Don’t take over lands

As a citizen of Idaho and someone who has lived in various parts of the United States, I highly value the public lands of our nation. As Idaho’s Federal Lands Interim Committee goes about its work, I encourage federal oversight of public lands as a way to keep this bond as Americans strong.

My family has lived in Idaho since the mid-1800s and the original homesteads are passed down from one generation to another. They are surrounded by private lands and locked gates. I very much appreciate National Forest lands around the nation that are open for public use in hunting, hiking, berry picking, wood gathering and camping, among other things. Even if I did no activities, simply knowing there are federal lands that are as much mine as they are my brother’s (who lives and works back east), gives me peace of mind and a unified spirit with all the other people and public places I have enjoyed in my life.

While greater coordination and cooperation between various agencies would help in management, please resist the desire to take over public lands.

Andy Kennaly

Sandpoint