This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Living in Utah, it might seem as though most government entities are all in with the idea of the state taking control over public lands.
But that is not the case throughout the Western United States.
For example, the Teton County Board of Commissioners in Idaho voted Monday to oppose efforts to transfer America's public lands to the state of Idaho of local governments.
According to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, a number of counties in Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona have recently done the same.
The county's resolution recognizes the importance of public lands to outdoor recreation and wildlife. It said public lands provide a place for hunting, fishing, hiking, wildlife watching, horseback riding and bicycling.
In addition, the resolution said outdoor tourism drives the local economy, employing hundreds of residents.