If the legal owner wanted to donate their own land to the feds, I have no problem w/that. Not what I would do.
I’ve always said, instead of tyrannizing the rest of us w/eco regulation, folks who want to protect land should pool their money together to acquire land they want to protect.
On the flip side, if loggers want to buy land and mow it down, so be it. Property rights are a foundation of freedom. We’ve already lost a lot of property rights in the name of “safety” and “public interest”.
If the gov had stepped in via eminent domain to accomplish this, I’d have a problem with it. Not the case here.
English common law has always allowed deeds to be transferred w/restrictions. So the donor could’ve actually saved quite a bit of money simply by donating that property to me instead of lobbying the feds to put it under their domain.
A new National Monument is not “free” to the public, no matter how it comes about. It is going to cost the federal budget a great deal of money over the years. Plus, it brings a large federal govt presence into northern Maine that the legislature, governor, and public majority all strongly object to.
“English common law has always allowed deeds to be transferred w/restrictions.”
You have it backwards, fruser1. English common law ended the dead hand doctrine.