Voting to sell public land is unacceptable

To the editor:

Back in late March, something truly stunning happened in Washington. Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley voted to sell off all public land in the United States except for national parks and national monuments. Every last acre of national forest. Every last acre of national wildlife refuge. Of wilderness. Of national grassland. Of wild and scenic rivers. Of national recreational areas.

Our public lands are an economic engine that provide thousands of jobs, from coal mining to salmon fishing to outfitters. But they are more than that - our public lands are the repository of our shared heritage. The lands that Sen. Ernst and Sen. Grassley would sell off protect ancient ruins more spectacular than Mesa Verde. They protect some of the last free-flowing rivers in the country. They protect world-class salmon fisheries. They protect hundreds of thousands of migrating waterfowl.

Our public lands preserve the soul of America and support for them runs deep in this country. Even in Wyoming - a bastion of states' rights if there ever was one - 73 percent of people believe too much public land is not a problem. If there is one thing Americans agree on, it is the importance of our public lands. Sen. Ernst and Sen. Grassley let us down. They voted to sell America's heritage to the highest bidder. It's unacceptable.

Chance Finegan

Iowa City