The Federal Government owns 640 million acres of land, but does federal land benefit the
people or hurt us?
If you've been near media of any kind you've probably heard about a group of men who've
seized Federal Land in Oregon as part of a larger protest of government-owned land and
whether it benefits We The People.
Well, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, federal land serves as an
opportunity for settlement and economic development, and [provides] a source of revenue for schools,
transportation, national defense… and so on, but is that true?
Overall, the United States government owns 28 percent of all land in the 50 states, more-so
out West.
In Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and all points west, the US government may
own as much as 85 percent of ALL THE LAND in a state.
And the management of all that land falls under four federal agencies.
The U.S. Forest Service ensures forests and grasslands won't be exploited.
The National Park Service manages more than 400 of America’s natural jewels, like Yellowstone,
Big Sky or Joshua Tree.
The Fish and Wildlife Service enforces wildlife laws in the 560 national refuges, and restores
fisheries, protects wetlands and migratory paths.
And finally, the Bureau of Land Management pretty much does everything else.
They manage recreation, timber harvesting, wildlife conservation, mining claims, and
on and on.
And all this land isn't just for animals to poop on.
It has ECONOMIC benefit too.
Refuges create local jobs, attract visitors, and generate tax revenue.
The National Wildlife Refuge Association found wildlife refuges produce an annual economic
output of 2.4 billion dollars.
And they're not alone, in 2014 the National Park Service's annual report showed a direct
impact of 277 thousand jobs in and around parks with 29.7 billion dollars in economic
output.
On top of that, the BLM, charges for ranchers to graze on public land.
Though they don't make money directly, they do subsidize cattle prices as the government
charges 93 percent less for their grazing than private landowners.
Plus, federal land is used for coal, oil, natural gas and wealth mineral extraction,
as well as for renewable energy; generating billions of dollars for local governments
and making up 2.6 percent of the whole US economy.
Of course, there are obvious benefits to human livelihood and happiness as well.
A 2015 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found walking in the
woods reduces depression.
A 2008 study in Psychological Science found interacting with nature provides a mental
break for our attention functions increasing attention abilities and refreshing top-down
mental tasks.
And, obviously, we're not the only animals who benefit.
In a 2016 report, The Fish & Wildlife Service not only show how refuges help migrating birds
AND provide cycling and hiking for Americans, but they also announce the Delmarva Fox Squirrel's
removal from the endangered species list, and gush over the delisting or downlisting
of species including the first fish to ever be delisted -- the cute little Oregon chub.
From the data it's pretty obvious that federal lands can benefit us all.
The natural beauty and wildlife of this country are just as much a power of our nation as
our politics, economy and national culture -- and indeed they're intricately connected.
America wouldn't be "the beautiful" with "mountains majesty", or "pine-clad hills" without federally
protected lands and wildlife refuges.
From sea to shining sea.