PUBLIC LANDS -- The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation reiterated its "long-standing stance in adamantly opposing the sale or transfer of federal lands to states" this week.

The statement was sent out as the battle for maintaining public access to federal public lands was in the national spotlight:

• An Outdoor retailer stumped to have a lucrative trade show pull out of Utah in protest of its anti-recreation and anti-federal lands politics.
• U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, introduced wording in one of the first actions of the 115th Congress this month to ease the way to transferring federal lands.

“We have always been against the sale or transfer of our public lands but now we’re seeing some western state legislatures mulling or taking action that could lead to that happening," said David Allen, RMEF president.

"We’re also hearing some chatter on the federal level. This is dangerous for two reasons.

• First, it could result in the privatizing of these lands and the subsequent permanent loss of public access for hunters, anglers, hikers and others.
• Second, this discussion is a smoke screen of sorts that does nothing to address the real issue of the crucial need for active management of our forests.”

RMEF released a detailed position on the issue in 2016. In addition to stating an opposition to the wholesale disposal, sale or transfer of federal land holdings, it also highlighted the urgent need for active land management.

"The lack of active management has a detrimental impact on the landscape in the form of ailing forest health, an increasing number of catastrophic wildfires and a reduction in quality habitat for elk and other wildlife," RMEF said this week.

RMEF maintains litigation reform is essential to limit non-stop, frivolous lawsuits by environmental groups that use their political agendas to frustrate the implementation of badly needed land management practices as they also seek to eliminate any consideration of multiple use in many national forests.

Additionally, RMEF maintains that some within public land management fundamentally oppose active management of forest and range resources in favor of a hands-off preservation approach to landscapes which has a detrimental effect on wildlife and wildlife habitat.

“We call on RMEF members across the nation and America’s sportsmen and women to contact representatives in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to urge them to provide federal land managers the tools and direction to develop and implement effective active land management procedures. We also call on them to strongly urge state and federal lawmakers to speak out against the sale or transfer of public lands to protect our ability to hunt, fish, camp, ride and recreate, and then hold them accountable for their actions.” added Allen.