More of America Wild Land for ND Vacations
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Washington D.C. – The U. S. Senate today (Thursday) is expected to vote on a bundle of public land and water bills that would create two million new acres of federally-protected wilderness across the country. Mike Matz, executive director of the Campaign for America's Wilderness, calls the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 a "bonanza" for vacationers and sportsmen.
"Two million acres is nothing to sneeze at, in this day and age. Setting aside for future generations is just absolutely the right thing to do."
According to Matz, some of the wilderness included in the legislation has been in the planning stages for almost ten years.
"It's nice for folks to know that these places are out there - that they can go on vacation from North Dakota to California, or Idaho, or Colorado, and visit these places. They can get out and hike, hunt and fish, and just enjoy time with family, camping."
The package, which is made up of more than 160 individual bills, stalled in Congress last year, with opponents calling the wilderness designations "federal land grabs," that would limit timber harvests, mining and oil and gas exploration.
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