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The American Land Rights Association (ALRA) is a Wise Use organization based in
Battle Ground, Washington Battle Ground is a city in Clark County, Washington, United States. The population was 20,743 at the 2020 census. Between 2000 and 2005, Battle Ground ranked fourth in the state for population growth, out of 279 eligible incorporated communitie ...
. The group describes itself as "dedicated to the wise-use of our resources, access to our Federal lands and the protection of our
private property rights Property rights are constructs in economics for determining how a resource or economic good is used and owned, which have developed over ancient and modern history, from Abrahamic law to Article 17 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Re ...
."


History

The organization was founded in 1978 by property owners in the community of
Wawona, California Wawona (formerly Big Tree Station, Clark's Station, Clarks Station, Wah-wo-nah, and Clark's Ranch) is a census-designated place in Mariposa County, California, United States. The population was 111 at the 2020 census. It is located entirely with ...
, located within
Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
. It was initially named the National Park Inholders Association; it describes its mission at that time as "to protect private property landowners from unwanted acquisition by the National Park Service"."ALRA Mission and History".
ALRA website. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
The National Park Inholders Association changed its name to the National Inholders Association (NIA) in 1980. In 1985, it added a number of grazing permittees on federal land to its membership roll. In the early 1990s, it advocated the cause of mining claimholders. In 1995, the organization was renamed as the American Land Rights Association (ALRA). A case of a appointee, that was for environmental preservation, was John Turner, a friend of vice-president
Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former U ...
,Mcallister, Bill.
"Interior politics take odd twist over top posts".
''Denver Post''. 2001-02-04. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
who was under consideration for the #2 position in the
Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...
.Seelye, Katharine
"Bush Is Choosing Industry Insiders to Fill Several Environmental Positions".
''New York Times''. 2001-05-12. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
ALRA and other property-rights organizations opposed Turner's appointment because of his position as president of the
Conservation Fund The Conservation Fund is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a dual charter to pursue environmental preservation and economic development. From 2008–2018, it has placed more than 500,000 acres under conservation management through a program wh ...
, which an ALRA release asserted was "dedicated to threatening, dividing and isolating land owners and small towns". President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
chose not to appoint Turner, instead selecting mining-industry lobbyist
J. Steven Griles James Steven "Steve" Griles (born December 13, 1947) was an American coal industry lobbyist and the United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior during the George W. Bush administration from July 12, 2001, until his resignation on December 7, ...
. President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
however, nominated Turner for
Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs The Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the United States Department of State. The Assista ...
, who was then appointed and held the position in office until July 2005.


Activism

The ALRA cooperates with broad-based conservative organizations on land-use related issues. It is associated with the Land Rights Network, a lobby outreach network that utilizes mail, phone, fax and e-mail. It also organizes the League of Private Property Voters, which has published a vote index since 1990, scoring members of Congress on votes relating to regulations on private property rights and restrictions on use of federal public lands. The League promotes some general conservative causes unrelated to land use: for example, their 2007 ratings of U.S. Senate members were based on ten votes, one of which was a measure to prevent restoration of the
Fairness Doctrine The fairness doctrine of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), introduced in 1949, was a policy that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manne ...
on radio and television."2007 Private Property Congressional Vote Index".
League of Private Property Voters. February 2007. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
The ALRA has also sent representatives to testify before various governing bodies. The ALRA has questioned the actions of the
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
and the
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
as they continue expanding national parks and public lands.


Pilgrim Family

The American Land Rights Association has done coverage in
Wrangell, Alaska The City and Borough of Wrangell ( tli, Ḵaachx̱ana.áakʼw, russian: Врангель) is a borough in Alaska, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 2,127, down from 2,369 in 2010. Incorporated as a Unified Home Rule Bor ...
, between the Pilgrim family and the
NPS NPS may refer to: Organizations * National Park Service, U.S. * National Pension System, India * National Pension Service, Korea * National Phobics Society, UK charity * National Piers Society, UK charity * National Poetry Slam, competition * N ...
, over a bulldozing incident in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Some coverage was done on this event by the ALRA on their newslette
here
which was part of a much bigger inquiry on what the National Park Service was doing in Alaska. The ALRA supported the Pilgrim family's use of the Revised Statute 2477, a written law enacted by the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
, to state that the path bulldozed in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve was private land owned by the Pilgrim family. A map showcasing the trails in Alaska that are documented by the Revised Statute 2477, as of August 13th, 2013, can be seen on this
here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a TV ...
. The Revised Statute 2477 was however, repealed by the
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) is a United States federal law that governs the way in which the public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management are managed. The law was enacted in 1976 by the 94th Congress and is ...
. This repeal however, did not "terminate right-of-way conveyed under R.S. 2477" allowing the Pilgrim family to utilize the Revised Statute 2477 as a support to their case. The Bureau of Land Management has also stated the Revised Statute 2477 as a "complex and controversial issue with far-reaching implications to the management of federal lands throughout the West."


Hammond Family

The American Land Rights Association has also done coverage on the issue between the Hammond family and the
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
in Oregon. The ALRA believe that the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service are presenting an "abuse of power" towards the Hammond family being sentenced to five years. The ALRA also believe that "peaceful protest is always the way to go" and that sending the Hammond family for an additional time in jail is a "great injustice." The ALRA redistributed this news of what was happening to the Hammond family, and making a request of unification from western communities, through use of the Land Rights Network. The ALRA had reported that the Hammond family set a "minor fire that cost less than $100" and burned "127 acres of land." The ALRA had also reported what prosecutors stated on the arson charges with "the fires were set to reduce the growth of juniper trees and sagebrush" and to "accelerate the growth of rangeland grasses for the Hammond's' cattle." The
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
however, have documented the burning of land by the Hammond family as affecting "139 acres of public land" to "destroy all evidence of game violations." The
United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
had also documented that "Witnesses at trial, including a relative of the Hammonds, testified the arson occurred shortly after Steven Hammond and his hunting party illegally slaughtered several deer on BLM property." The ALRA believe that the
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
and the
Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...
had sentenced the Hammond family to "gain ownership of the Hammond ranch which is intermingled with Federal ground in the
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located roughly south of the city of Burns in Oregon's Harney Basin. Administered by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the refuge area is roughly T-shaped with the sout ...
" and to "inflict as much pain as possible on the Hammonds to reduce the chances other ranchers will stand up for their rights." The ALRA had also reported on the interference of
Ammon Bundy Ammon Edward Bundy (born September 1, 1975) is an American anti-government militant and activist. A car fleet manager by profession, Bundy gained widespread attention by leading the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He is t ...
during the Hammond family incident with the Bureau of Land Management. The
Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge On January 2, 2016, an armed group of far-right extremists seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon, and continued to occupy it until law enforcement made a final arrest on February ...
, led by
Ammon Bundy Ammon Edward Bundy (born September 1, 1975) is an American anti-government militant and activist. A car fleet manager by profession, Bundy gained widespread attention by leading the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He is t ...
, was commented on by Len Vohs, the mayor of Burns from 2008 to 2010, stating "many locals and himself, share the frustration with the federal government that drove Bundy and others to occupy the wildlife refuge" and continued on saying "few support their tactics, and wish they would just go home." Len Vohs had also stated "the occupiers, few if any of whom are from the Burns, do not speak for the town" in regards to Ammon Bundy's group, who had also attended the rally for the Hammonds.


References


External links

* {{official website, http://www.landrights.org Advocacy groups in the United States Organizations established in 1978 Conservative organizations in the United States 1978 establishments in Washington (state)