Public lands are core to who we are as Americans, and are especially critical in western states like Colorado where so much of our land base and watersheds are largely on Federal public lands. These are the places we hunt, fish, and recreate with our friends and families, provide vital habitat for fish and wildlife, and help drive our outdoor economy:
· 70% of remaining habitat for native trout in the Rockies is found on public land
· 72% of hunters in the West rely on public lands for hunting
· $1.2 trillion in economic activity supported by outdoor recreation in the US
· 5 million jobs supported by outdoor recreation in 2023
In a late-night move during the May 6 House Natural Resources Committee markup on the budget reconciliation package, Reps. Mark Amodei (NV) and Celeste Maloy (UT) introduced an amendment to sell off hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah. The committee voted to advance the reconciliation bill to the House floor. Among Colorado’s delegation, Representatives Hurd (3rd CD) and Neguse (2nd CD) opposed the amendment, while Representative Boebert (4th CD) supported it.
This amendment sets a dangerous precedent for the future of America’s public lands. Budget reconciliation isn’t the place to make decisions about public land sales—especially without transparency or public input. Existing laws, regulations, and processes in place already exist to facilitate the disposal of suitable parcels of public land when it is in the public’s interest. This amendment short-circuits those transparent and careful processes that ensure any sale of public lands is indeed in the public interest.
Additionally, under current law, most proceeds from BLM land sales go into the Federal Land Disposal Account where they can be used to purchase high-priority conservation lands, enter into access easements, and for other purposes benefiting public lands to reduce fragmentation and support access to those lands. The amendment instead directs proceeds from these sales to the general treasury.
Colorado Trout Unlimited strongly opposes efforts like this to sell off public lands, especially when those efforts lack transparency, disregard public process, and fail to reinvest in our treasured public lands heritage. While this amendment passed committee, the fight to stop the sale of public lands is far from over.
We need you now more than ever. You can help speak out for public lands now in two key ways:
You can take action here, contacting your US Representative and urging them to oppose the sell-off of public lands under the budget reconciliation bill.
Those close to Denver can join us and other conservation partners including The Wilderness Society at a rally for public lands this Saturday, May 17th, starting at 10 am on the west steps of the State Capitol. You can see more details and RSVP here, and bring your signs supporting public lands in public hands, and join us on Colorado Public Lands Day to speak out for protecting our public lands!
