“Why do the feds need to own and control all of that land? What is the rationale behind that?”
Get educated:
http://nwri.org/the-wildlands-project/un-biodiversity-treaty-and-the-wildlands-project/
http://citizenreviewonline.org/special_issues/wildlands_project_step_by_step.htm
That’s the rationale if you like big gov’t. Let me know what the rationale is if you are a believer in small gov’t.