‘Public Lands Day’ recognizes the state’s valuable brand (CO)
Sunday, March 27, 2016
By Aaron Kindle and Suzanne O’Neill
A continuing parade of bills in some Western state legislatures and in Congress questions the worth of one of our nation’s most valuable attributes — our public lands. Several members of Congress and a handful of Western legislators have repeatedly attempted to force transfers of national public lands to the states ...
... it’s refreshing that Colorado could end up bucking the trend. Sen. Kerry Donovan is sponsoring Senate Bill 16-021 to celebrate the many contributions our public lands make to wildlife, recreation, the economy and our quality of life. Legislation to establish a “Public Lands Day” the third Saturday in May has passed the state Senate and will be considered by the House through co-sponsors Mitch Bush and K.C. Becker.
The contributions of public lands to Coloradans are huge. Our great outdoors and all they support — fish and wildlife populations, hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing and local economies — have built Colorado’s brand nationally and worldwide. Statewide, outdoor recreation generates more than $34.5 billion in annual economic activity and creates 313,000 jobs, according to the 2014 Colorado Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan report. Of the state’s nearly 30 million acres of public lands, 83 percent are open to outdoor recreation ...
That isn’t to say that the current version of the public-lands bill is perfect. Just like management of the West’s vast expanses, the give and take among parties is fraught with differences of opinion. The Senate sent the bill to the House with extraneous commentary added along the way. Some of this language takes a clear shot at the Antiquities Act. The law has been used by presidents of both parties since 1906 to conserve some of our nation’s most important natural, historic and cultural treasures, including Colorado’s Brown Canyon and the Colorado and Dinosaur national monuments ...
http://www.gjsentinel.com/opinion/articles/public-lands-day-recognizes-the-states-valuable-br