Letter to the Editor - Oppose efforts to take control of federal land

Editor,

Parents across Montana applaud the recent Western Attorneys General report regarding transferring ownership of our public lands to state or private entities. The report found that there is no legal means to “transfer” our federal public lands to state control. We thank Montana Attorney General Tim Fox for his thoughtful support of this report.

On the heels of this report — as parents raising families and paying taxes in Montana — we are concerned with the vital fact that states, and state taxpayers, simply aren’t equipped to maintain and manage these lands. There have been no solutions proposed by public land transfer advocates regarding how to fund the maintenance costs associated with states taking control of these lands. Everything from wildfire prevention through active forest management to campground upkeep to trail and road safety would be called into question without a funding mechanism. The taxpayers — and families — of Montana would be hard-pressed to foot the bill for these costs.

The Montana Mountain Mamas are staunch advocates of our public parks, trails, fishing access sites and forests, and we are pleased to see yet another voice of western government calling public land transfers “bad ideas.” Let’s work together to find solutions to public lands management hurdles and preserve these special places for the next generation.

Montana Mountain Mamas Director Becky Edwards

Bozeman