Two weeks ago, a group of militiamen occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Their mission, they say, is to get the land turned over to local control.
That issue, of federal land management, is critical in Alaska as well as Oregon, and to get yo thinking about the issue, we at the Empire wanted to give you something you can get your hands around.
You know what an Alaskan Amber bottle looks like. You’ve probably even held a few. This bottle, shattered with a hammer, represents the land division in Southeast Alaska.
Fully 88 percent of the land from Yakutat to the southern tip of Prince of Wales is owned by the federal government. Just 5 percent is in private hands.
The Malheur militia might not have many fans of their actions, but their message is one that already hits home.
