Andy Kerr

Conservationist, Writer, Analyst, Operative, Agitator, Strategist, Tactitian, Schmoozer, Raconteur

Owyhee Canyonlands

Malheur County Federal Land Legislation Take 4, Part 2: The Ugly, the Missing, and the Alternative

Malheur County Federal Land Legislation Take 4, Part 2: The Ugly, the Missing, and the Alternative

If the recommended critical tweaks are made to remove the ugly parts (grazing “rights” and further exaltation of livestock grazing in wilderness areas) of S.1890, the Senate and the House of Representatives should pass the bill and the president should sign it into law.

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Malheur County Federal Land Legislation Take 4, Part 1: The Good, the Whatever, and the Bad

Malheur County Federal Land Legislation Take 4, Part 1: The Good, the Whatever, and the Bad

With a few critical tweaks, Senator Wyden’s legislation could be a net gain for the conservation of nature for the benefit of this and future generations. Without those tweaks, the bill as drafted is an existential threat to the conservation of federal public lands and should not be enacted into law.

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National Monuments: Long-Term National Versus Short-Term Local Interests

The people of Boston might make more money chopping up Old Ironsides into souvenirs and leasing out the space on the water to a floating casino, but they can’t. The oldest commissioned ship in the United States Navy doesn’t belong to them alone. The people of Washington DC might make more money if the National Mall were converted to condominiums, but they can’t. The nation’s lawn doesn’t belong to them alone.

Nor do the nation’s federal public lands belong to locals alone.

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