Bush proposes liquidating southeast public lands

[Tha Wookie]

The president's public lands proposal would put parts of the following public lands up for sale.
View the USFS listing of specific tracts. According to President Bush budget, it will help reduce the enormous federal deficit and fund a so-called "Secure Rural Schools and Community Act." (not to mention all the mining, oil, and forestry interests)


ALABAMA - 3,220 acres
Bankhead National Forest
Conecuh National Forest
Talladega National Forest

FLORIDA – 973 acres
Ocala National Forest

GEORGIA - 4,522 acres
Chattahoochee National Forest
Oconee National Forest

NORTH CAROLINA - 9,828 acres
Croatan National Forest
Nantahala National Forest
Pisgah National Forest
Uwharrie National Forest

SOUTH CAROLINA - 4,665 acres
Francis Marion National Forest
Sumter National Forest


TENNESSEE - 2,996 acres
Cherokee National Forest


Speak up for your public lands now!
Email your senators and your representative.

[Cuffs]

Hey! those 3000 Ac in Alabama is where I hike! That wont happen if I have anything to do with it! Thanks for the info Wookie! (And see you at Cheaha!)

[Tha Wookie]

Hey! those 3000 Ac in Alabama is where I hike! That wont happen if I have anything to do with it! Thanks for the info Wookie! (And see you at Cheaha!)

You're more than welcome. These potential liqidations are a step back in trail development, especially in southern states like Alabama, where we have already have to scratch and fight for every inch of trail.

We must speak up now, or face the consequences.

We must also vote these type of people out of office and replace them with true stewards of public lands!

[MarcnNJ]

Guess who the single biggest pollutor in our country is? Nope, not the dreaded oil companies. And no, not even the evil chemical companies. Nuclear power plants? wrong again. Its the US Federal Government.

So who better to protect our land from over-development and pollution?? Thats right, the largest pollutor of them all!! What a genius idea!!

Wouldnt these lands be better protected if they were purchased by a private land trust?? You really trust our government that much??

[Mike]

the sky is falling! the sky is falling!

[Tha Wookie]

Wouldnt these lands be better protected if they were purchased by a private land trust?? You really trust our government that much??

Maybe. At least they would be protected from the politicians out to reward their special interest political investors. Ideally, you may be right.

But in reality, most of these pulblic lands -many that contain current or planned trails- will be bought by the very people Bush is rewarding. These are the ones who can make money off the land.

That is what is so special about goverment (i.e., public) lands. They don't have to make money to remain in a natural state.

[Tha Wookie]

Guess who the single biggest pollutor in our country is? Nope, not the dreaded oil companies. And no, not even the evil chemical companies. Nuclear power plants? wrong again. Its the US Federal Government.

Acutally the biggest pollutors are coal-power plants, which were given huge breaks in emissions by the Bush Administration. But this is thread is not about pollution, it's about selling public lands.

[ARambler]

Last weekend, I spent a couple nights in Ocala NF, Florida, near the Florida Trail. Too bad, the central Florida area will be lossing a nice area. I bet the new owners will need ... more rural schools!!!

[blindeye]

i am sorry to say that i will respond to a semi political thread BUT the current president and his administration are idiots. that being said, neo i apologize, a couple of months' ago i complained about a thread you were in for the same reason, being political, i am sorry.

blindeye

[Dances with Mice]

None of the areas in GA are within the AT viewshed. But selling these lands removes them as options to trade for private land closer to the Trail.

[MarcnNJ]

Maybe. At least they would be protected from the politicians out to reward their special interest political investors. Ideally, you may be right.

But in reality, most of these pulblic lands -many that contain current or planned trails- will be bought by the very people Bush is rewarding. These are the ones who can make money off the land.

Wouldnt you rather see groups like Greenpeace, Sierra Club, National Audoban Society, etc. have massive campaigns to raise funds to buy these lands?? As land owners they could put a permanent moratorium on development so no administration can change decades of conservation efforts.

That is what is so special about goverment (i.e., public) lands. They don't have to make money to remain in a natural state.

Thats where we see things differently. You think government land is still the public's land, where as i think government will always do whatever to protect the power of the party in office, no matter republicrat or democrin. Im not too sure what that last sentance means. Land (Real Estate) makes money when it remains in its natural undeveloped state by virtrue of property appreciation.

[MarcnNJ]

Acutally the biggest pollutors are coal-power plants, which were given huge breaks in emissions by the Bush Administration. But this is thread is not about pollution, it's about selling public lands.

Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and US Army Corps of Engineers equate to more pollution and over-all environmental degredation.

Public land it is clearly not. Does the public manage this land? If the government can decide to build a road through a national park, without the public able to stop them, who are we kidding anyway???

[Mike]

Biggest poluters are not coal power plants, biggest polluters are you and me. We create demand, private sector industries supply that demand. Government (local,state,federal) creates incentives to keep private sector industries (coal power plants) from going broke due to cost prohibitive regulations (read that last sentance as value neutral, just a statement of fact).

Some 39% of the landmass of the USA is owned by either federal, state or local govt. While we were talking about supply and demand, maybe we should talk about how much comes out of each and every one of our paychecks to maintain that land. This sale of 26,200 acres of govt owned land compares to the 900,000,000 acres that are owned nationally.

For more info: http://www.nwi.org/Maps/LandChart.html

Best things that we can do to halt the sale of public lands in my opinion:
1. Support politicians who wish to curb spending at the local, state & federal levels. Too many hands in the till cause for budget shortfalls that must be compensated for. Real estate is a good investment these days, especially when you have 900,000,000 acres under your belt.

2. Push for term limits. Too much money, time & effort is spent securing those all important votes from constituents to perpetuate a politicians time in office. 3rd rail issues like fixing social security are never touched due to concerns of public backlash. Thus, problems get bigger over time, while our politicians get smaller.

3. Vote for the person who shares your views on use of public lands. Just because said person supports the keeping of public lands doesnt mean that person doesnt have one of those "mixed use" mentalities.

[Sly]

I'm not sure what pollution has to do with the sale of forest service land... but it's not just the southeast we're talking about. Practically every NF on the PCT and CDT will have land up for grabs and most in-between.

I would think most would realize this is only a test and a beginning and it's the largest land sale of public property is history. Do any of you honestly believe Joe Citizen, the Sierra Club or Nature Conservancy ect. will be in on the bidding or that land will get swapped? Considering the administration at the helm, not likely.

The budgets to manage these lands are miniscule compared to the overall budget.

[woodsy]

Acutally the biggest pollutors are coal-power plants, which were given huge breaks in emissions by the Bush Administration. But this is thread is not about pollution, it's about selling public lands.

Thanks for verifing my thoughts. When GW gets back on his horse and rides it to Texas the world will be much better off.

[Chef2000]

Hey Yall voted for him? I drove 4500 miles this summer to Colorado, around Colorado and back to Massachusetts. Through all those RED STATES, I could not find one person who would admit to voting for the current president.I know MASS was a blue state. (do I have the colors right?) red= republican blue = democrat

[woodsy]

His own mother wouldn't admit to that.

[Uncle Wayne]

You're more than welcome. These potential liqidations are a step back in trail development, especially in southern states like Alabama, where we have already have to scratch and fight for every inch of trail.

He told me "that's only 1% of the entire forest, you'll never miss it. Besides it's land that is unmanageable"

Meaning by that it's not suitable for clearcutting because of the ruggedness of the terrain. But in 10 years that 1% per year will be 10% (if I done that advanced math right) of our entire forest.

You're right, we have to fight to keep every inch of trail and forest acreage we have left.

The school program funding problem wouldn't exist if we weren't spending, what is it now $100,000,000 per day, in Iraq. JMO.

[hopefulhiker]

I saw a map of the tracts to be offered in the Charlotte observer and they extend all up and down the NC/TN line. I know some NC state officials are upset about it because the land they want to sell is not the little isolated plots here and there but huge long tracts which look like they run near or on the AT... I would like my kids/grandkids to have the opportunity to thru hike the AT if they want .... Once it is developed we cannot get it back... Future generations won't even know what they missed....

[Disney]

I'll admit to voting for him.

I'll also admit I made a mistake.