War on the West

by Barry Stewart


Saturday the 5th of March, a huge crowd of concerned citizens and elected officials gathered at the business/convention center in Silver City, NM to protest the closing of what could be up to 95% of the roads that give public access to the Gila Natl. Forest.

The crowd vastly exceeded expectations with more than 700 coming out to voice their concerns about the road and trail closures in the Gila. Many American veterans, ranchers, outdoor enthusiasts, hunters, RV campers, locals, and people that are concerned about what the government is imposing on an unwilling public had their voices heard.

Crowd in line for the Gila Rally

The featured speaker at the rally was U.S. congressman Steve Pearce. Congressman Pearce said that with all the public lands in New Mexico, and the remainder of the western states that are under consideration for generally locking the lands to public use and access, it is nothing more than a "land grab" by the U.S. Government, and was therefore a "War on the West" started by those in Washington.

Congressman Pearce also stated that shortly before leaving Washington D.C. to attend the important rally, he had spoken to Speaker of the House, John Boehner about the problem, and speaker Boehner assured him that he would help fight this in any way possible.



Congressman Steve Pearce

 With literally millions of acres of public Federal lands rapidly being forced into closure to ranching, recreation, public access, mining, and motor vehicles, this is by far the largest exhibition of illegally locking the American public out of land that were set aside as multiple use by the people of the United States that our country has ever seen. Not only are our National Forest lands such as the Gila on the list, but the Obama Administration is attempting to create numerous National Monuments and Wilderness Areas that will effectively shut down all access for any purpose by the American public without Due Process of Law.

In other words, it is illegal to stop the multiple use of public lands. The Nation Forest Service is currently mandated by FIVE congressional laws that prohibit this lock down of the forest by the government. They are as follows:
1) The Organic Act of 1987
2) The Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act
3) National Forest Management Act
4) National Forest Roads and Trails Act
5) Symms National Recreation Trails Act

There are already in place restrictions and laws that protect the public lands from misuse and exploitation by any person or organization that would harm the interests or natural structure, or species that may be endangered on these lands. So, any further restrictions on the lands that are geared towards keeping the American Public out of our Nation Forests are redundant and illegal.

At the Gila Rally the public outcry was very obviously not in favor of any restrictions on the Gila National Forest, but any public lands in New Mexico that may fall within the same type of government action that is designed to favor radical left wing, special interest groups and keep the American public out of lands legally set aside for public use.




Crowd at the Gila Rally

 The negative outcry from the crowd at the Gila Rally highlighted that the vast majority of people that live in, around, or have any plans to use public lands in New Mexico are vehemently opposed to any further obstuction by the U.S. Government to limit the use of the land.

Many elected officials and organizations from all over the state of New Mexico were in attendence to further voice the disapproval of this lockdown. Local government officials and civic organizations resounded the need to implement legal action needed to insure the American public's right to federal lands.




Public Outcry

 
Please write your elected officials and show your support for keeping our American Public Lands open.  This will end up affecting not only us, but future generations as well. We need to keep in mind that land grabs that are orchestrated by special interest groups will fall upon deaf ears with government officials if these government officials that support such actions are personally held responsible for thier actions by the American voting public.