There are ways of preserving landscapes, ecologies, and public access without government owning them outright - there need not be any paved roads, or housing developments.
>>2524267Why do we have to have "wild"lands? Why do we have to pretend like humans do not leave their indelible mark wherever they go? All these protections will be chipped away in time, and even if they aren't, there can be no doubt the wildlands will be changed eventually. You simply can't expect to protect the snapshot of time before European arrival when this was "undisturbed". Earthworms are not native here, neither is corn, neither large mouth bass, crappie, and bluegill to many so called wild lakes.
I would much rather have a invasive cherry plum, or fig, or almond, as a neighbor than a native mountain lion. If you look at all the landscapes of the world you will see that "nature" as it came out of the Paleolithic is on its back heel. The Loess Plateau, the Pampas, the Amazon, the Congo, India, all these places will be heavily altered by human presence in the coming centuries as those populations rise and fall. We are turning the Earth into its most habitable form - why are we trying to keep America barren?
