In a very clever move, a University of Utah student has managed to save hundreds of thousands of public lands in Utah surrounding sensitive national parks from being sold off and developed for mining and gas drilling, using nothing more than a paddle stick.
Original reporting via the Salt Lake Tribune here:
http://origin.sltrib.com/...
and my summary to follow.
During a public auction to sell public lands surrounding national parks earlier today, a University of Utah student, Tim DeChristopher, posed as a bidder and "purchased" $1.8 million of land surrounding Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.
http://www.nps.gov/...
http://www.nps.gov/...
If any of you have visited these parks, you know that they are spectacular, not only for their exceptionally precious geologic formations but also for their pristine natural states--- both of which would have likely been compromised had mining and drilling been allowed to proceed in the immediate vicinity.
In addition to "purchasing" these lands, he artificially bid up prices on many other parcels, sometimes by as much as $500,000.
As he has no means nor intentions to actually pay for these lands, the bids are fraudulent, and the auction will have to take place again in February, during the Obama administration.
Obama's head of the transition team, John Podesta, has already expressed Obama's desire to see the sale of this land halted, so it is likely that this act of "civil disobedience" will effectively halt development of this land.
Unfortunately, the courageous student will likely face significant criminal penalties for his actions, but one can hope that prosecution of this act will be a low priority for any incoming federal prosecutors under the Obama administration.
Personally, I have to admire the chutzpah of this guy. It was obvious that he would face significant criminal penalties for posing as an impostor bidder, but he managed to save these national resources without resorting to the violent means that often characterize the radical environmental movement.