This Land: Public Lands in the American West @ourpublicland - Tumblr Blog

One of my favorite summer activities is going motorcycling. Luckily for me, I live close to a lot of great outdoor recreation areas. My friends and I particularly like a

State conservation staffers are looking into how federal changes to Endangered Species Act rules could affect Idaho — home to six endangered and 13 threatened species. Scott Pugrud, administrator of

What is the Good Neighbor Authority?A partnership between the Forest Service and Idaho Department of Lands (ID

The Trump administration is attempting to eliminate public voice from the management of national forests. We must speak up.

#united states economy

While candidate Donald Trump promised to cherish America’s public hunting and fishing land, close observers say policies under his presidency are undermining those lands and even aiding those who would dispose of America’s public land altogether. America has 640 million acres of public lands – national forests, wildlife refuges, national parks and Bureau of Land Management ground– that generations of Americans access for hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor activities, generally for free or low charge.

A good answer to this question starts with a commitment to protecting 30 percent of U.S. lands and oceans by 2030.

Support the conservation efforts of private landowners, working waterfronts, and the private sector. Although private lands account for approximately 60 percent of the land area in the contiguous 48 states, less than 1 percent of these lands are permanently managed for conservation.29 Meanwhile, more than three-quarters of the natural area that the United States lost in the contiguous 48 states from 2001 to 2017 was on private lands.30 The United States will not reach a 30X30 goal unless policymakers do more to help farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and other private landowners conserve lands, waters, and wildlife. These policies need not and must not infringe upon private property rights. Instead, they should support the stewardship values that are broadly shared among families, businesses, and communities who make their livings off the land and the ocean.

#public life

The Trump administration has put a conservative advocate who argues for selling off the nation's public lands in charge of the nation's nearly 250 million public acres.

Immensely frustrating, to say the least.

It’s a story I’ve heard too many times in my own life and in the lives of the many small business owners I meet:

Huh. Let’s see what they can do!

This piece by Peter Williams came from the Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network, which always has interesting posts. As I read Peter’s piece, I remembered Dave Iverson writing about wick…

Here in Idaho there are dozens of “forest collaboratives” -- groups that attempt to bring together all stakeholders to discuss complex ideas like forest planning and wildfire prevention. Some of them are working really well, others have lost their footing. It’s important to ask why. I will say that from sitting in on a few collaborative meetings, the benefits are many. Not only does each stakeholder have an honest forum to express their concerns or interests, they also end up sitting next to someone who perhaps they’d seen as their enemy. In this way, actual friendships are made. It turns into a community. Folks see each other as human, and see that rarely is someone “evil,” in fact, it’s actually quite hard to make decisions that have such broad impacts.

Also recently, a loud minority has attempted to throw a wrench in some of Idaho’s more productive collaborative efforts, claiming that their voices aren’t heard or represented. This is a tough strategy to push back against. In reality, everyone’s voice is welcome at the table once a certain set of ground rules are adopted. These usually entail things like assuming good intent, the willingness to listen, civility, etc. It’s true that this can be hard, especially when topics get emotional, which they more often than not do. The collaborative process is not meant to be an easy way through decision making, it’s meant to be a fair, comprehensive, and community-based way.

The Blaine County commissioners are taking legal action to reopen access to the Big Wood River north of Hailey after landowners in Flying Heart Ranch ignored a staff letter to

And again, another case shows up with private landowners blocking public access and right-of-way. It’s great that the Blaine County Commissioners are standing up for the public in this case, but if you know Idaho, you know that Blaine County is its own thing. I wonder what the reaction from another lesser-visited county would be to this sort of issue.

Congressional candidate Matt Rosendale earns money from Texan billionaires while voting for their interests

And again, more on the outsized political influence of the absentee landowners, Dan and Farris Wilks of Texas. Their efforts to influence legislation in their favor don’t stop at the Idaho border.

A new group of billionaires is shaking up the landscape.

Great coverage from the New York Times on the tensions unfolding regarding access to public lands and the ability of large and wealthy landowners to block that access, most notably the Wilks brothers of Texas.

#western states (us)

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The U.S. Forest Service and Idaho Department of Lands have identified a large portion of North Idaho as high fire risk, making it one of two “priority landscapes” where...

Exciting to see the first proposals for the Shared Stewardship areas. It will be interesting to see how this idea proceeds into on-the-ground work, and to see who comes to make up the Advisory Council.

#u.s. forest service #sharedstewardship idl usfs

“I have had closures where I couldn’t access certain areas, I’ve had camps burn up. That’s a pretty big economic impact,” said Ron Ens, hunting outfitter...

The Nature Conservancy just shared this video taking a look at climate change -- which in Idaho right now means fire and smoke -- and its effects on local outfitters and the rural economy. Give it a watch!

The American Angus Association® is proud to present the first film to expose the impact of urban sprawl on American Agriculture – "Losing Ground"—an I Am Ang...

It's disappointing that an important topic was discussed here with quite a one-sided view. I guess if the cattle industry is paying for it it's not surprising. A few notes: there is no mention of housing density, which is the main driver for urban sprawl. Comparing the densities of cities around the world and in the US shows how much variation there is, and that there is opportunity to tweak zoning (for example on ADUs) and incentivize more dense housing. Along with that could have been a look at urban agriculture, with examples from around the country. Also, the assumption that we need to feed meat and/or beef to a growing population is silly, India's one billion people for example are largely vegetarian. In that vein, the film ought to have considered comparing different farming practices. How much land and water is needed to produce protein via beef versus protein via legumes, or chicken? The guy in DC talks all about the great soil quality surrounding cities in the US but doesn't mention that industrial ag and phosphate heavy practices are degrading soil faster than developers. There could have been a discussion about zero-till and organic practices, for example. Anyway, if the folks for preserving farmland truly wanted to address this crisis--which, agreed, is a crisis--I'm surprised they didn't spend anytime considering all of these other impacts and potential solutions. Again, we should be wary of things produced by industries eager to advance the status quo.

For farmers across the country, it comes as no surprise to hear that conservation tillage practices – particularly continuous no-till – can save time and money compared to conventional tillage. The potential benefits of no-till are well-documented, from improving soil health to reducing annual fuel and labor investments.

Win-wins are a rare thing when it comes to conservation and agriculture, but no-till farming practices seem to fit squarely in that category. I appreciate that the USDA has invested in learning more about no-till and publicizing their findings, and, in some cases, incentivizing the adoption of no-till.

#usda ag

98% of our US bikepacking routes utilize federal public lands. If you’re planning a route, here’s what you need to know. Plus, apps for public lands maps

While geared toward individuals interested in bikepacking (like backpacking, but with a mountain bike), this article is one of the most comprehensive modern resources on public lands in the US. Not only does it offer explanations of the distinctions between agencies, it also connects the reader to public lands history, challenges, and opportunities to speak up for our lands. Well done! It would be cool to see similar resources shared by leaders from all sectors of outdoor recreation: RVing, backpacking, snowmobiling, climbing, hunting, etc.

#publiclands usfs nps blm outdoor rec

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This Land: Public Lands in the American West