Public lands in public hands
Guest post by Merav Ben-David
My graduate students and I were on our way to set camera traps for spotted skunks as part of a research project in the Powder River Basin. All our sampling locations were carefully chosen based on historical observations of these animals and the habitats they were found in. This specific area was especially important to us because someone observed a skunk there several decades ago. We had all the permits and were clear to access this section of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) parcel. But the road was gated and the “Keep Out!! No trespassing” sign listed a phone number. So we called it. Once, twice, three times. We left messages. And nothing happened. On the maps we ended up producing to describe our statewide effort, there is a gap right at that spot; the most important spot in northeastern Wyoming. So much for multiple use and access to our public lands......
Thunder Basin National Grassland, photo by Kaitlin Whitman
Forty-eight percent of Wyoming’s land (about 30 million acres) is managed by federal agencies, including the BLM, the National Park Service, the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service. An additional 4.2 million acres are state owned. Wyoming public lands are a significant source of income for the state: the tourism and recreation industry is our second largest source of revenue. As we experienced during our spotted skunk study, and as many Wyomingites encounter when they venture outdoors, mineral leasing and other developments by private entities often limit public access to these lands. The current administration in Washington is expediting the auction of public land leases to fossil fuel conglomerates, all the while limiting the opportunity for public input, exacerbating the loss of access to our open spaces.
This is not a trivial issue. We are blessed with some of the cleanest air and water in the nation; our levels of air pollution are about half the national average, and most of our water sources (except those found near coal mines and oil and gas fields) are free of contaminants. Much of this can be attributed to the high prevalence of protected public lands and our wide, open spaces. Our public lands also protect a full complement of native wildlife as well as many sport fishes, supporting an industry that generates more than $1 billion dollars a year for Wyoming. For this reason, a coalition of 78 businesses, 41 non-profit organizations, and over two thousand Wyomingites signed the petition to keep public lands in public hands. Many more participate in our yearly gatherings to celebrate Wyoming Public Lands Day, leading the legislature to declare it a state holiday in 2019. Public lands in public hands is a big deal for us!
Cloud Peak Wilderness, Bighorn National Forest, photo by Kaitlin Whitman
Which brings me to contemplate the Occidental Land Purchase currently pursued by Governor Gordon. Yesterday, Wyoming placed a bid on approximately 1 million acres of the “Union Pacific Checkerboard” (and 4 million acres of mineral rights); a swath of land stretching from Laramie to Uinta counties. Although the exact amount of the bid is held in secret (to ensure we don’t expose our offer to competitors), the consensus estimate is $1.5 billion; a huge portion of the state’s investment fund. Many ask if this is a sound investment. Shouldn’t we invest in other ventures, given that oil and gas companies are going bankrupt and Occidental Petroleum is selling this land to pay off their loans? Why should we invest in property that experts are trying to get rid of? Why are we committing to more oil and gas extraction when the rest of the world is divesting from this industry and big banks refuse to provide loans to petroleum companies?
This deal, however, may be palatable to many of us who want to Keep Wyoming Wyoming if the state commits to using it to protect our wildlife and their migration corridors, making it accessible to recreation, and using it for well-planned renewable energy development. And we will get behind the Governor on this deal if it’ll prevent foreign entities and out-of-state billionaires from purchasing it. I don’t want to be standing in front of a gated road outside my backyard in Albany County where a “Keep Out!! No trespassing” sign encourages me to call for permission and no one ever picks up the phone.
By Merav Ben-David, Democratic candidate for US Senate.