Public Land Transfer

We have heard several Western legislators talk about it recently and now regular correspondent, Josh Mills weighs in on the subject of transferring public lands to individual states. "One of the biggest issues that are facing sportsmen and I highly encourage you to get knowledge about is the prospect of federal land transfer to states' authority. I interact with and am a part of a couple of great organizations. One of them is Back Country Hunters and Anglers out of Missoula and the other being the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. These two great organizations are trying to keep public land in the public trust. Some factions of some political parties want to return states land out of federal control to states control. The problem is, a lot of times the states don't have the mechanisms with which to administer and regulate these lands. A lot of times when it is transferred to the state's hands, it has been shown that a lot of that land you hold so dear for hunting, fishing, hiking, birdwatching will often times end up in a land surplus sale.