Thread: cruz NV Ad - Fight to Return Public Lands to State

In an email from my friends at Hidden Valley Wild Horse Protection:

This week, presidential candidate Ted Cruz began a targeted ad in Nevada which proclaims he “will fight day and night to return full control of Nevada’s lands to…” the state. This ad echoes extremist views that want to seize control of our public lands – lands where Nevadans go to hunt, fish, camp, and hike – and sell them off to the highest bidder. These attacks on our public lands are direct attacks on our Western way of life and we want to show Cruz – along with any other candidate who wants to seize control of our lands – that Nevada’s want to keep our lands public.

Nevada has more public lands and wild horses than any other state – we need to keep your public lands open to the public and open and available for all animals that roam free here in Nevada!!!!! Our open space is one of our greatest treasures!

Ted Cruz will be in Reno tomorrow. He has vowed to take the public lands out of public hands and this demonstration will be held before and across the street from his venue. I will be there with my wild horse sign and I hope others will be too. Terri

As the Presidential race heats up, public lands are quickly becoming an issue. However, as we all know, public lands belong to all Americans and shouldn’t be subjected to partisan politics

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The other part of this IS, wild horses have DESIGNATED land that big gas & oil, mining etc WANT. That is why we have more wild horses cruelly rounded up and held in holding pens THAN WE HAVE LOOSE ON THE RANGE.

cruz wants our public lands for state use aka sell to toxic, polluting corporate profiteers! He does not have a chance nationally. He is funded major by big gas & oil. When you turn public lands over to the states, THEY CAN SELL THE LAND TO INDUSTRY - his ad seems to be double talk. the public lands ARE public, giving them to the state is taking them OUT of public hands.

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Cruz Goes Cliven Bundy in New TV Ad

February 19, 2016 by Andrew Cullen

The GOP presidential candidates are all on the ground in South Carolina, which holds its Republican primary this weekend – but Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is already turning his sights to Nevada, which holds its caucus Feb. 23.

In his latest ad directed at the state, Cruz attacks Donald Trump while vowing to “return full control of Nevada’s lands to its rightful owners” – echoing similar calls from Cliven Bundy, the embattled Nevada rancher who led the armed occupation of a wildlife refuge in Oregon last month.

Ted Cruz’s Cattle Call Against Donald Trump

The federal government owns roughly half of all the land in the West – and as Cruz notes in the ad, that includes, “85% of Nevada.” The battle between Nevadans and the government over that land is as old as the state itself, but the fight has received renewed attention in recent years, thanks in part to multiple armed standoffs led by Cliven Bundy.

In this ad, Cruz uses this battle as his wedge issue against Donald Trump, who Cruz has been repeatedly attacking for his stance on eminent domain, or the acquisition of private land by the government for public use. While the issue with Nevada’s land has nothing to do with eminent domain, for Cruz, it’s close enough.

“Donald Trump wants to keep big government in charge – that’s ridiculous,” Cruz says. “You, the people of Nevada – not Washington bureaucrats – should be in charge of your own land,” he says as we see shots of burly ranchers wrangling cattle.

Republican Frontrunners Head to the Wild West

While the idea of taking land from the government to give to the people may certainly sound enticing to Cruz’s far right base, critics say that what is left out is that the land would not necessarily go back to ranchers – or even Nevadans.

It is more likely that the public land – which includes national forests, parks and national monuments – would be auctioned off to private companies for logging, mining and drilling.

But if you are a lover of federally-ran national parks and monuments throughout the West, the good news is that they probably aren’t being sold off anytime soon… Donald Trump is still leading in Nevada by double digits.

http://www.iagreetosee.com/portfolio...new-nevada-ad/


Ted Cruz Vows To Sell Off Or Give Away Nevada’s Public Lands

by Matt Lee-Ashley - Guest Contributor Feb 19, 2016 9:55 am

In a controversial new TV ad aiming to sway conservative caucus-goers in Nevada but likely to backfire with mainstream voters, Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz (R-TX) vows to sell-off or give away the state’s national parks, national forests, national monuments, and other public lands.

“If you trust me with your vote,” says Cruz in the ad, “I will fight day and night to return full control of Nevada’s lands to its rightful owners, its citizens.”



The Cruz ad, which is launching less than a week before the Republican caucuses in Nevada, echoes the views propagated by anti-government militant Cliven Bundy, who believes that Western states should seize control of all national public lands within their borders. Cliven Bundy and his sons Ryan and Ammon were indicted this week by a federal grand jury in Las Vegas for leading armed standoffs against the federal government in 2014 in Nevada and earlier this year at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.

The Cruz ad begins by criticizing the fact that approximately 85 percent of land in Nevada is publicly owned by U.S. taxpayers. These lands include the Lake Mead National Recreation Area on the Colorado River, Great Basin National Park, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and Basin and Range National Monument.

Cruz’s comments in the ad, which echo legislation he introduced in 2014, do not specify whether he would dispose of national public lands in Nevada by directly auctioning them off to mining, energy, timber and other private interests or by first transferring them to the control of the state government. If they were transferred to state control, the state government would likely have to sell off a large portion to raise the money needed to pay the costs of fighting wildfires and managing the remaining lands.

I will fight day and night to return full control of Nevada’s lands to its rightful owners, its citizens

Cruz is not the only candidate in the Republican field who has vowed to divest the U.S. of its national parks and public lands. The Associated Press reports that Ohio Governor John Kasich launched a radio ad Thursday that also endorses the transfer of national public lands to the state of Nevada.
With Kasich’s ad, which appears to be his campaign’s first public comments on the issue, four of the six remaining Republican candidates for president are on the record supporting the transfer of ownership of American public lands and energy resources to state or private control. The exceptions are Donald Trump, who has expressed outright opposition to the idea, and Jeb Bush, who has a record of backing privatization in Florida state parks but has stopped short of endorsing an outright divestiture of national land and energy resources.

Recent public opinion research commissioned by Colorado College found that proposals to seize or sell public lands are deeply unpopular among most Westerners, with approximately 6 in 10 voters in the region — including a majority in Nevada — opposed to the idea.

The Cruz television ad, however, seems aimed at both swaying far-right Nevada voters who support the anti-government views of Cliven Bundy and at drawing a contrast with Donald Trump. The ad cites and criticizes comments that Donald Trump made in an interview with the publication Field & Stream in January in which Trump slammed proposals to transfer national public lands to state control.

“I don’t like the idea because I want to keep the lands great, and you don’t know what the state is going to do,” Trump told Field & Stream. “I mean, are they going to sell if they get into a little bit of trouble? And I don’t think it’s something that should be sold.”

Cruz’s attack ad may backfire with sportsmen and conservative voters in the West who recreate on and use public lands. Sportsmen argue that the seizure, transfer, or sale of national public lands will result in the loss of open access to wildlife habitat for hunting and fishing.

“I can’t help but think that if Theodore Roosevelt could see the current scam being peddled to American sportsmen he’d be fighting mad,” wrote Field & Stream editorial director Anthony Licata last year. “Simply put, state treasuries cannot afford to manage these lands … These game-rich areas that currently belong to all of us will be developed or sold to large corporations, degrading critical habitat and locking out millions of sportsmen.”

In addition to the loss of national parks, national forests, and access to other public lands, Cruz’s proposal would also likely deal a severe blow to Nevada’s economy. Outdoor recreation in Nevada, which relies almost exclusively on access to national public lands, contributes an estimated $14.9 billion in consumer spending every year and supports 148,000 jobs in the state.

Agricultural production in the state also benefits from deeply discounted grazing fees for ranchers who graze on national public lands — they pay approximately one-tenth the price of what it costs to graze cattle on private lands in the state.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/02/19/3751233/ted-cruz-public-lands-ad/

cruz is being tricky on this - being backed by big gas & oil, he wants our public lands to revert to states so they can be sold for those purposes but presented it differently for the vote. But you can clearly see what turning public lands over to states will bring.

Kasich also deceiful said he supports states taking over public lands but is sending campaign material here in Pa stating "He is the only candidate against fracking" WHAT, how does that equate?

Senate Votes To Help States Sell Off Public Lands

by Claire Moser - Guest Contributor Mar 26, 2015 4:56 pm

A toadstool rock formation in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

The new chair of the powerful Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee secured a vote Thursday afternoon in the U.S. Senate on a controversial proposal to sell off America’s national forests and other public lands.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) amendment, which passed by a vote of 51 to 49, is now part of the Senate’s nonbinding budget resolution. The proposal would support and fund state efforts — which many argue are unconstitutional — to seize and sell America’s public lands. These include all national forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, historic sites, and national monuments.

Murkowski’s amendment, which would need further legislation to become law, follows a similar proposal from House Natural Resources Committee Chair Rob Bishop (R-UT) to spend $50 million of taxpayer dollars to fund the sale or transfer of U.S. public lands to states.

The land grab proposals in Congress this year appear to echo the calls of outlaw rancher Cliven Bundy, best known for his armed standoff with federal officials last year, who has infamously refused to recognize theauthority of the federal government, including over public lands.

Murkowski’s proposal to sell off public lands, however, is meeting stiff opposition from other western senators. On a conference call yesterday, Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) said that they are determined to turn back legislative attacks on the outdoors. Bennet called efforts to sell off lands to reduce the federal deficit “an assault on our public lands.”

Senator Heinrich also introduced an amendment Wednesday which would block any effort to sell off public lands to reduce the federal deficit. Heinrich said that “selling off America’s treasured lands to the highest bidder would result in a proliferation of locked gates and no-trespassing signs in places that have been open to the public and used for generations.”

Public opinion research has found that a majority of Westerners oppose land grab efforts and believe that transferring public lands to state control will result in reduced access for recreation; higher taxes; increased drilling, mining and logging; and a high risk that treasured public lands will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Over the past few months, sportsmen’s groups have also been battling state efforts to seize and sell off public lands by rallying in state capitols across the West. Land Tawney, Executive Director of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, thanked Senator Heinrich for introducing his amendment and fighting for public lands.

“American hunters and anglers have consistently stood up in support of U.S. public lands since Theodore Roosevelt set them aside for all Americans more than a century ago,” Tawney said. “Today, Congress has responded.”

Claire Moser is the Research and Advocacy Associate with the Public Lands Project at the Center for American Progress. You can follow her on Twitter at @Claire_Moser.

UPDATE
This post has been updated to reflect the result of the vote and to reflect the fact that the proposal is nonbinding.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/201...-public-lands/

Hands Off Our Lands Letter To Congress:

https://secure.defenders.org/site/Ad...Action&id=3069

Bundy Bill Letter:
Stop the 'Bundy bill' land-grabs on our western public lands
https://secure3.convio.net/wg/site/A...ename=homepage

Then you have these beauties below to worry about losing to greedy polluting profiteers - oh and the hell with the endangered species living there. They probably want to build pipelines thru them to EXPORT to other countries - all profit FOR THEM.

20 April 2016
From the Field: Celebrating our Public Lands
Posted by: Karla Dutton, Kim Delfino, Shawn Cantrell, Jonathan Proctor, Ben Prater and Bryan Bird | 8 comments
An open letter from Defenders’ program directors

Dear Fellow Defenders,

Thanks to your unwavering support, Defenders of Wildlife is able to work every day to protect and recover hundreds of imperiled species in every imaginable habitat across the country – from wolves and grizzlies to manatees, sea otters and the sprightly sage-grouse.

Our public lands – refuges, forests, parks and more – provide us with so much. They serve as strongholds for wildlife and are critical to their survival. They help protect sources of clean drinking water, and provide all kinds of opportunities for having fun in the great outdoors.

Starting in 1864, our nation’s leaders set aside scenic landscapes across our nation to protect our wildlife and to give Americans natural places to recreate and take a break from daily life. No other country in the world has preserved more land for the use and enjoyment of its people than the United States.

This year, the very notion of public lands has come under attack, much to the astonishment and revulsion of a majority of Americans. Starting with the illegal standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, those who seek to claim our public lands and resources for themselves have now taken their fight to local government and state and national legislatures. Thanks to your support, these thoughtless and selfish acts have been met with staunch and unrelenting opposition.

In gratitude to our members and supporters, we want to take a moment to highlight our favorite public lands where we work and what they mean to us.

Alaska
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, © USFWS
“One of my favorite places is the Arctic Ocean and coast of Alaska, which borders the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Walking along the Arctic Ocean you will see polar bears lounging on nearby barrier islands, snowy owls, and Arctic foxes, just to name a few. I admire the resiliency of the people and the wildlife that live in that sea-ice-ocean-land interface, and I work every day to ensure that animals and people can continue to coexist as they face and work to adapt to a rapidly changing climate.”
— Karla Dutton, Alaska Program Director

California
Cholla Trails, © Tome Lowe
“Joshua Tree National Park is tucked away in the California Desert, in between the hotter Colorado Desert and the cooler Mojave Desert. People visit Joshua Tree to see its iconic namesake – the eerie Joshua Trees – and to enjoy its colorful desert landscape. One of my favorite things to do when I visit Joshua Tree National Park before dawn is to drive to the Cholla Cactus Garden and walk through the vast stretches of Cholla cactus as the sun rises over the pink and red desert boulders and the birds sing their morning song. Joshua Tree is home to the threatened desert tortoise, desert bighorn sheep, golden eagles, and numerous reptiles. With President Obama’s recent designation of three new California desert monuments, more iconic California desert lands will enjoy similar protections. That isn’t just a win for wildlife, but also for all those who love the California Desert.”
— Kim Delfino, California Program Director

Northwest
Upper Elwha River Basin, © NPS
“The Olympic peninsula in Washington state holds a special spot in my heart. From glacier-carved mountain peaks, to moss-draped old growth forests to rugged coastlines, this remote corner of the state includes the nearly one million acres of Olympic National Park, as well as an additional 630,000 acres of surrounding national forest lands. It is home to many of the region’s most imperiled species that Defenders is working to protect, from marbled murrelets and northern spotted owls inhabiting its forests, to southern resident orcas feeding just offshore of its numerous rivers. Flowing out of the heart of Olympic National Park, the Elwha River is a particularly amazing place. Site of one of the largest ecosystem restoration projects in the country, today the Elwha supports recovering populations of all five species of pacific salmon as well as steelhead and bull trout.”
— Shawn Cantrell, Northwest Program Director

Rockies and Plains
Lava Lake, © Anne Rockhold
“North of Yellowstone National Park lies a place very important to me and many others: the 3.1 million-acre Custer Gallatin National Forest. The area is so vast it includes several mountain ranges: the Absarokas, the Beartooth Plateau, the Crazies, the Gallatins, the Pryors and the Spanish Peaks. I spent much of my 20s in these mountains and valleys working as a wilderness ranger and was fortunate to witness the return of wolves, the ongoing natural expansion of grizzlies, and the incredible abundance of elk and many other species. Now we can add to that list wild bison, which are finally allowed to reoccupy some of these public lands bordering Yellowstone National Park, thanks to recent policy changes. The future is bright for the wildlife of these lands and people who live near them, so long as the land belongs to us all!”
— Jonathan Proctor, Rockies & Plains Program Director

Southeast
Linville Gorge Hawksbill Mountain, © Vann Helms
“The Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests of Western North Carolina are truly remarkable. You can explore a dizzying array of wildlife — from cool mountain streams teeming with fish, mussels, and salamanders, to deep forests where black bears roam and migratory song birds sing their songs. I’ve spent countless hours trekking across these mountains, and in a few weeks, I’ll be sharing these places with the next generation, as we all embark on a 30-mile backpacking trip. Defenders works to protect these scenic landscapes so that young people and future generations can enjoy them and be inspired by the wildlife they encounter.”
— Ben Prater, Southeast Program Director

Southwest
Sunset over Gila Lower Box Canyon, © Gary Cascio
“When I hear the howl of the Mexican gray wolf pierce the night sky above the Gila National Forest in southwest New Mexico, I rejoin this vast, wild landscape. Close to 100 wolves roam an area twice the size of Yellowstone that is mostly our public lands. One can wander in the Gila National Forest for days without seeing another human, following the river to its source and sleeping under skies so starry you could reach out and grab a handful. Defenders works every day in the Southwest to ensure these wolves have habitat to call home and humans can coexist with this rare animal.”
— Bryan Bird, Southwest Program Director

We love our public lands, and it is a privilege to lead our teams across the country in protecting these invaluable areas for wildlife and future generations to enjoy.

We know we could not do any of our work without you. Thank you for your support for all of our work across the country. It’s because of you that we are able to protect so many of our native species, and ensure that future generations have the opportunity to experience the natural wonders our nation has to offer.

http://www.defendersblog.org/2016/04...-public-lands/