Yet, this laundry list of negative consequences is exactly what is happening throughout the west because of the failed federal policies that have been inflicted on our public lands for decades. The "solutions" pursued over the past several decades have actually done more harm than good and the changes need to take place immediately if we are to save the public lands of the west, as well as the western way of life. 

This week The County Seat TV interviewed county commissioners from Utah who have decided to create the Western Freedom Festival to celebrate and preserve the "western way of life". We urge you to attend this amazing festival, which promises to be a wonderful event for young and old alike! Read what Derek Dowsett had to say about it:

Utah is a unique state because 90% of the population resides in urban areas. This leaves a lot of communities in the state athat are off the Wasatch Front and left witout a voice when it comes to issues that impact their communities. 

Rural Utah has become a museum of sorts for the Wasatch Front. These are the places we go, to escape the daily grind. However in our efforts to preserve the places we all consider special to visit, we have forgotten about the people who live in the surrounding communities.

County Commissioners from a number of these areas that are impacted have organized the Western Freedom Festival. The purpose of the event is to celebrate the heritage, customs, and cultures associated with the Western Lifestyle here in UTAH.

Much of that heritage is related directly to the land and natural resources that brought people to settle in places like Marysvale, Panguitch, Kanab, and Cedar City (among many others).

This week on the County Seat we [took] a closer look at the Western Freedom Festival and its purpose. [We touched] on issues relating to the health of the forest, current policies on publicly managed lands, and the impacts they have on rural communities.

Our Guests this week [included]:

Darin Bushman, Piute County Commissioner

Alan Gardner, Washington County Commissioner

Doug Heaton, Kane County Commissioner

Mark Whitney, Beaver County Commissioner

LeLand Pollock, Garfield County Commissioner

You may find the following links helpful as you begin looking into some of the issues we discussed on the program.

The original Intent of the National Forests:

http://www.foresthistory.org/ASPNET/Publications/Use_of_Natl_For/

I was unable to come up with any recent data on forest fires for 2015 but I did come across this report from Alaska (If you know where we could find more recent data please shoot me an email. :

http://www.perc.org/articles/divided-lands-state-vs-federal-management-west

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/oct/01/wildfire-smoke-pollution-unprecedented-in-2015/

The Property and Environment Research Center released a report this year that I think is relevant to our discussion as we discuss the difference between the management of State and Federal Lands:

http://www.perc.org/articles/divided-lands-state-vs-federal-management-west

Learn More about the Western Freedom Festival and get your tickets to the event.

http://www.westernfreedomfestival.com/

Sincerely,

Derek Dowsett

You can watch the full County Seat TV broadcast HERE.

We are grateful for the tireless men and women in our states and counties who are working to protect our public lands for the good of all the west, as well as for the entire nation. Please join us at the Western Freedom Festival and enjoy celebrating the principles of freedom that our nation was founded upon!

American Lands Council

http://www.americanlandscouncil.org/

American Lands Council · 859 W South Jordan Pkwy, 100, South Jordan, UT 84095, United States 

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