On March 31st, Oregon politicians convened a hearing to consider three measures proposing that America’s public lands be turned over to the state, for purposes of increased logging, mining, cattle grazing, and other development.

So where did this terrible idea come from? Well, the bills being given a hearing in Salem were spawned by out-of-state special interest groups, specifically the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and Koch-brothers funded Americans for Prosperity. One bill, HB 3444, has large sections cut-and-pasted from an ALEC web site. The Koch-brothers and ALEC are no friends of National Parks, environmental conservation, or wildlife--their vision is seeing America’s public lands privatized.

The aim of these measures is that Oregon should force the United States government to hand over Crater Lake National Park, Mount Hood National Forest, the Three Sisters Wilderness, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Fort Clatsop and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, and other beloved areas. The idea is both illegal and unconstitutional, and the bills’ backers have proposed no mechanism to pay for the transfer or future management. If this legislation were to pass, privatization would be inevitable.

Even if Oregon could raise the money to administer these lands, our weak logging and mining rules would put them at risk. Imagine clearcuts returning to the Mount Hood National Forest, pesticides and sediment clouding the Rogue River, and hundreds of miles of new logging and mining roads crisscrossing previously undeveloped wilderness areas from the Wallowas to the Three Sisters. Oregon’s reputation as a leader for outdoor recreation would evaporate, and many of the major outdoor companies and thousands jobs that have located here based on that reputation, would consider moving. No one comes to Oregon to go hiking in a clearcut, or wildlife-watching in a strip mine.

You’ve probably seen or heard of filmmaker Ken Burn’s remarkable documentary series “America’s Best Idea,” which explores our precious National Parks and the conservation battles that were fought to save them. If National Parks are America's best idea, then proposals to seize these lands and sell them off is America's worst. Let your lawmakers know: America's public lands are not for sale!