Western Lands
Update
Fall 2007 Research, Outreach, and Advocacy to Keep Public Lands Public
A principled stance on behalf of public lands
F
or years, you’ve been reading in this newsletter
about the myriad assaults on the physical real-
ity and even the concept of public land. Quid
pro quo “wilderness” legislation; congressional
schemes to privatize the public domain; presiden-
tial budgets that would sell off BLM and national forest
lands; and a conservation movement increasingly
focused on preserving only the most iconic and scenic
lands (wilderness and “special places”)—all threaten
the larger landscape and the very ideal of public land.
Three years ago, we joined a small gathering of activists
that began developing a set of Principles around which
a new public lands movement might coalesce. Voices
for Public Lands, currently consisting of 42 charter sig-
natory groups—is an informal coalition whose purpose
will be to counter harmful policies and ill-conceived
proposals with a strong, clear, unified voice in defense
of public lands.
Below are the Preamble and the Principles for Public
Lands. If you are affiliated with or know of an organi-
zation that might considering becoming part of Voices
for Public Lands, please see more detailed information
at voicesforpubliclands.org and feel free to contact us!
You can see a document showing current signatories
from a link on our homepage at westernlands.org.
Western Lands Project
Seattle, Washington
Vol. 11, No. 2
Preamble:
A Declaration of Principles for Public Lands
Federally-administered public lands are the birthright
of all Americans. Public lands comprise one-third of
the land base of the United States, encompassing cru-
cial watersheds, fish and wildlife habitat, and undevel-
oped open spaces offering inspiration and renewal to
the human spirit. The life-sustaining and life-enhanc-
ing benefits provided by public lands contribute to the
well-being of all Americans.
Public lands are a valued American tradition, held
in trust for the permanent good of the people. Each
new generation inherits a responsibility to protect the
public values and benefits these lands hold and pass
this legacy on for future generations to experience and
enjoy.
Our laws recognize the importance of preserving our
public land heritage. Yet even with protective laws in
place, these lands are under constant assault by those
seeking to exploit them for private financial gain,
others who would barter them for political favor, and
yet others who are opposed to the very concept of
public land. Too often, deference is given to select spe-
cial interests to the detriment of broader public values
and needs.
A disturbing trend is afoot to privatize our public lands
outright or, more insidiously, to commodify and sell
their unique values and benefits to a public increas-
ingly viewed as customers rather than citizens. These
trends threaten the very ideas of public space, shared

 values, democratic principles, and a public
commons—as well as the integrity of the
functioning natural systems upon which
all life depends. This drive to quantify and
Please visit our monetize all values in our society obscures
website, west- the enduring, intrinsic value of our public
land.
ernlands.org.
Citizen advocacy is critical to preserving our
While you’re public land heritage. Public lands will only
there, sign up be protected through a unified and commit-
for our e-news- ted public land movement. In that spirit we,
letter. We the undersigned, present the following prin-
ciples for public lands:
won’t bombard
you!—instead,
you’ll receive
timely transmis-
Principles for Public Lands
1. Our public lands are a public good that
sions on issues must be protected in perpetuity for the
we all care benefit of each new generation.
about. 2. Public lands must remain in public own-
ership, overseen by the federal govern-
ment on behalf of, and with the input
of, all citizens.
3. Protecting public lands requires strong
and enforceable laws. Efforts to circum-
vent the protections in existing environ-
mental laws must be resisted.
4. The public has a right to know how our
shared lands are being managed, and to
participate in open, transparent plan-
ning and decision-making.
5. Control of public lands must never be
ceded to local interests, advisory boards,
panels, or groups, but should remain
with the federal government and, by
extension, the public at large.
6. Precedence shall be given to ecological
and other public purposes. The biologi-
cal health of public lands, waters, and
wildlife have intrinsic value and should
be given the highest priority in public
land management.
Western Lands Update 2 Fall 2007
7. Public use shall take precedence over
commercial use. In situations where
access is restricted or allocated, the
needs of the self-guided public shall take
precedence over the wants of commer-
cial service providers. The potential for
revenue generation or other commer-
cial outputs must never unduly influ-
ence management decisions.
8. Public lands are not a form of currency
to be bartered for political favors. They
are not to be sold for revenue genera-
tion or for administrative cost reduction.
Protecting one area must not be accom-
plished by supporting degradation of
another. In these regards, public lands
are non-fungible.
9. Citizens and visitors alike should not
be charged a fee merely for walking,
riding or floating upon public lands
and waters. Enterprises engaged in
commerce should, at a minimum, be
required to pay full cost recovery for
anything they do upon, and pay fair
market value for anything they remove
from, public lands and waters.
10. Nearly 20 percent of public lands are
congressionally designated as Wilder-
ness. The wilderness character of all des-
ignated Wilderness should be preserved
and not diminished in any way.
11. Legislation to designate new wilderness
should fully reflect and uphold the spirit
and intent of the 1964 Wilderness Act,
and contain no special exceptions that
would lessen the protective provisions of
the Wilderness Act.
12. Congress must appropriate adequate
funding to the federal land manage-
ment agencies, both to ensure that
the agencies are able to carry out their
obligations and to forestall any real or
perceived need for private funding of
public land management.
Western Lands clears first hurdle in Coyote Springs lawsuit
O
n September 25 the U.S. District Court
in Nevada denied motions to dismiss
the lawsuit we filed over the Coyote
Springs land exchange between BLM
and developer Harvey Whittemore’s Coyote
Springs Investments (CSI). Western Lands
and Nevada Outdoor Recreation Associa-
tion (NORA) brought the suit against BLM
and CSI after they exchanged land in the
middle of the Coyote Springs Valley without
analyzing environmental impacts or deter-
mining whether the trade yielded equal
value. The land in question is located about
70 miles north of Las Vegas. Pardee Homes
of Nevada was also named as a defendant
because it had purchased a portion of the
land that CSI acquired in the exchange. (A
detailed article on the case appeared in our
Fall 2006 newsletter, which you can see at
www.westernlands.org/assets/NewsNo20.
pdf).
The BLM limited its motion to challenging
standing, while the two developers sought
dismissal on a number of fronts. The devel-
opers argued that the court lacked jurisdic-
tion to hear the case because 1) WLP and
NORA did not challenge the exchange at
the administrative level before going to
court; 2) a 1988 Act of Congress involving
the same lands precluded judicial review of
the exchange; 3) the exchange was merely
Western Lands Update 3 Fall 2007
a minor boundary adjustment that did
not require compliance with NEPA and Public Land
FLPMA; 4) Plaintiffs had not satisfied the
six-year statute of limitations; and 5) the Statistics, a
developers were not proper defendants to publication
the suit because only federal agencies can put out
be sued under NEPA.
annually by
The court dismissed each of these chal-
lenges in denying the defendants’ motions,
the BLM,
holding that both NORA and Western covers
Lands had shown procedural injury to everything
members’ interests; a challenge of the from the
exchange at the administrative level would
have been futile and was therefore not Louisiana
necessary; the exchange was outside the Purchase and
purview of the 1988 Act; the exchange was homestead
more than a minor boundary adjustment;
the challenged action had clearly taken acts to last
year’s land
place in 2005 and the statute of limitations
had been satisfied; and, finally, the develop- trades.
ers were proper parties in this particular
NEPA case because they had a property www.tinyurl.
interest directly at stake in the suit. com/2u792n
The court order is a significant, but pre-
liminary, threshold. The defendants have
filed answers in the case and the BLM is
expected to soon file the administrative
record of its decision to proceed with the
Coyote Springs exchange. We’ll keep you
informed of progress in the case.
The Coyote Springs site
against the backdrop of
the Mormon Mountains.
Plans for the develop-
ment include 150,000
homes and perhaps ten
golf courses.
Photo: Western Lands
 Quickies
B
ritish- and Australian-owned Resolution ern Rockies. Find more information at wil-
Copper is trying to get a land exchange drockiesalliance.org.

J
through Congress that would give the anine was invited to be a panelist at the
company about 3,000 acres of national annual meeting of the Public Lands Foun-
forest in an area called Oak Flat near Supe- dation, a 20-year-old, non-profit organiza-
Now I see the rior, Arizona. Resolution believes a huge
ore body lies below the site, which has
tion representing retired and active Bureau
of Land Management and Interior employ-
secret of the been protected for more than 50 years by ees promoting the values of BLM lands (all
an Executive Order signed by President
making of the Eisenhower. In exchange, the public would
260+ million acres). This year’s theme was
a familiar one to us: Keeping Public Lands
best persons. receive about 5,000 acres in five Arizona
counties. The legislation, HR 3301, would
in Public Hands. Check out their website to
see some of the position papers the group
also effect the sale of almost 500 acres of has put together, www.publicland.org.
It is to grow national forest land to the town of Supe-
rior. Resolution could rake in $100 billion
in the open
air and to eat
in profit from the mine, which it expects to
operate for 40 years. The land Resolution Welcome New
and sleep with
would receive also includes an area called
Apache Leap, a line of cliffs from which,
as legend has it, a band of natives leapt to
Staff
Hi! I’m Sharon
the earth. escape from the U.S. Army. The San Carlos Angle, the new
Apache tribe strongly opposes the trade, as Development Man-
—Walt Whitman, do Western Lands and many environmental ager at Western
organizations. Lands Project. I
Song of the Open moved to the West

I
Road (1856) n mid-October, the Northern Rockies Eco-
in 1996 from Saint
system Protection Act, HR 1975, received
Louis, Missouri, my
its first hearing in the U.S. House since
hometown. After teaching business at the
1994. Wilderness is not “our issue,” but we
college level for over 16 years, I was ready
believe NREPA is a visionary and critically
for a new challenge! I found that challenge
important bill. NREPA will protect as wil-
in development work, and went on from
derness nearly 7 million acres of wilderness
my first fundraising job at the Seattle Opera
in Montana, 9.5 million acres of wilderness
to acquiring a Certificate in Fundraising
in Idaho, 5 million acres of wilderness in
Management at the University of Washing-
Wyoming, 750,000 acres in eastern Oregon,
ton this past May. While still a music lover, I
and 500,000 acres in eastern Washington.
am more passionate about the unique and
No federal land will be put up for sale or
compelling mission at WLP, and am thrilled
given away; no water pipelines facilitated;
to be part of the small staff here. My long-
no transmission corridors created in wil-
term goal is to broaden and diversify West-
derness. There is no quid pro quo. It’s real
ern Lands’ funding so that the important
wilderness. We encourage you to contact
work of protecting our public land can con-
your Representative, voicing support for
tinue as long as needed.
protection of your public land in the north-

Western Lands Update 4 Fall 2007

Many thanks to our wonderful members & supporters!
Molly Attell, Janine Blaeloch, Denise Jacobs, Steve Kelly, Fayette Krause,
Boggs, Alexandra and Christopher Chris Krupp, Lisa Lefferts, Conway
Booth, Susan and Joseph Bower, Leovy, John S. Livermore, David
Barton Brown, M.D., Shari Bryan, Ludlow, Mike Maloney, Betty Man-
Brett Buyan, Kate Campbell, Linda ning, Joan and Clyde McClelland,
T. Campbell, Gae Canfield, Charles C. McCormick, Dorothy J. Musil,
M. Couper, April Crowe, B.J. Park Honoria Niehaus, Lyle Oberg, Amy Gratitude &
and D.W. Wiegand, Shirley Dahlner,
Craig and Lynn Dible, Linda Drisk-
Mergen and Paul Waitrovich, Debo-
rah Paulson, Sandra Perkins, Katey
best wishes
…to Joanne
ill, Sheila Dugan, George Early, Paul Pierini, Timothy J. Pilling, Myra Hedou, who
and Gladys Rae Eaton, Josiah “Jim” Bergman Ramos, Prof. William Rod- served as
Erickson, Jr., Garth Ferber, Donald gers, Paul Rogland, Beth Rosenberg, Western Lands’
L. Ferry, Deborah Fillipelli, Peter Melinda Salomon, Richard Spudich, Program
Goldman, Yadviga Halsey, Charles Paul Swetik, Jeanne Y. Turgeon, Coordinator
Hancock, Rebecca Haseleu, Duke Wolter and JP Van Doorninck, Lewis for more than
and Sarah Hayduk, Joanne Hedou, Vavra, Steven Wolper, Raymond three years.
John P. Higgins, William B. Hull, Ziarno Joanne left the
Nathaniel Jackson, Dave and Corey Project in June
to pursue her
Western Lands Project
P.O. Box 95545
Thanks to the foundations own writing
projects, and
Seattle, WA 98145-2545
phone 206.325.3503
supporting our work! has also been
fax 206.325.3515 The Good Works Institute working with
www.westernlands.org 21 Acres, a
Ben & Jerry’s Foundation community
Board of Directors Shared Earth Foundation agricultural and
Rebecca Rundquist, President,
Portland, ME environmental
Marianne Dugan, Eugene, OR Maki Foundation learning
Sandy Lonsdale, Moab, UT center in the
Erica Rosenberg, Phoenix, AZ
Cinnabar Foundation
Furthur Foundation Sammamish
Staff Valley.
Janine Blaeloch, Director Deer Creek Foundation
blaeloch@westernlands.org
Christopher Krupp Weeden Foundation
Staff Attorney
krupp@westernlands.org
Sharon Angle
Development Manager
angle@westernlands.org
Western Lands Update 5 Fall 2007
 Western Lands Project
PO Box 95545
Seattle, WA 98145-2545

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hands
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