National Public Lands Day pays homage to great American legacy
Steve Kilpatrick, executive director of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation, says Wyoming’s outdoor resources are an integral part of the state’s economy and heritage that requires careful balance with development. (courtesy photo)
Guest column by Steve Kilpatrick
September 26, 2013
A special day is set aside nationally each year to celebrate our public lands through such volunteer efforts as planting trees and building trails. This Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of National Public Lands Day.
In Wyoming, appreciating the bounty and beauty of our public lands is an every-day occurrence. About half the Cowboy State is public lands and we do use them. A lot. Roughly 57 percent of Wyomingites hunt, fish and participate in other wildlife-related outdoor activities. All outdoor recreation generates about $4.5 billion in spending that helps fill state coffers.
Our public lands also provide grazing for livestock and are the source of oil, gas and coal that produce revenue for the state and local governments and generate jobs. They’re also home to the abundant fish and wildlife that draw sportsmen and women from around the globe and remind us what a privilege it is to call Wyoming home. From the rugged backcountry of the Wyoming Range to the stark beauty of the Red Desert, we all have our special places where we like to track deer, cast a line – or just go to recharge.
These public lands – remote canyons, steep peaks, sagebrush steppe and rolling grasslands – belong to all Americans. They have helped shaped our identity, contribute to local economies and are crucial sources of clean air and water. This tremendous legacy made possible by farsighted political leaders, hunters, anglers and dedicated citizens is more important than ever – and at the center of intense debate.
A recent National Wildlife Federation report, “Valuing Our Western Public Lands: Safeguarding Our Economy and Way of Life,” explores proposals by several Western state legislatures to take over the federally managed lands within their borders. Members of Congress have proposed selling millions of acres of public lands, rolling back protections for them and make logging, drilling and other natural resource extraction the priority over all other uses. Not only are these efforts shortsighted and wrongheaded, they conflict with most Americans’ desires.
A bipartisan survey by Colorado College in Colorado Springs found that a majority of the Rocky Mountain region’s voters support conserving public lands and back better enforcement of environmental safeguards. The poll found that an overwhelming majority in Wyoming – 73 percent – consider themselves conservationists. Support among Wyoming voters for public lands is nearly unanimous, with 94 percent agreeing that they are an essential part of the state’s economy.
Recent economic reports by nonprofit groups show the support is well-founded. Studies by Montana-based Headwaters Economics and Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development found that areas in the Rocky Mountain West with higher percentages of conserved public lands have experienced higher rates of growth in population, employment and income than areas with fewer public lands managed for conservation. The SFRED report features Cody as a case study of a community that has built a diverse economy by balancing different uses on public lands and conserving special places. Business people in the Rockies have reported that the quality of life made possible by access to public lands gives them a competitive edge in attracting employees.
Energy development is important to Wyoming. So are agriculture and outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing. I view the big three economic sectors as making up a three-legged stool: we need all three legs for balance.
Our public lands, the equivalent of America’s big back yard, make this country stand out among other industrialized nations. They helped make us who we are and contribute to our well-being in many ways. We need to let our elected representatives know how important they are to us. We must urge Congress to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has supported conservation projects across Wyoming, including in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area and along the North Platte River. We owe it to our children and their children to keep the legacy alive.
— Steve Kilpatrick is executive director of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation. He worked for 33 years as a habitat biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
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