Several other states with massive quantities of Federal land will be watching these efforts. It's long overdue.

Utah is poised to become the first state to pass a package of bills that demand the federal government relinquish claims to huge sections of public land.

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Good for Utah. Like most Western states, the BLM owns most of the state.

As in the article, here in WA Clinton also signed away access to a prime slope site with a stroke of the executive pen.

Go Utah Go!

Originally Posted by MtnGoat

As in the article, here in WA Clinton also signed away access to a prime slope site with a stroke of the executive pen.

Was the area turned into an off-limits military base?

I, for one, would like to have a few wilderness areas and national forests that are not sacrificed on the altar of the almighty buck. YMMV.

Originally Posted by Rufcut

I, for one, would like to have a few wilderness areas and national forests that are not sacrificed on the altar of the almighty buck. YMMV.

We have a bunch of those called National Parks.

Originally Posted by logan5

We have a bunch of those called National Parks.

National parks are not the same as national forests or wilderness areas.

Originally Posted by thunder1

Was the area turned into an off-limits military base?

Worse. It was turned into a wildlife area. We went to our favorite slope site, a wonderful vast, grassy bowl with a nice sharp lip and great landing zone, like we always did. Up the road comes one of the few cars we've ever seen here in years of flying here.

This car has a light bar on top. We think well, don't see The Man out here very often.

Armed ranger gets out and says that we are in violation of the regulations for the new reserve. We go through the usual deal...no engines, soaring only, we don't chase birds (true)...no luck. No wiggle room. This is now a reserve and you are lucky I don't fine each of you on the spot. If I see you here again, ever, I will.

Originally Posted by Rufcut

I, for one, would like to have a few wilderness areas and national forests that are not sacrificed on the altar of the almighty buck. YMMV.

Yeah, of course, but out west, the BLM is just sitting on an unimaginable amount of land. That even if only 5% was allowed to be utilized, would be a boon to our GDP.

Originally Posted by MtnGoat

Worse. It was turned into a wildlife area. We went to our favorite slope site, a wonderful vast, grassy bowl with a nice sharp lip and great landing zone, like we always did. Up the road comes one of the few cars we've ever seen here in years of flying here.

This car has a light bar on top. We think well, don't see The Man out here very often.

Armed ranger gets out and says that we are in violation of the regulations for the new reserve. We go through the usual deal...no engines, soaring only, we don't chase birds (true)...no luck. No wiggle room. This is now a reserve and you are lucky I don't fine each of you on the spot. If I see you here again, ever, I will.

Could it have been an example of the ranger overreaching his authority? I've seen that a few times myself, flying in the parks around here. One park policeman says no, the other says yes. Even showing the park rules printed out from their own web site didn't convince one particular officer. It had to be escalated to his boss. Although pretty shortly thereafter, the soccer nuts took over the park, and now any day suitable for flying, the park is full.

At times like this, knowing your congresscritter can help out.

http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/...e.cfm?state=WA

Originally Posted by FrogChief

Yeah, of course, but out west, the BLM is just sitting on an unimaginable amount of land. That even if only 5% was allowed to be utilized, would be a boon to our GDP.

Well, some of it is being utilized. A friend of my dad leases like 40,000 acres in Montana for cattle and oil. It's dirt cheap compared to what the private lease would likely go for. That's not to say that I'm opposed to reverting some government land to private ownership, though. The process has to be controlled. States don't always have the best interests at heart, just like the feds, they can be corrupted, and give sweatheart deals to their friends. That's less likely to happen at the federal level.

We checked immediately upon our return and he was correct.

Turning harmless and innocuous things into a federal case involving any contact with a congresscritter is precisely why I oppose State involvment in so many things. I shouldn't need to contact anyone to fly a glider on a grassy hill on a public road in the middle of nowhere where, until that ranger, the number of cars we'd ever seen there could be counted on the fingers of one hand. That executive pen stroke turned a non issue into an illegal one.

The soccer nutz are the scourge of any urban flyers. If every available scrap of grassy area is not turned over to soccer or parking for it, well obviously you're against the kids. We fought this for years in King County where it was insane...there were literally soccer fields all over the place all accross the county, and how many public glider parks? One. But of course if you wanted to retain a single couple acres to fly planes with your friends and your kids while they had fields everywhere, why then you were the bad guy!

Originally Posted by MtnGoat

We checked immediately upon our return and he was correct.

Turning harmless and innocuous things into a federal case involving any contact with a congresscritter is precisely why I oppose State involvment in so many things. I shouldn't need to contact anyone to fly a glider on a grassy hill on a public road in the middle of nowhere where, until that ranger, the number of cars we'd ever seen there could be counted on the fingers of one hand. That executive pen stroke turned a non issue into an illegal one.

Every rule has it's exceptions. Working with the government will always be more productive than just turning a cold shoulder. Congressional representatives are always eager to please, at least to your face. That's why their election cycles are every two years.

Imagine where the model aircraft hobby would be today without the AMA.

Working with them wastes resources on all sides. Turning a non issue into months, weeks or years of energy wasted to get to what took none before is not a productive thing.