Congress and the Federal Lands

We obtained permission from some writers to also post their papers on the Web; in two cases, the Web postings are longer than the articles that appeared in Different Drummer. We have also posted some testimony given at a 2 November 1995 Congressional hearing on the topic.

Needless to say, the Thoreau Institute doesn't agree with everything every one of these writers say, but we do believe their ideas are all worth considering. By the same token, we did not exclude any papers (including testimony at the 2 November 1995 hearing) because we thought less of them but only for lack of time.

Table of Contents

Does Congress want to change the rules, or just keep on porking?

Major Public Land Bills in the 104th Congress

A synopsis of legislation under consideration.

The case for federal land ownership.

The Failure of Scientific Management--by Robert Nelson

Why federal land management hasn't worked. This article is longer than the one appearing in Different Drummer and includes Nelson's entire written testimony before the Public Lands Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

How federal land management can work.

States as Public Land Managers--by Sally Fairfax

Thinking the unthinkable: Giving the federal lands to the states. This article is longer than the one appearing in Different Drummer and includes the entire paper that Fairfax prepared for a recent conference on federal land ownership held at the University of Colorado Law School.

Achieving the Potential of Federal Lands--by Peter Donovan

Another alternative: Long-term leasing.

The Forest Service Needs a Clear Mandate--by James Brown

The position of the National Association of State Foresters.

Trusts Can Provide a Clear Objective--by Kevin Carter

Why trusts can protect public lands.

Other Senate Testimony

Complete testimony by selected witnesses at the 2 November 1995 hearing of the Public Lands Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (only short excerpts of which were published in Different Drummer):

• Janet Abramovitz, Worldwatch Institute
• John Howard, Union County (Oregon) Commissioner
• Larry Layton and Merle Dinning, county commissioners from Arizona and Idaho.
• Randal O'Toole, the Thoreau Institute.

The Forest Service's response to its critics. See below for links to this document.

National Forest Timber Sales Lose Billions--General Accounting Office

The GAO asks the age-old question: Where's the revenue? See below for links to this document.

National Forest Reform Proposal--The Thoreau Institute

A statement of principles and a discussion draft of a national forest reform bill.

Some Pitfalls with Government Land Trusts--by Steve Alder

Potential problems with proposed reforms.

Reforming Public Range Lands--by Karl Hess

An alternative both environmentalists and ranchers can live with.

The National Parks' Slide Toward Mediocrity--by James Ridenour

The former director of the National Park Service speaks out.

National Parks Are Declining--General Accounting Office

The GAO finds that major parks are short of money and workers. See below for links to this document.

• Reforming Public Land Management with New Incentives is a speech by O'Toole going into even more detail;
• A Press Release from the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance about a new approach to salvage sales;
• Should Congress Give Federal Lands to the States? argues that the states aren't any better land managers than the federal government.
• Karl Hess helped developed a statement of principles on public range issues. He and several others are getting environmentalists, ranchers, and conservatives to all sign on to this statement.