public lands
Posted inNews

At Home on Public Lands

Dispersed recreation could help with overuse issues. A first step toward that goal: An education into how the public can use its lands
Avatar photo Nicole Vulcan

Many people turn to the outdoors as a form of relaxation, a way to get away from it all. To get away, more specifically, from other humans. Some balk at seeing and hearing other humans in the wilderness—so tension arises because the public lands upon which most recreation takes place belong not to just one […]

Posted inNews

In Congress, both parties agree on one public lands bill

A bill allowing public land sales for conservation inches towards passage.
Tay Wiles

At a time of extraordinary political division, it’s rare that a public lands bill gets sweeping bipartisan support. Fights over how to manage public lands rage in today’s West, from disputes over national monument boundaries to whether states should have control over federal lands. Yet when Rep. Rob Bishop, R-UT, brought a public lands bill […]

Posted inNews

Public Lands: Shrinkage, Development and De-Funding

Trump and Congress agenda to steal public lands from the people
Gena Goodman-Campbell

Of the many bad ideas that gained traction in 2016, privatizing public lands is one of the most radical and lacking in public support. Republicans and Democrats alike use and enjoy public lands, and Americans overwhelmingly oppose removing land from public ownership by selling it off or handing it over to individual states to manage. […]

Posted inNews

Presidential Preferences

Cascade-Siskiyou: Under attack or saving a way of life?
Christian Trejbal

This month, the president slashed about 2 million acres from two national monuments in Utah. Now he and his administration are turning their eyes northwest, toward Oregon and the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Democrats and Republicans, conservationists and extractors fell into predictable shouting matches at the prospect of a shrinking Cascade-Siskiyou. Meanwhile, the question of how […]

Posted inOpinion

Accessing our national parks should not bea privilege afforded only to the privileged.

The Source Staff

OPINION To underline the complexity of the debate around public lands, think about two local issues. Smith Rock is the first. Smith Rock is overcrowded, and many have proposed increasing fees and even capping the number of visitors as ways to control the populations—not always because they’re concerned about the conservation of the area, but […]

Posted inOutside

Mountain Bikers Seek Changes to 1964 Wilderness Act

Conservationists fear too much is at stake
Brian Jennings

Thus far, 2016 has been a controversial year for federal public lands, especially in Oregon where the federal government manages more than 50 percent of the state’s geographic area. First, there was the armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge south of Burns. Then, Malheur County residents overwhelmingly voted against creating a possible National […]

Posted inNews

Wyden, Blumenauer Introduce Bill to Open Access to Outdoor Recreation

Sherron Lumley

Washington, D.C. – Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Earl Blumenauer today introduced legislation to increase outdoor recreation access for visitors and boost rural economies in Oregon and nationwide. Based on input from Oregonians about how to remove bureaucratic roadblocks to public lands, the Recreation Not Red-Tape (RNR) Act expands outdoor recreation opportunities for all […]

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