In recent months, threats to sell off or dispose of public lands have escalated rapidly across the United States. Federal layoffs and funding freezes create the potential for limiting the ability of public land management agencies to do their jobs and create a rationale for anti-public lands lawmakers to advocate for state takeover and ultimately privatization. There is also an increasing interest in developing public lands to address the affordable housing crisis. And finally, there is growing rhetoric around treating public lands as “assets” to be developed or sold off for profit – failing to account for the value of public lands to communities, recreationists, and local businesses.
Over the last six months, the National Coalition for Public Lands has built a network of over 50 state and local NGOs and sportsman and recreation groups across the Western United States. The Coalition will try to ensure that the sale of public lands to offset tax cuts is not acted upon as part of the next federal budget, and that any individual proposals for public land sales do not move forward.
