Western states have an advantage over the rest of the country because of their wealth of protected public lands, according to a new recent economic study released by Headwaters Economics.The report, 

On Jan. 11, 1908, Roosevelt had the foresight to designate the Grand Canyon National Monument. Years later, the unit became Grand Canyon National Park.

Drawn by the profits of nearby gasfields, oil and gas companies began lining up to turn the superb wildlife habitat of the Wyoming Range into rolling foothills of oil derricks, truck-filled roads, and pumping stations.

The 112^th Congress and 2012 was filled with victories and challenges. Indeed, America’s wilderness experienced the good, the bad and the ugly.