Obama's "road closures" was one of the most nefarious things for public access I've ever seen.
Anyone who hasn't lived out west has no idea what those BLM lands are like. To close off those roads eliminated millions of acres for access.
It's been going on for a while. Any restriction or conversion to nature-photography-only uses is a "choke point" for more hairy pursuits like hunting. Consider how much land was converted to "monuments" and "preserves" and "primitive areas" in the last fifty years or so.
All well and good, but I started to look at all these conversions as part of a strategy to create more "choke poins" to more hairy activities.
Like hunting.
While I'm at it, I discovered a lot of non-westerners don't understand that "BLM land" is land managed by the
Bureau of
Land
Management, a Federal agency.
I figured I'd better mention that again.
Terry, 230RN
NOTE: I frequently use nature photography and bird-watching as catchwords for the "gentler" aspects of the love of nature. I recognize that these are legitimately satisfying pursuits, but it's just a snarky way for me to label the Birkenstock-bandana-yuppie "guns-is-bad" crowd.
Edited to correct two typos.