[RockinRight]

How is it something for nothing? Excluding actual national parks, although the land isn’t worth that much, I can’t see any reason for the government to own it. Why NOT sell it?

[org.whodat]

Some day it may be needed, in the mean time, the little animals need a home. LOL, actually people that want to sell these lands either want to steal it are they are the type that would eat there seed corn and have nothing for the future. Also a lot of it is Indian reservation land.

[Smokin' Joe]

although the land isn’t worth that much, I can’t see any reason for the government to own it.

But it isn't just a question of the land the Government owns. If it has some 'special' designation, the buffer zones control what the adjacent landowner can and cannot do on their land.

The New World Gold Mine was shut down because it was only three ridges away from Yellowstone Park.

So it isn't just what you can or cannot do on Federal Land, it is the restrictions on those who own the land next to it, just because of the owner on the other side of the line.