Op-Ed from Whitehall Resident Don Lepinsky Maness's Diatribe Suggesting Neglect of Federal Management is a Misleading Ploy

I found Representative Maness's diatribe suggesting the neglect of Federal management on our public lands published in the July 29 2026 issue of the Ledger to be a misleading ploy. In my opinion, his intended strategy is aimed to support a policy of selling off our public lands to the private sector for a nominal cost at the public's expense. His justifications for ending public land ownership are distorted, deceptive and in one example preposterous. I'm not suggesting that management of our public lands is adequate. Management improvements are unquestionably necessary to mitigate existing pro...