Editorial: Forget PILT checks, transfer federal lands

On Tuesday April 26, 2016 Nevada Lands Council Director, Demar Dahl, testified before the Federal Land Action Group in Washington D.C. in support of H.R. 1484 the "Honor the Nevada Enabling Act of 1864 Act".

Often times when people hear that H.R. 1484 intends to transfer approximately 45 million acres to the state of Nevada they immediately wonder what would be left. Surprisingly more than you might think. As a matter of fact, when the transfer of public land is successful, and assuming there are no changes in any other western states, Nevada will still be among the top twelve states for the highest percentage of federal land.

Horses, particularly wild ones, tend to conjure up images of majesty, strength, and unbridled freedom. Unfortunately, this is a distorted depiction of reality that Americans have fabricated with the help of dime store novels and Hollywood films.

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act became Law in 1971

Since receiving federal protection, wild horse and burro populations on public lands have soared, far exceeding what is healthy for the land and the animals.

Did you know that last summer, elite Montana firefighting crews with specially equipped helicopters (faster, larger holding capacity) who put out wildfires before they reach 10 acres in size – were ordered to stand down by the U.S. Forest Service and sit idly by watching thousands of acres burn, air polluted, and animals incinerated, because there specially equipped state helicopters were not on the USFS “approved list.”

File this under headlines you will never see.... Why? Because it is ridiculous!!!

On December 28th 1805, only two years following the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson penned a letter to Benjamin Chambers in which he wrote

“By enlarging the empire of liberty, we multiply its auxiliaries, and provide new sources of renovation, should its principles at any time degenerate in those portions of our country which gave them birth.”

If Nevadans are going to free the land from their inefficient federal landlord - a land transfer is paramount. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions regarding public land transfers; some say that all public land will be transferred into private ownership or that the state cannot afford it.