Baucus Rallies Opposition Against Land Sale

By Greg Lemon, 2-23-06

It came loud and clear – shouted through the microphone, hollered from the back of the room and even printed on free bumper stickers: “Public lands in public hands.�

A crowd of 200 people gathered Thursday morning at Missoula Children's Theater and told Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus to take the message back to Washington and fight Bush’s budget proposal, which called for the sale of about 200,000 acres of public lands.

Baucus in turn, vowed to lead the charge.

“Not only is this a bad idea, but we have to be vigilant,� he told nearly 200 people Thursday morning at Missoula Children's Theater. “My experience in D.C. is that it’s never over ‘till it’s over and even then it’s not over.�

Baucus spoke at the public rally with three other people: Bob Ekey, from the Wilderness Society; Mineral County commissioner, Judy Stang; and Dave Stalling, who represented the Montana Wildlife Federation, Trout Unlimited and Hellgate Hunters and Anglers.

They all came to lobby against a the recent White House budget proposal, which calls for selling of public land to fund the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.

The desire to sell public lands is symptomatic of Bush’s desire for privatization, Baucus said.

But Bush and his Washington counterparts obviously aren’t clear on how important public lands are to the people of the West.

“They don’t understand. It’s not in their blood. They don’t feel it,� he said. “We’re outdoor people. We’re an outdoor state.�

Dave Stalling said he is actually grateful, in a way, for the proposal, because nothing unites a diverse group of sportsmen more than loss of public land and access.

“One thing we have in common is we love our public land and access to public lands,� he said.

After Stalling spoke, the microphone was opened for the audience to speak. Ann Marie Rider hopped up for the opportunity.

Rider is a member of the organization Great Old Broads for Wilderness and felt passionately about the federal government holding onto all public lands.

“You tell them to keep their paws off our lands or they’ll wish they had,� she told Baucus, to the great delight of the crowd, which cheered and clapped.

Time and again people stepped up to the mic and spoke against any option for selling public land.

Baucus encouraged the crowd to keep fighting and make their voice heard. He’d work against the sale of public lands, but they needed to make sure Sen. Conrad Burns and Rep. Denny Rehberg would fight too.

His suggested that people call each representative weekly. They needed to ask to speak directly to the legislator and not be put off.

“You’re to say I’d like to talk to him right now,� Baucus instructed.

If they’re asked to leave a message, he told the crowd to inform the secretary they expected a call back.

“Then mark it on your calendar and call him back the next week,� he said.

Baucus encouraged them to keep it up until they spoke directly to the legislator.

“I can’t overemphasize how effective that is,� he said. It’s this type of grassroots movement that will change the mindset of those in Washington who want to sell off public land, he said.

The last person to speak was former Forest Service Chief and UM wildlife professor Jack Ward Thomas.

The idea of selling public lands isn’t just a Republican idea, Thomas said. He fought against a similar idea under the Clinton White House too.

“This latest one is just about as Machiavellian as you can get,� he said in reference to Bush’s proposal.

It’s completely preposterous to make it seem like the only choice the government has is between funding rural education and community programs or selling public land, Thomas said.

His response to Bush’s idea is the same response he had to Clinton in the 1990s.

“Not one damn part of my land or my kid’s land is for sale,� Thomas said. “We’ll trade you, but it ain’t for sale.�
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