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Folks in the West love our public lands, and for many reasons; the ample places to hunt, fish, camp, hike, ride and otherwise enjoy the great outdoors are a significant reason they choose to live, work and raise our families where we do.

That’s just one segment of our cherished way of life that was on the line during the recent election. To folks on the coasts, it may seem insignificant, but to most people in the Rocky Mountain West these are integral parts of our heritage. And it was on our minds in the ballot box.

President-elect Donald Trump expressed openness to keeping the lands great on the campaign trail when asked if he supported plans to transfer nationally owned lands to states. Let’s hope he continues that approach because there’s a lot at stake.

Let’s also hope that the leaders of the American Lands Council -- the principal lobby group supporting land seizure -- and its current CEO, Montana state Sen. Jennifer Fielder, who recently published an opinion in this newspaper, follow his lead in this respect.