Our Public Lands

["William K. Medlin" <dev-plan@moscow.com>]

Visionaries:  While our rural economy presents serious problems for 
those who work in extractive industries (timber, mining, farming), 
economic development in other areas of the NW has found viable 
alternatives. So can Idaho. But Senator Crapo informs me (letter, Jan 
23, 2001) that he intends to support Federal measures to insure that, 
"proper and effective stewardship of our public lands will arise not 
from federal dictates, but from locally-led discussions among public 
land managers and Idahoans who enjoy and depend on public lands", 
adding that, "This is the way I ... approach resource and 
environmental issues."
	In terms of public lands that, over the past 100 years, were 
put into trust for me and my heirs, what does it mean that "land 
managers and Idahoans" will now decide upon their uses? What is the 
mechanism for placing 16% of Latah County, which are publicly owned, 
under some new kind of decision-making? I it legitimate? Who are 
these people that the Senator has in mind? Has anybody on this list 
been informed about this process? Are we facing another kind of 
"dictate" as to the fate of our lands? Who chooses these land 
managers and other Idahoans intent on making different uses of 
forests, streams, lakes, mountains, meadows and wildlife? What indeed 
is the scheme? Why aren't we informed?
	Before it's too late, we ought to raise these and other 
questions of our legislators and Bush administration officials. 
Otherwise one morning we will wake up to a totally new system for 
economic development of Federal and possibly also state forests. 
Kindly give these issues some thought and action!