Public Land Access
PROTECT hunter and angler access - SPEAK UP AGAINST Efforts to transfer or sell off federal public lands
America’s 640 million acres of national public lands – including our National Forests and Bureau of Land Management lands – provide irreplaceable hunting and fishing opportunities to millions of Americans. Many of the best trout and salmon rivers originate on federal lands, and these public landscapes provide intact habitat that is essential for the long-term survival of big game species. Federally managed public lands are the backbone of America’s outdoor recreation industry, which contributed $639.5 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product in 2023.
However, there are efforts underway that could forever alter our outdoor legacy.
What's at Stake
What's at Stake
In August 2024, Utah elected officials petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to argue for the transfer of Bureau of Land Management acres to state ownership. The action was backed by “friend of the court” briefs filed by elected officials in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.
While the rhetoric focused on 18.5 million acres of so called “unappropriated lands” in Utah, the petition was broad enough that a favorable ruling would have made all 640 million acres of federal public lands, including National Forests and Parks, vulnerable to sale or transfer.
In January 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Utah’s petition, marking another major win for public land hunting, fishing, and access. However, this is not the first attempt to force the sale or transfer of federal public lands, and unfortunately, it will not be the last. In the 2025 legislative sessions that have just begun, legislators in several Western states have voted in support of resolutions aimed at forcing federal agencies to transfer their lands.
Lawmakers at the federal, state, and local level must be made aware of the strong support that exists for keeping our public lands public and educated on the consequences of eliminating a pillar of America’s outdoor legacy.
Stand Up for Public LandsThe Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership opposes the blanket sale and transfer of federal public land.
Unintended Consequences
If granted ownership of federal lands within their borders, states would be wildly underfunded and understaffed to manage them. The newly transferred financial burdens that accompany managing hundreds of millions of acres would extend into fighting wildfires and post-fire mitigation, a battle that seemingly intensifies every year in the West. The 2024 wildfire season in Wyoming alone burned well over half a million acres, draining the state’s $39 million wildfire suppression account. That figure is on top of tens of millions of dollars spent by federal firefighting efforts. It is easy to see how these resource demands could force states to sell off the most profitable lands to cover costs since states are required to run on balanced budgets.
Counties across the West receive millions of dollars in federal revenue based on the amount of federal public land within their borders through programs such as Payments in Lieu of Taxes and laws like the Mineral Leasing Act and the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act. The commitments to provide such compensation would cease with the transfer of land ownership.
Thousands of BLM, USFS, and National Park Service jobs could be eliminated in rural communities as these agencies would dissolve, and public land-driven outdoor recreation tourism would be interrupted.
History
Advocates spurred by anti-government sentiment have long pushed for the elimination of the American public land system through forced transfer and sales, dating back to efforts in the 1970s termed the “Sagebrush Rebellion.” A resurgence began in 2012 and peaked in 2015 when a total of 37 bills were introduced in state legislatures across 11 Western states demanding lands from the federal government be transferred to states. State legislative activity spurred efforts in Congress. Those proposals received massive pushback from hunters and anglers, outdoor recreationalists, outdoor businesses, and conservationists.
In response to strong opposition, bipartisan lawmakers introduced proactive legislation that would require congressional approval for the sale or transfer of most federal lands. The arguments against land transfer proposals remain unchanged today.
“Wildfire season in Wyoming alone burned well over half a million acres, draining the state’s $39 million wildfire suppression account.”
How Are State Lands Managed?
Statutory protections for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting would be lost, at least in the short term. Hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting are protected on federal BLM and USFS land by Section 4103 of the Dingell Act. These statutory protections do not apply to state-owned land and there is no guarantee that current access authorizations on federal public lands would be retained if those lands transferred ownership.
While there are several types of state-owned lands, the majority are managed as state trust lands. Across 21 western states, more than 500 million acres are managed in trust by states who are constitutionally mandated to generate revenue from the land to support trust land beneficiaries, such as public schools. This means that most state lands are managed for the purpose of maximizing revenue. Public access is also not guaranteed on state-owned lands. Management of these lands to benefit public access and enjoyment is not assured in the way it is on federally managed lands.
A Better Way
There are many complex challenges to managing millions of acres of federal public lands for multiple uses that result in areas of disagreement. However, the blunt instrument of forced sale or transfer will not solve these problems. This brash action will in fact only exacerbate present land management and budgetary issues. Collaboration, as it has been for decades, is the way toward successful and lasting multiple-use management for industries, wildlife, and public hunting and fishing access. TRCP is committed to being a part of that better way forward.
