The closer we look at public land sale plan, the worse it looks
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Nearly 10,000 acres in North Carolina, including more than 6,500 acres in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests, have been identified for possible sale. Those voicing opposition include hunters, environmentalists and politicians across the board, from Republican Rep. Charles Taylor of Brevard and North Carolina’s two GOP senators, Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, to Democratic Gov. Mike Easley and local officials in Buncombe, Macon, Madison and Burke counties. |
The proposed sale would generate nearly $1 billion and finance a program funding rural schools. However, that funding would be temporary and the land would be sold permanently. David Young, a Buncombe County commissioner, said, “The little money they are going to gain from it will not equal the long-term benefit of keeping that forest land.” Rep. Taylor has stated the sale “is not going to happen.’’ The public comment period on the proposed sales was scheduled to end today. A bad plan at first glance, this one looks worse and worse as you peel off the layers. Aside from the obvious — the country keeps getting more people but it isn’t getting any more public land for us to hunt, hike or just enjoy — the plan is a slap at the South and the Midwest.
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