problem in Washington and major changes are needed to correct this. However, selling public lands is not the answer. In America, we are blessed to have such an abundance of land that any citizen visit and use. The funding of national parks, forests, and BLM represents a small portion of the Federal government budget and selling off lands will do very little to reduce spending and the debt. I am asking that you reject this bill. Keep our public lands public! Thank you for your time and consideration, Adam Carter Registered Voter Arkansas District 2 Public Land Owner
Adam, thanks for taking that step. Many of the lands identified as saleable have been pointed out on the Huntalk forum as lands that are regularly used by members there. Some of the lands identified are in the Missouri Breaks of MT that are premium elk and mule deer areas. In most cases, if a bad law is passed, it can be repealed, but you can't un-sell the land once it is gone.
I have not had the chance to hunt Montana yet. But Elk in the Breaks is on my bucket list. I would hate if that land sold before I had the chance.
Article with links: http://www.mensjournal.com/adventure...sposal-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 I found the above article posted on Hunttalk. One thing to keep in mind is that while the proponents of this bill and Public Land Transfer say that the States would be better managers, in Wyoming the law would have to change for a lot of places to be hunted because you can't camp overnight on state lands. All of the western states constitutions require them to sell the land if they aren't making a profit on it.
Here's a "rough" list of the lands potentially suitable for disposal as outlined by the BLM. Some include maps. Lands Potentially Suitable for Disposal
