TEDDY ROOSEVELT, US NATIONAL FOREST FOR ALL AMERICANS WHO CAN LIVE LIKE THE OLD KINGS OF AUSTRIA

Very few Americans are aware of the National Forest in the western US, and parts of the east and south, which offers unlimited access and freedom, in their own back yards.  It took an Austrian elk hunter who told Birdman that he lived in a public land paradise, heaven for the outdoor sportsman.  In Austria you pay the descendants of royalty to access the forest, and you pay a lot.  Teddy Roosevelt set side 300 million acres of national forest land during his term and established the national forest system.  Roosevelt lead the way, we can live like kings because of him.  At one time in America, 900 million acres of national forest existed, open to all outdoorsman, all Americans, the rich and the poor.  Half of it was sold to railroads and  mining companies, and dedicated to school districts, or chopped up into smaller 10 acre mining claims all over the west.  Now the Trust For Public Land is buying up millions of acres of mining claims and private logging land in Maine, and selling the land to the US National Forest Department in Washington D.C.  The US government gets money from offshore oil and gas leases and uses the lease dollars to buy up land from the conservation entities like TPL.  People can invest in TPL, and get conservation tax write-offs.  TPL is presently buying up mining claims near Marble Colorado.  Cities on the front range of Colorado have access to millions of acres of public land, within minutes of their boundaries.  Colorado Springs is adjacent to the Pike National Forest and Denver is close to ten wilderness areas.  Flagstaff Arizona is surrounded by National Forest, as well as Telluride Colorado, Jackson Hole Wyoming, and Whitefish Montana.  How lucky are the people who live close to public land, and how adventurous are those who visit, and have the courage to hike around wild land.  There is a legendary photograph of John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt, standing on a massive rock, looking out over Yosemite National Park.  The scene is very mystical, and has deep meaning for Americans.  This photo should hang in the living rooms of every American, and remind us of how beautiful this country is, with massive areas of wilderness and National Forest, that stirs the soul.  Yellowstone Park is a must visit for every American, with its herds of ancient buffalo, elk, and grizzly bear, walking in open meadows, and crossing roads in front of visitors.  Lamar valley in Yellowstone looks like it did 10,000 years ago.  When the morning news of gloom comes on, hit the off button, and take a long walk in these magnificent woods, and remember the men who saved this magnificent paradise, John Muir and Teddy Rossevelt.