With Donald Trump’s 2016 election, every environmentalist's worst nightmare has been realized and advocates for protecting public lands are preparing to fight. The battle lines over Trump’s lands policy encompasses over 640 million acres of federal public lands, from Maine’s pristine seashore to the redwood forests of California to the looming forms of the great Saguaro cacti of Arizona, and to the volcanic coasts of Hawaii.
In the eleven western states where a cumulative 47 percent of all land is owned by the federal government, Trump supporters are eager to overturn Obama’s “overbearing regulations” which they say “put sage grouse and owls ahead of economic growth.”
Environmental groups, however, see danger in Trump’s campaign promise to “unleash” coal, oil, and gas production, which will mostly take place on public land.
On January 30, a crowd of more than 1,000 Montanans gathered in Helena, the state capital, at the Capitol Rotunda to demand that “public lands stay in public hands,” and denounce land transfer efforts on both state and federal levels. Signs read, Smokey’s Friends Need Public Lands; Keep it Wild; Our American Heritage is not for Sale; and Keep America Great.
Governor Steve Bullock gave a speech that fired up the overflowing three-story Rotunda. He confirmed Montana’s strong commitment to public lands, saying bills that either propose to put lands under state control or to study the idea “have no place in this building and no place in Montana." He ended with a promise, "public land transfers will never happen on my watch!" Activists with Sierra Club's Our Wild America campaign and Montana Chapter, joined with Montana Wilderness Association, Montana Wildlife Federation, Backcountry Hunters Anglers, and others, to pack the Rotunda.
Of particular concern to environmetnal activists are two recently proposed land management bills. These bills, proposed by U.S. Congressman Jason Chaffetz, strip the law enforcement power from the Bureau of Land Management and disposes of 3.3 million acres of federal land that have been deemed to serve “no purpose for taxpayers.” Other apprehensions stem from state-level resolutions made by Jennifer Fielder, a state senator from Sanders County who is also the head of the American Lands Council. Felder is interested in studying federal transfers to the state, and is resolved to acquiesce in a request from the legislature that the federal government turn over federal lands within the borders of Montana to the state—about 25 million acres.
To this day, Woody Guthrie’s “this land is your land, this land is my land” lyrics provide imagery of an original and powerful American concept of land that belongs to all of us. This means a shared responsibility for its care and protection, and in return, access to special wild places where anyone can take the necessary time to restore, reflect, and connect with the earth. Disposing of this public space would be a devastating loss. For Montanans, public land is part of a unique heritage and quality of life— its why many individuals choose Montana as a place to live. The sale of public lands would deal a tremendous blow to the pride that citizens hold for their Montana identity. Along with other concerned climate warriors from around the country, residents of Big Sky Country are ready to fight for public lands to remain accessible to all people.