When the United States was founded, the East Coast's land was divvied up to such a degree that there's almost no public lands. And what public lands there are on that side of the country have been piecemealed together into small locales so as to not upset the landowners or take too much available land away from them.
So while you get hundreds of thousands of acres, or even millions, in the West, the East's public lands are minuscule in comparison. We're talking a couple thousand to a hundred thousand acres. It's public land, for sure, just not that much.
Why the history and geography lessons? Well, because whenever something comes up about Eastern public lands, it's assuredly a hot-button issue for all those involved, given they don't have much to begin with. Everyone has to use it together. The hunters, fishermen, hikers, backpackers, recreators, off-roaders, and campers. Everyone has a stake.
