Time to RALLY!! Ken Salazar and his greenie buddies want the RNC to rescind my Resolution to transfer the public lands of the West to the states! August 11, 2014 Dear Chairman Priebus: On behalf of the undersigned groups and organizations, representing millions of hunters, anglers, fish and wildlife professionals, and outdoor enthusiasts, we respectfully urge you to rescind the 2014 Republican National Committee’s resolution “In Support of Western States Taking Back Public Lands.” Our organizations share an affiliation with the National Wildlife Federation, which was founded more than three quarters of a century ago by Republican conservationist Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling. Like President Theodore Roosevelt before him, Darling was part of a long line of Republican conservation leaders committed to the wise stewardship of our natural resources and the multiple uses of our public lands. Following in their footsteps, many of our members and supporters are conservatives who hunt, fish and recreate on these public lands, contributing to the outdoor recreation economy. For decades we have consistently opposed the liquidation, disposal, or transfer of our federal public lands. Our 49 state affiliates voted to reaffirm that position at the annual meeting of the National Wildlife Federation on May 2 (see attached resolution). This unanimous statement illustrates the breadth and diversity of individuals and organizations that oppose efforts to take public lands out of public hands. Our federal lands provide invaluable habitat for fish and wildlife, as well as tremendous opportunity for hunting, fishing, and other recreation. These lands help to grow America’s economy by supporting an outdoor recreation industry that generates $646 billion in economic benefit annually and supports 6.1 million jobs. Despite the economic importance of federal lands to wildlife and people, they remain under constant threat. In recent years, several state legislative proposals have called on the federal government to transfer ownership of public lands to the states, which in turn would pass them off to private interests in many instances. Not only are these proposals legally questionable and unlikely to pass constitutional review, the principle of discarding public lands opens the door to a multitude of unsustainable land management practices including unrestricted timber harvest, fossil fuel extraction, and mining. Furthermore, the public at large does not support these proposals. The 2014 Conservation in the West Poll, a bipartisan survey by Colorado College, found that nearly two-thirds of Westerners consider themselves conservationists and 91 percent of voters in the Rocky Mountain region agree that public lands, like national parks, forests, and wildlife areas, are an essential part of their state’s economy. These findings are significant because the states most determined to develop or dispose of public lands are in the West. But regardless of which state we call home, we feel that our public lands should be enjoyed by all Americans. We urge the Republican National Committee to stay true to the party’s deep conservation roots and rescind this resolution to ensure the continued protection of public lands that provide so much benefit to our communities and for all Americans. Sincerely,  Arizona Wildlife Federation Arkansas Wildlife Federation Association of Northwest Steelheaders (OR) Citizens for Pennsylvanias Future Colorado Wildlife Federation Connecticut Forest & Park Association Conservation Council for Hawaii Conservation Federation of Missouri Delaware Nature Society Environmental Advocates of New York Environmental League of Massachusetts Environment Council of Rhode Island Florida Wildlife Federation Georgia Wildlife Federation Idaho Wildlife Federation Indiana Wildlife Federation Iowa Wildlife Federation Kansas Wildlife Federation Kentucky Waterways Alliance Louisiana Wildlife Federation Michigan United Conservation Clubs Minnesota Conservation Federation Mississippi Wildlife Federation Montana Wildlife Federation Natural Resources Council of Maine Nebraska Wildlife Federation Nevada Wildlife Federation New Hampshire Audubon New Jersey Audubon Society New Mexico Wildlife Federation North Carolina Wildlife Federation North Dakota Wildlife Federation Planning and Conservation League (CA) Prairie Rivers Network (IL) Renewable Resources Coalition (AK) Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña Inc (PR) South Dakota Wildlife Federation Vermont Natural Resources Council Virginia Conservation Network West Virginia Rivers Coalition Wyoming Wildlife Federation
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 21:50:54 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015