EDITOR:

For generations, Americans have enjoyed hunting, fishing, and camping on our public lands found in every state. We visit National Parks and Forests, Refuges, or BLM lands including the Hiawatha and Ottawa National Forests and four National Park Service sites.

But buried within the current Senate budget reconciliation bill is a mandate to sell 3 million acres of BLM and Forest Service land. This land sale would occur in the next five years, and over 294.6 million acres, nearly the size of California and Texas, is eligible for sales.

There are no rules on how much land can be sold or who can buy it. There is no public review, no recognition of conservation values, nothing protecting sacred sites, ecologically sensitive areas, or hunting, fishing, and recreation.

Not long ago, this was unthinkable for the lands Americans hold near and dear. We are on the cusp of a liquidation of America’s public lands, that will be forever.

Our public lands are our source of clean air, clean water, and tremendous biological diversity that helps to keep our planet running smoothly. They are vital places to recreate — an egalitarian opportunity, available to everyone to benefit from nature. Public lands are not only popular with U.S. citizens, but millions from around the world visit them annually.

These lands support our economy. Every dollar spent on a visit to a National Park returns $18 to the economy. National forests put at least $34 back in the economy. Both the BLM and Fish & Wildlife Service each return $200 to the economy.

Imagine a visit to one of our public lands and finding NO TRESPASSING signs, unlimited logging or mining, or private multi-million-dollar condominiums. The loss of these lands could forever undermine the American spirit.

In addition to this heinous sale, all of the national land management agencies are already operating in a diminished capacity. Some 2,200 Park Service, 3,400 Forest Service, and 800 BLM employees have been fired from their jobs. 112 million Forest Service acres have been opened to greatly increased logging and road construction. Planned reductions of Park and Forest Service budgets are 34% and 66%, respectively. Federal agencies are being starved so they can be claimed “dysfunctional” and dismantled. Furthermore, there are plans to eliminate the Antiquities Act – under which the Grand Canyon, Acadia, and Olympic National Parks were first created. The Endangered Species Act, the Archeological Resources Protection Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air and Clean Water Act are being weakened.

Who gains from this sell-out? Land developers, oil, gas and mining companies, international conglomerates, billionaires, private equity groups. Each and every one of us, the American people lose.

The current Senate reconciliation bill violates several acts and rules which provide Americans with ownership of the land, the government managing it for us in trust. We must not allow a quarter-billion acres of America’s public domain to disappear into private hands.

Gregg Bruff

Escanaba