As a public school boy in the 1970s, I learned the Woodie Guthrie song “This Land is Your Land.” It seemed, at the time, a celebration of all the good things about the American landscape – oceans and trees, rivers and valleys, mountains and prairies. The tune is instantly recognizable by most Americans even today, ending with the affirmation “This land was made for you and me.”
With time though, things get forgotten, and not just the lyrics to a song. Do you remember this verse?
“There was a big high wall there, that tried to stop me
Sign was painted, said ‘private property’
But on the back side it didn’t say nothing
This land was made for you and me.”
It’s part of the song – Google it if you’ve forgotten.
I fear that Steve Daines has forgotten the song’s message, and it appears that his memory is getting worse. Just over a year ago, Senator Daines cast a deciding vote on the Murkowski amendment, creating a “reserve fund” to facilitate the sale, transfer, or exchange of lands. This, by the way, could include selling cherished wilderness areas that previously were, in most people’s minds, clearly out-of-bounds from the real estate market.
As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources and Appropriations committees, Daines could have an outsized impact on how public lands are managed. Aside from championing Senator Tester’s legislation that’s been in the works for years, what has Daines accomplished? He’s failed to deliver on fire-funding reform as a member of the majority. He’s failed to deliver on timber reform, and he’s failed to find common ground with stakeholders in favor of bowing down to Senate leadership.
It’s clear to anyone paying attention that western states like Montana simply do not have the population base to pay for the full cost of managing federal lands. The roughly 25 million acres of federal lands in Montana could, by some estimates, cost as much as $500 million for the state of Montana to manage.
That’s simply more than the state’s residents can afford, and I think Daines knows this.
My concern, and the concern of many I know, is simple: The push to transfer federal lands to the state is a thinly veiled step in the transition of these cherished resources into private hands. “Gee. You can’t afford to manage those lands? Here – let us take care of that for you.”
Kiss your favorite (insert stream/valley/trail/peak/hunting location) goodbye.
Montana has been sharing the beauty of this lovely corner of God’s green earth with our fellow Americans for decades. In return, our fellow citizens have supported these “last, best places” with their travel and tourism dollars as well as their tax dollars. While it’s not a perfect arrangement, it ain’t broke … so Sen. Daines, don’t try to fix it.
Kelly Palmer
Troy