Free: Contests & Raffles.
Quote from: JLS on September 30, 2016, 01:41:22 PMQuote from: JimmyHoffa on September 30, 2016, 11:41:02 AMQuote from: JLS on September 30, 2016, 11:32:13 AMQuote from: BigGoonTuna on September 30, 2016, 11:25:42 AMlocked up is locked up, regardless of one's political views.one thing is for sure, the idea that there's "room for everybody in the west" and private lands being open to everyone is definitely a dying ideal. just sickens me that so many are indifferent or even supportive of closing access to the public.It makes me incredibly sad to see this.An effect of population growth. Keep adding more and more people and not adding land, more will get locked up.I believe it has a lot more to do with attitudes and egos than it does population.It has more to do with investing amassed wealth. If I had billions of $s, I'd buy up a lot of land, too.
Quote from: JimmyHoffa on September 30, 2016, 11:41:02 AMQuote from: JLS on September 30, 2016, 11:32:13 AMQuote from: BigGoonTuna on September 30, 2016, 11:25:42 AMlocked up is locked up, regardless of one's political views.one thing is for sure, the idea that there's "room for everybody in the west" and private lands being open to everyone is definitely a dying ideal. just sickens me that so many are indifferent or even supportive of closing access to the public.It makes me incredibly sad to see this.An effect of population growth. Keep adding more and more people and not adding land, more will get locked up.I believe it has a lot more to do with attitudes and egos than it does population.
Quote from: JLS on September 30, 2016, 11:32:13 AMQuote from: BigGoonTuna on September 30, 2016, 11:25:42 AMlocked up is locked up, regardless of one's political views.one thing is for sure, the idea that there's "room for everybody in the west" and private lands being open to everyone is definitely a dying ideal. just sickens me that so many are indifferent or even supportive of closing access to the public.It makes me incredibly sad to see this.An effect of population growth. Keep adding more and more people and not adding land, more will get locked up.
Quote from: BigGoonTuna on September 30, 2016, 11:25:42 AMlocked up is locked up, regardless of one's political views.one thing is for sure, the idea that there's "room for everybody in the west" and private lands being open to everyone is definitely a dying ideal. just sickens me that so many are indifferent or even supportive of closing access to the public.It makes me incredibly sad to see this.
locked up is locked up, regardless of one's political views.one thing is for sure, the idea that there's "room for everybody in the west" and private lands being open to everyone is definitely a dying ideal. just sickens me that so many are indifferent or even supportive of closing access to the public.
The people are not powerless and all states that are seeing this trend need to wake up to realities--Re-write the property tax breaks that timberland gets , making sure top tax break includes public access. Look at the Great Lakes states for a model.Use all legal means, including eminent domain, to get access through private land to public landRequire any fee-for-entry system to follow the same rules as other recreation businesses meaning disabled access rules, sanitation, wheelchair accessible gates etc. Non-timber or ag income must pay the same tax rates (B&O) as other recreation businesses payReassert that the public owns the wildlife, period. No special tags, damage tags, landowner tags unless the public is allowed on. The public also owns the rivers and lakes. Make sure (such as Montana has done) that the public has access to navigable waters. Convert some private logging roads that have been used by the public for decades to actual public roads if they access public lands, trails, or waters.None of this is against property rights, it is just creating a level playing field and removing the special treatments timberland gets, or at least tying the special treatment to public benefits more directly.