StrangeMaps brings us a map of federal land ownership in the United States. The federal government owns about 2% of land in Indiana. That’s toward the low end of things. In Nevada, the federal government owns about 84.5% of the land.
Masson's Blog
StrangeMaps brings us a map of federal land ownership in the United States. The federal government owns about 2% of land in Indiana. That’s toward the low end of things. In Nevada, the federal government owns about 84.5% of the land.
It’s a source of frequent griping down here in Perry County, where most of the land is federal (Hoosier Nat. Forest).
The gripe is usually that the feds don’t pay taxes–although they do pay some kind of compensation to make up for the decreased tax base. It’s not like we’re run out of room for people to move here just because of the forest. Also, the forest was planted on the land of farmers who went belly-up in the 1930’s partly because it was poor farmland.
Yeah, not that people are racing to live in the land that the feds own in Nevada either!
Of course I wouldn’t have to worry about nite lights for my kids if I lived on some of that land.
Of course it also reminds me of “Cousin Eddy” in Vegas Vacation!
Doesn’t the federal government = the people of the US? Of the people, by the people, for the people? Federal land is land that’s held communally for the benefit of everyone, and isn’t such a bad thing. I’m quite fond of our National Park system myself.
Our county gets a small stipend every year from the Hoosier National, but more significant are federal dollars for major road & bridge repair on roads close to the federal lands. We’re currently receiving an expensive bridge for one of our county roads that way. The county paid the engineering fees, the fed pays for the bridge construction.
On the other hand, DNR has extensive holdings for which the county gets little (a small portion of timber sales from state lands) to help with the fire, police and EMS responses to their park properties. County taxpayers subsidize those services. We’ve gotten bills introduced to receive a small portion of the gate fees to our state park, but somehow they always wind up buried in committee.