Across the West, people are speaking out against Utah Senator Mike Lee’s proposal to sell off up to 3.2 million acres of public land, which he has attempted to fold into the federal budget reconciliation bill. The provision puts over 100 million acres of national public land at risk of being sold.
Last Friday, Idaho Senators Jim Risch and Mike Crapo came out against the provision, adding to the list of GOP lawmakers who oppose public land sales—a list that includes Montana Representative Ryan Zinke, who led an effort last month to strike down public lands sales from the House version of the reconciliation bill.
Public lands have been trending on social media, including on Instagram, where hunters, ranchers, and conservationists are speaking out against public land sales. The widespread opposition substantiates results of the 2025 Conservation in the West Poll, which found that 82 percent of Westerners favor building more housing near existing communities over selling off public lands to develop housing on natural areas.
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In a new episode of The Landscape podcast, Kate and Aaron talk to experts at the National Parks Conservation Association about illegal mining inside of Mojave National Preserve and a recent uptick in mining claims on public lands, including those near national parks.
Quick hits
Congress could sell off millions of acres of public land. Here’s what’s on the chopping block
9NEWS, CPR News [CO] | SFGate [WY] | SFGate [CA] | Idaho Statesman [ID] | Bend Bulletin [OR] | Arizona’s Family [AZ]
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Quote of the day
We’re talking about a significant amount of public land that our citizens would lose access to.”
—Lauren Bogard, senior director of advocacy at the Center for Western Priorities, on Senator Mike Lee’s proposed public lands selloff. 9NEWS
Picture This
“Let nature be your teacher.” – William Wordsworth
From breath-taking wildlife moments to witnessing unique rock formations, hiking to mountain tops and more, there is always something incredible to #Experience and learn in the natural world.
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Danielle Craig (Share the Experience)
(Featured image: A Bureau of Land Management sign in Utah. Photo by Jeremy T. Dyer, BLM Utah, Flickr)