I grew up in Kansas, which has virtually no public land. Just half of 1% of Kansas is federally managed. If you wanted to hunt, fish, camp or ride a horse, your options were slim. If you were lucky, you knew someone who owned some undeveloped land, and they would let you recreate there — but often for a price. It felt stifling to me, even as a kid.
At 18, I headed west, with all of its wild, wide open spaces. I felt like I was coming home. That was 52 years ago. I have never looked back.
The best thing about living in the West is the ready access to public land. I walk freely on BLM and Forest Service lands, and they revive me. They are a birthright — not just of Westerners, but of all Americans. Utah’s canyons and mountains also belong to my family and friends in Kansas.
Our elected representatives keep trying to sell our birthright. I am okay with such sales, if they go through the long-established processes set up by Congress. Outside of Vernal, BLM lands were transferred to Uintah County, and a recreational area was developed. A transparent, deliberate process weighed environmental, recreational and economic impacts. That’s how it works.
I have visited some of the lands that were recently added to a budget bill, such as the Kolob Terrace Road that climbs to the undeveloped, beautiful West Rim views into Zion.
Under Rep. Maloy’s amendment, parcels along that gorgeous highway would have been sold off — and the new owners would be those rich enough to pay top dollar. The rest of us wouldn’t even get “a bowl of pottage.”
Tom Elder
Vernal