The United States has assumed control of lands within several of the western states far beyond the authority granted to it by the Constitution for the United States. (See attached map and Appendix). When the federal government assumes control, it does so by calling these seized lands such names as: “The Wildlands Project”, “Heritage” areas, “Land Management”, “Wolf and Bear Reintroduction”, and “Rails to Trails”, “Conservation Easements”, “Open Space”, and many more. Each of these programs is designed to make it more difficult and expensive to live on the land.
The federal government has established and expanded parks, preserves, recreation and wilderness areas with no regard for the economic impact, loss of livelihood, and custom and culture of residents of the areas. These types of projects are established often without the direct consent of the legislature of the state, or the people of the community, and without concern for the impact on the communities.
For example, the economy of the small communities of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area is being heavily impacted. The residents of many similarly situated communities are suffering greatly when the federal government takes several million acres of land for use in these “wilderness” projects. In these projects, among other things, the watershed areas will no longer be under the guidance and care of the citizens of those communities.