{"id":37322,"date":"2018-07-20T13:43:27","date_gmt":"2018-07-20T17:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/?p=37322"},"modified":"2021-10-12T10:50:36","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T14:50:36","slug":"public-lands-policy-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanhiking.org\/public-lands-policy-statement\/","title":{"rendered":"Public Lands Position Statement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\tProtect Public Lands\n\t<\/h2>\n

\n\t\tAmerican Hiking Society Policy Position\n\t<\/h3>\n\t

Dennis Buchner<\/h6>\n\t\n\t

Why should you care?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\t

Public Lands Face Unprecedented Threats<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

The most pressing threats to public lands protections include shrinking National Monuments and expanding energy development. \u00a0Such erosions, rather than expanding access, usually deprive hikers, anglers, hunters, campers, and all other permitted users the opportunity to enjoy their desired form of recreation, and, at best, obstruct views and generate noise and air pollution.<\/p>\n\n

In April 2017, President Trump ordered the review of all National Monuments designated since 1996; and Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ryan Zinke subsequently recommended cutting 223 million acres of National Monuments protection, converting the areas back to unprotected status.[iv]<\/a> In December 2017, the Administration enacted the first cuts, shrinking the Bears Ears National Monument by 85% (the largest shrinkage of protected public land in history) and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by about 40%, for a total of 2,000,000 acres. In February 2018, the Administration opened this acreage, including 245 miles of hiking trails, to claims by developers.[v]<\/a> This puts over half (58%) of the hiking trail mileage in these two monuments at risk.<\/p>\n

Update: On October, 7 2021, President Biden restored protections<\/a> to Bears Ears National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalente National Monument and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monuments<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Hiking Society is not opposed to all energy development on unprotected public lands and recognizes their potential economic value in the right context. However, our support for new development on unprotected land will occur on a case-by-case basis; examining the impact on all aspects of the hiking experience.<\/p>\n\n

Our public lands are currently suffering from a $21.5 billion backlog in infrastructure maintenance (often referred to as the “deferred maintenance backlog”). Secretary Zinke has proposed that new energy development on public lands could solve this pressing need. \u00a0AHS does not believe that the solution for one public lands problem is to create another (essentially “robbing Peter to pay Paul”), especially when it would meet only a small part (31%) of the ever-growing backlog.[viii]<\/a> Unfortunately, current legislative proposals do not prohibit Secretary Zinke’s proposal.[ix]<\/a>\u00a0 The federal government should fix the maintenance backlog by: halting decreases to public lands funding, revitalizing its capital investment strategy, and forging innovative public-private partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\t

One Million Sq. Miles of Public Lands in the US<\/h4>\n\n