Jeanne Camp, economic analyst for the Kenai Peninsula Borough, presented a slew of startling statistics during a Homer Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting earlier this week. Among the numbers that covered everything from demographics, to sales, to property values, was a graphic on land ownership.

While it's commonly known that the federal and state government are large landholders, Camp's pie chart showed just how large. Are you ready?

The borough consists of 24,737 square miles. Of that, 34.5 percent is under water; of the remaining 65.5 percent that's land, the federal government owns 65.5 percent and the state owns 21.2 percent for a total of 86.7 percent. Native organizations own 9.8 percent; the University of Alaska owns 0.2 percent; cities within the borough, 0.2 percent; the Mental Health Trust, 0.2 percent; and the Kenai Peninsula Borough, 0.6 percent.

That leaves just 2.4 percent of land within the borough in private hands. Of course, with just 52,370 residents spread out over an area roughly the size of West Virginia, that's still plenty of elbow room.

And as citizens of this great state and nation, we can take pride in the public lands that surround us and know that those public lands are inherently priceless. In fact, those vast tracts of public land may contribute to the amazing quality of life we enjoy on the peninsula more than any other factor. Certainly, those public lands are an important economic engine in the borough, a huge part of what drives the tourism industry.

On the other hand, when so much property is in government hands, it's easy to see why those who are lucky enough to have a tiny slice of the 2.4 percent of the land that's in private hands may feel a little or a lot squeezed. They're bearing the tax burden.

The borough's land ownership raises lots of questions, among them: With so much land in government hands, how can the private sector develop and grow? Have we limited our economic opportunities to resource extraction and tourism because so much land is in government hands? What opportunities await the next generation in that 2.4 percent of land that's privately held? For that matter, are there enough opportunities for the current generation to thrive or will too many of them be asked to barely eke out a living for the privilege of being here?

We don't have the answers, but, surely, the amount of land in private hands vs. the amount of land in government hands needs to be a part of every discussion about the future.

We call your attention to this week's online question about the March 25 special election for bonds for the town square/city hall project.

In connection with the special election, we're also seeking your questions on issues related to the project that readers think have not been adequately answered. Our goal is to find answers so voters can make the best decision possible on March 25.