This isn't directed at you, Rob, it's just one of my pet peaves as to how the farking media never tells you the whole story. This post isn't the whole story either, BTW.
What the hell does being in NC have to do with anything? This is federal land we're talking about. I'm not for it, let's get that straight right off the bat, BUT have any of the whining tree huggers actually gone out and looked at what may come onto the block? Some of the parcels I know about are isolated disconnected parcels that are already surrounded by residential and agricultural development. More than one of the so-called "pristine" tracts has two farking housing developments bordering it. Yes, they look great on first glance, but take another look. The so-called "pristine" streams have been silted-up by shitty environmental controls during the construction process and by the damn septic tanks in the bordering developments. In addition, there have been problems with access to these undeveloped tracts through the now developed properties, and your tax money is being spent to manage real estate that no longer meets forest land criteria and has virtually no value to the overall forest plan. Too bad some of it just can't be preserved for its intrinsic value, but money is, of course, the more powerful influence.
The land was undeveloped when it was acquired, so there aren't many established access roads or rights-of-way into them because those that did exist have been cut off or built on. There has been a great deal of resistance to allowing access to OUR lands by adjoining landowners despite the fact that landlocking property is strictly against the law. Now the people who own the bordering lands don't want to "disturb" their own properties with rights-of-way for the forest service to get into OUR lands, and you can't blame them for that, but didn't they see that coming when they purchased their parcels? In some cases, imminent domain would be the only way for the forest service to gain their right of access and that ain't gonna be pleasant. So due to the cost of litigation and condemnation procedures, and the fact that the land no longer meets acquisition parameters, a lot of parcels will just be sold anyway, whether we like it or not.
A great number of these tracts were purchased way before the development took place with future connecting purchases in the extended plan, or were estate gifts from deceased land owners. Blame the damn planning and zoning boards for allowing the farking development. Blame your government representatives for handing down mandates to the forest service regarding the forest lands qualifications and then turning around and cutting the very budgets that are to be used to maintain the damn lands and acquire the connecting lands. Now that these politicians have spent the proposed and potential funding on other things, they gotta get into the public assets to cover their waste, and on top of it all, after adding more responsibilities and cutting personnel budgets, they've thrown the responsibility back on the forest service for determining which parcels need to go.
The bottom line is that most of the problem lies with the bunch of selfish sons-of bitches who now own the adjoining properties and with the bunch of self-serving sons-of-bitches and twats, local, state, and federal, that the dumbass public keeps voting into office, and that includes me.
Rant mode OFF.
