Owyhee Initiative: Creeping Privatization of Public Lands
Public lands belong to all of us –not just to an elite group of special interests seeking to line their own pockets. But the Owyhee Initiative, trumpeted as a “collaborative effort” and masquerading as a wilderness bill, is an insidious step toward privatizing our public lands.
The OI can be seen for what it is only in the context of other attempted assaults on public lands. In 2005, Congress proposed selling vast tracts to mining companies; liquidating National Parks for quick cash; and selling off land to throw money at the deficit. In 2006, the Bush budget proposed selling tracts of National Forest and BLM land. The overt privatization of public land has been fended off—for now— by Idahoans and citizens across America who cherish these lands as our great outdoor commons.
The OI is part of the same insidious trend—in this case, handing control of our land over to a select group. The legislation would create a “Board of Directors” to oversee all 3.8 million acres of BLM land in Owyhee County. These overseers would include ranchers, the County, the head of the commercial outfitters, and some mild-mannered conservation groups. This power structure is designed to “un-level” the playing the field, keep the public at arm’s length, and further enrich ranchers and their cronies.
The OI arrangement would allow cattlemen to continue harming public lands under practices that pollute streams, spread weeds, and erode soils. It would confer new power to interfere with BLM and stymie lawful public land management.
The OI should also be viewed in light of BLM’s new grazing regulations, which seek to cut out the general public– including wildlife, wild horse and other interests —from involvement in grazing issues. They hand over control of new cattle facilities on BLM lands (fences, spring de-watering projects, wells) to ranchers. They eliminate BLM’s obligation to file for water rights to ensure that water will be available for fish and wildlife. Added to these new regulations, imagine how much worse the ranchers’ water and grass grab will be under the OI, where ranching trumps everything.
As to the supposed Wilderness element of the OI, there, too, ranching would reign supreme. The proposed “wilderness” is pierced, even bisected, by roads. Roads barred to public use would be open to ranchers for “customary” use, far beyond what has been allowed in other wilderness legislation. Meanwhile, over 200,000 acres of BLM wilderness study areas — “unglamorous” country that is essential sage grouse and mule deer habitat — would be flung open to new livestock project development.
The OI is part of a growing trend of quid pro quo “wilderness” bills that are really land or water privatization, development or cronyism bills with wilderness as window-dressing. Public lands are disposed of to promote sprawl and politician’s pet projects; public assets go the same way (water piped to Las Vegas in a recent Nevada bill); or stacked groups are set up to enrich local interests. Wilderness designation is slapped onto the lands least coveted or useable.
Recent BLM documents for the Owyhee Front foretell the ranchers’ ambitions for public lands. Under pressure from ranchers, an already weak BLM, plans a locked gate and blocked public access on 10 miles of road for a complaining rancher tied to the OI. Elsewhere, BLM proposes blocking 4 public roads to motorized use, in deference to another rancher’s griping.
Just wait until the ink is dried on the OI. The land grab will begin in earnest.
Katie Fite
Biodiversity Director
Western Watersheds Project
Read this Editorial in your local paper!: The Idaho Statesman
