A new poll shows how much Idahoans value their public lands. The survey comes after the state’s senate delegation played a key role in killing Senator Mike Lee’s recent selloff attempt—and the results show sustained, broad, and bipartisan support for federally managed public lands.
Conservation Voters for Idaho surveyed 1,027 registered voters in the Gem State with a margin of error of 3.2 percent. The responses showed that a whopping 96 percent of voters believe Idaho’s public lands should remain public so that people can continue to "enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, and biking." Broken down by party affiliations, 95 percent of Republicans and 97 percent of Democrats agreed.
“It really is clear that voters are unified in keeping public lands in public hands,” Alexis Pickering, executive director of Conservation Voters for Idaho, told Spokane Public Radio. “It demonstrates that Idaho voters are very cognizant of this fight right now. They are very engaged, and they are not going to sit this out.”
The survey also asked voters if they supported Mike Lee’s recent proposal and 87-percent of respondents said no. Idaho encompasses 53.4 million acres of federal public land, which comprises 38 percent of the state.
Back in June, Idaho Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo became the first Senate Republicans to openly oppose Lee’s proposal. Their strong stance appears to have paid off. The recent poll showed that Senator Risch, who’s up for reelection in 2016, received a boost in favorability following his public opposition to Lee’s attempted land grab; his overall favorability went from 41-percent to 51-percent and also increased among Republican voters from 60-percent to 72-percent.
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“These numbers are powerful, but not surprising,” wrote a spokesperson for the Conservation Voters for Idaho. “These lands define who we are—they’re part of our identity, culture, and way of life.”
