Don’t allow sell-off of federal public lands

I am disturbed by voices in U.S. politics that suggest a sell-off of public lands in Washington and other states. Public lands in Washington, and throughout the U.S. benefit all citizens as a place for both hiking and hunting, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.

They are used by diverse people for diverse uses and help bring America together. It is my belief that not only should we keep public lands in the public domain, we also have a duty to protect them from excessive logging, mining, oil exploration and development. There is great value to public lands, both in terms of tourist dollars and societal benefits. One of the reasons Washington is able to attract talented workers is because of our state’s natural beauty; the business community here would be wise not to forget this. I hope that we can all work together to protect these areas for future generations. I think failure to do this will be viewed as a grave error by our children and grandchildren.

We should write, call or email Donald Trump’s transition team to let it be known that selling public lands is not what Washington wants and is not something we will accept.

Mike Nowak

Tulalip