Hill County Dems talk defense of public lands

Fierce winds and rain could not dampen the spirits of those who gathered at the Eagle's Campground at Beaver Creek Park Tuesday night to discuss the importance of public lands at a barbeque hosted by the Hill County Democratic Party.

"The weather may be out of our control but what is in our control is keeping public lands in public hands," said Jacob Bachmeier of Havre, who is the party's vice-chair and a candidate for state representative.

Attendees were treated to free hamburgers and potato salad as speakers extolled the virtue of open access to federal public lands in Montana.

Bachmeier said continued access to public lands is vital to the Treasure State's culture and economy.

In recent years, efforts have been underway in state legislatures in many Western states to pressure the federal government into transferring control of national forests and grasslands.

Since 2012, at least 11 state have taken up the issue, according to the National Council of State Legislatures.

As of 2015, at least 10 have sought to examine how such a transfer could take place and how its impact the economies of their respective states.

Proponents say states can more effectively and efficiently manage public lands within their borders and better use the natural resources.

Opponents counter such a transfer would force states to cover the full cost of managing those lands including fighting wildfires.

State Rep. Tom Jacobson, D-Great Falls, told the Democrats Tuesday night that such a move would adversely affect agriculture producers because grazing fees on federal lands are much cheaper than state and private grazing lands. Those fees would likely rise, he said.

But in Montana, the fourth largest state in terms of landmass, which is known for its hunting, fishing and outdoor activities, many say access to those lands would also be affected.

"And I would say that in Montana hunting, fishing, the outdoors, our forests, our land, our streams, our rivers, those are part of what made us live here, are part of the cornerstone of why we want to live here," Jacobson said.

"If someone tries to take that access or take that value away, they are crossing the line more than just transferring ownership, they are taking away our heritage and our children's heritage and our grandchildren's heritage," he said.

Jacobson said such a transfer would set up Montana to fail.

He said Montana lacks the resources needed to maintain those lands and would likely have to sell or lease them to private individuals or interests. Private managers could then deny the public access and use the land to their own benefit. He said such transfers are little more than a back-door way of transferring public lands to private ownership.

Clayton Elliott, executive director of the Montana Conservation Voters which opposes any such transfer, said that in 2015, 12 pieces of legislation were introduced to either restrict access or move forward with a transfer.

Elliott said all but one of those measures were defeated by bipartisan majorities.

Elliott said the push is nothing new. He said members of Congress have tried to defund and reduce the effectiveness of agencies in charge of land management. They can then criticize those agencies while arguing that putting lands under state control is more effective.

He said the fact that fighting wildfires is not paid for like other natural disasters, is a key example. He said that this year more than half of U.S Forest Service's budget will go toward fighting fires.

"When 54 percent of their budget goes toward fighting fire, that means that they can't spend it on timber sale contracts, they can't spend it on recreational trail systems and maintenance and keeping campgrounds open and my personal pet peeve of toilet paper in camp ground outhouses," Elliot said.

He said the wildfire disaster funding act, which would fund the fighting of wildfires the same way other disaster relief is paid for through emergency funding, would remedy that.

It has yet to get a hearing in Congress.