
Who owns water? The US landowners putting barbed wire across rivers - Huhty
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/15/privatized-rivers-us-public-lands-waterways
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kevin_b_er
Standard practice of their politics. Take from the public and give to the
rich.

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sli
> “Private property owners are some of the biggest conservation stewards right
> now,” he says. “I feel like the beauty of our lands and species survival is
> up to private landowners.”

Stands out as somewhat hypocritical to think in those terms but then act
selfishly and hide the beauty away.

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nerdponx
Still better than developing it, in many cases.

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stevehawk
I'm one of those people who thinks there's a land crisis going on and it's
being fueled by wealthy, doomsday preppers. People are putting up private
property signs on public (re: federal lands) every where they can and are
trying to claim rivers as their own. I think a lot of it started with Michael
Burry convincing wealthy people to do it after he got success by betting on
the housing crash, combined with the political landscape.

But regardless, as a non-wealthy person who enjoys the outdoors it's very
concerning. I don't like that I may be out one day on a river or a trail
(particularly when on a mountain bike, dirt bike, or in my Wrangler) and may
encounter barbed wire or "private property" signs when it's definitely not
private property.

I canoed and kayaked 150 miles through the Adirondacks and I remember a lot of
private property signs but it was all in regards to the shore and actual land;
signs put up to keep people from camping on private land. I get that. But
blockading a river isn't much different than blockading a road to me.

They're getting away with it right now because it's small tributaries and
such, but what if some jackass pulled this off on the Mississippi or something
equivalent? Logistics of that aside, I bet some governments would be far more
concerned. And depending on how court cases regarding this go they may be
setting someone up to do just that.

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mirimir
That's been going on for decades. I recall barbed wire on rivers in the
Colorado Rockies. Also on some creeks in the Southeast.

But yes, hitting barbed wire sucks for canoers and kayakers. It can get people
killed. Some of us carried wire cutters.

