Teddy’s gift: Public lands, not for sale

At the dawn of the 20th century, a squat, chubby and bespectacled man laid out a series of maps on what was likely a very large table. His focus was the American West. Vast swathes of land that were still mostly unpopulated. He grabbed a pencil and methodically carved out mountain ranges, grasslands, watersheds, wildlife corridors and river basins. In doing so, he effectively stamped, in bold letters meant to last a millennium, a "Not For Sale" sign for huge regions of the American West. Also, in doing so, he introduced to the world the concept of public land.

The man’s name was Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States.

SAM KORSMOE

http://missoulian.com/opinion/columnists/teddy-s-gift-public-lands-not-for-sale/article_310a25d6-aa1b-535f-99ee-f3e2d39a4494.html