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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Quilt project's vision: An America with fewer gun deaths ... Turning on the TAP: New Ashland coffee shop opens Monday ... Film festival seeks volunteers ... Quilt project's vision: An America with fewer gun deaths ... Turning on the TAP: New Ashland coffee shop opens Monday ... Film festival seeks volunteers ... WILD SIDE Keep public lands in public hands Comment By Joseph Vaile DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile Posted Jan. 5, 2016 at 7:17 PM Updated Jan 5, 2016 at 7:18 PM By Joseph Vaile Posted Jan. 5, 2016 at 7:17 PM Updated Jan 5, 2016 at 7:18 PM » Social News Imagine you are heading to Crater Lake National Park, the family in tow. You are thrilled to show them the stunning midnight blue lake filling up the caldera created with the implosion of Mount Mazama 7,700 years ago. You can’t wait to show off the “Phantom Ship” that eerily emerges from within the caldera’s depths. You come to the park entrance, but there are no welcome signs, no information about parking. Instead there are formidable "No Trespassing" signs, and armed guards lurking at the gate. Sound crazy? Absolutely. But militant extremists’ recent seizure of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge outside of Burns in eastern Oregon is part of a movement to do just that. In a phone interview with The Oregonian, the group laid out one of their demands: “The best possible outcome is that … the wildlife refuge will be shut down forever and the federal government will relinquish such control.” The Malheur Refuge is critical stomping ground for migratory birds. According to the refuge website, “The Refuge constitutes a small percentage of the Northern Great Basin’s total acreage but is a tremendously important source of wildlife habitat relative to other portions of the Northern Great Basin. The Refuge represents a crucial stop along the Pacific Flyway and offers resting, breeding, and nesting habitat for hundreds of migratory birds and other wildlife.” What would happen if the militants were successful in shutting down the refuge? Under private ownership, with the goal of individual profit, would the crucial migratory birds be protected? What if all our natural treasures — Crater Lake, the Wild Rogue, the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument — were similarly placed in the hands of private interests and corporations? I hate to think of what that would look like. Amazingly, these militants are not alone in the effort to sell off public lands. Our own U.S. Congressman has emboldened a movement to seize control of these public lands. Republican Greg Walden recently proposed legislation to give away over a quarter-million acres of National Forest lands right here in southern Oregon and northern California. A hundred years ago, another Republican, Teddy Roosevelt, had the foresight to protect public lands and our shared heritage of wildlife, clean water and wild places, and established both the U.S. Forest Service and National Wildlife Refuges. The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge was the 19th of 51 wildlife refuges created during his presidency. Thanks to Teddy, we are privileged that, as Americans, public lands are now a part of our country’s legacy. National parks, Bureau of Land Management lands, national forests and wildlife refuges are the best examples we have left of nature’s promise. It is our absolute responsibility to hand them down to generations yet to be born. Most people understand this. Poll after poll shows that Oregonians love their public lands. Americans love their public lands. Millions of Americans visit their public lands every year. And not only are public lands loved by most, but they are good for the economy, our communities and the health and wellbeing of our society. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, outdoor recreation on public lands in Oregon accounts for $12 billion in consumer spending and more than 140,000 jobs. This activity brings in nearly $1 billion in tax revenue. These are big numbers. Our public lands make southern Oregon a desirable place to live and raise a family. Think of the views we have in southern Oregon, the natural amenities right outside our doorstep, the clean drinking water flowing right from our national forests into the kitchen tap. Now imagine all of that gone — a bleak reality if these lands were turned over to private ownership. My thoughts are with the people in Harney County. We should all hope for a peaceful resolution to the occupation of the refuge. Hopefully this will happen soon. In the meantime, I hope you will take a moment to send a message to our elected leaders that keeping public lands in public hands is the best way to protect our individual rights and freedoms to enjoy American lands that belong to all of us. Joseph Vaile is executive director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild, 541-488-5789, www.kswild.org ). His Wild Side column appears every three weeks. By Joseph Vaile DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile Posted Jan. 5, 2016 at 7:17 PM Updated Jan 5, 2016 at 7:18 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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