FW: Forever Wild Under Fire Again

[ednotmilkman]

Here is a link to an article that appeared Sunday on AL.Com. Once again other groups are eyeing Forever Wild funding for their own interests. Please read the article and write to your representatives and oppose any change in funding for this program! Thank you!!


http://blog.al.com/live/2010/01/farmers_federation_eyes_foreve.html

If this link doesn't work, go to al.com and search for Forever Wild.  This was in the Sunday paper.

Joe Cuhaj
Chair / Gulf Coast AHTS

[ednotmilkman]

I would say it might be OK for farmers to agree to open up their land for public use for recreation if it could be uniformly managed. But that would be kinda impossible with small tracts. I bet they would try to get it in the form of 10+ year lease agreements anyway, instead of "forever". So their heirs could opt out later.

My dad is a former state director of AL farmers Fed, and I've been a farmer a lot longer than I've been a hiker on public land, so I will hear both sides if this heats up.  The farmers probably are just trying to have it both ways when they say we are fast losing too much farmland, but then they want to keep it, AND be payed the difference between current use value of the land under cultivation or growing grass or trees, vs. what they would get selling it for development.  Lawyers would enjoy working out the details I'm sure !

Edwin