Wildlands Project in "Coma" in Washington State

Liberty Matters

March 12, 2008

A Seattle Democrat, Sen. Ken Jacobsen, has authored legislation designating the northeastern corner of Washington state as part of the Yukon to Yellowstone (Y2Y), a migratory path for grizzly bears and wolves.

Y2Y is part of the dream of radical environmentalists to cleanse America of every trace of civilization and return her to the glory days before 1492.

The two thousand-mile corridor would extend from Yukon Territory , through the corner of Washington , consume two-thirds of Idaho , half of Montana and end in Yellowstone Park in Wyoming . That is just the beginning of their plan.

Our vision is simple: we live for the day when Grizzlies in Chihuahua have an unbroken connection to Grizzlies in Alaska; when Gray Wolf populations are continuous from New Mexico to Greenland…Our vision is continental: from Panama and the Caribbean to Alaska and Greenland, from the Arctic to the continental shelves… - The Wildlands Project Mission Statement.

The Blue Ribbon Coalition, an outdoor recreation group says: "Jacobson's legislation here would codify a very dangerous shift already taking place in state wildlife agencies.

Agencies originally chartered to manage wildlife for the benefit of the sporting public are moving closer to the agenda of these radical wildlands groups, where predators are used to manage wildlife and man (hunters) are all but removed from the equation."

The Senate passed S 5318 (30-19) February 13, 2008. Republican Rep. Joel Kretz, whose district is the site of Y2Y, is not happy. "The plan to auction off the Seventh District to be part of the Yukon to Yellowstone wildlife corridor is pure idiocy," Kretz said. "Property values would plummet and dangerous wildlife would be free to attack children, pets and livestock," he continued. "Folks that own their land would basically be renting it from an out-of-town environmental group."

The Nature Conservancy, along with other environmental groups, has already been in Olympia asking the government for $5.5 million to buy land in the Seventh District for the corridor.

Fred Grant, president of Stewards of the Range, sent a letter to Rep. Kretz on behalf of Stewards, the American Land Foundation, Liberty Matters, and Owyhee County pointing out "The Y2Y corridor concept is nothing more than an expanded ecosystem plan for restricted human use…An objective of Y2Y…is removal of the obstacle of private property rights to an all encompassing 'nature protection' program. The recommended expansion of use of conservation easements, the recommended purchase of private property to remove property right limitations, to complete emphasis on turning back the clock on human activities, is central to success of the corridor." (click here to read the entire letter)

The Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on S 5318, February 27, and due to the testimony against the bill and many letters the Committee received opposing Y2Y, there will be no vote on the measure in the near future.

S 5318 is officially "in a coma," said Rep. Kretz's spokeswoman.