James P. Blair/NG Image CollectionSome of the goals of the wise-use movement include
the following:- Put all national forests, including (and especially)
old-growth forests, under timber management. - Permit mining and commercial development of wil-
derness areas, wildlife refuges, and national parks,
where appropriate. - Allow unrestricted development of wetlands.
- Sell parts of resource-rich federal lands to private in-
terests, such as mining, oil, coal, ranching, and tim-
ber groups, for resource extraction.
Many organizations that embrace the wise-use move-
ment have environmentally friendly names. The National
Wetlands Coalition, for example, consists primarily of
real estate developers and energy companies that want
to drain and develop wetlands. Similarly, logging com-
panies support the American Forest Resource Alliance.
In contrast to the wise-use movement, the environ-
mental movement views federal lands as a legacy of U.S.
citizens. They think that: - The primary purpose of public lands is to protect bio-
logical diversity and ecosystem integrity. - Those who extract resources from public lands
should pay U.S. citizens compensation equal to the
fair market value of the resource and not be subsi-
dized by taxpayers. - Those who use public lands should be held acount-
able for any environmental damage they cause. - What government agency administers the
National Park System? What problems
does it face? - What is wilderness, and how does the U.S.
National Wilderness Preservation System seek
to protect it? What problems do protected
wilderness areas face? - How do the wise-use and environmental
movements differ in their views on the
use of public lands? What conflicts might arise
as a result of these differences?
Management of Federal Lands
How do we best manage the legacy of federal lands?
Should federal lands be managed under multiple uses,
or should they be preserved so that they benefit U.S.
citizens for generations to come? These questions have
divided many Americans into two groups, each a coali-
tion of several hundred grassroots organizations. Those
who wish to exploit resources on federal lands are known
collectively as the wise-use movement; this group also
includes many corporations. Those who wish to preserve
the resources on federally owned lands are known col-
lectively as the environmental movement. The descriptions
of the two movements that follow are mainstream; any
given group may not support all of the listed goals of a
movement.
In general, people who support the wise-use move-
ment think that the government overregulates environ-
mental protection and that property owners should have
more flexibility to use natural resources. They believe
that the primary purpose of federal lands is to enhance
economic growth (Figure 13.13).
A logging site in Gifford Pinchot National
Forest, Cascade Range, Washington
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The wise-use movement favors opening federal lands to logging
and other types of economic development.