Public Lands Sell-Off

Congress is considering something we never thought we’d have to fight: selling off public lands to pay for tax cuts. Senator Hickenlooper put forward an amendment that would have stopped this action, but it narrowly failed in the Senate. Which means lawmakers are actively weighing large-scale public land sell-offs as a way to raise revenue. While some policymakers suggest selling public lands can be a way to develop affordable housing, the reality is that the housing crisis demands comprehensive solutions that address zoning laws, building codes and underlying income inequality. Selling public lands to developers doesn't constitute a serious proposal to address those problems; it’s a scheme to fund tax cuts for the wealthy and promote exurban sprawl. If we don’t speak up now, this dangerous idea could move forward behind closed doors as part of the budget process, and once our lands are gone, there’s no getting them back.

Unleashing American Energy

On day one, President Trump issued an Executive Order that purportedly aims to “unleash” American energy by promoting fossil fuel development on our public lands. The Executive Order revoked President Biden’s directives on climate change and environmental justice, and directed federal agencies to immediately begin planning for a new wave of “energy dominance.” Newly appointed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum took up the mantle right away, issuing a Secretarial Order that directs agencies to “prioritize reducing barriers to the use of Federal lands for energy development” – including leasing more public lands for oil and gas drilling, speeding up oil and gas permitting and revoking regulations and policies that protect public lands, natural resources and human communities from the impacts of fossil fuel development. We’re ready to fight these directives at every turn, and we’ll be asking you to stand with us along the way.

Logging our National Forests 

The Trump administration has issued a series of orders aimed at drastically increasing logging on our national forests. These orders include direction to the Forest Service to increase timber production, increase forest land offered for timber sales, streamline processes and expedite timelines for timber sales. One alarming memo, from the Secretary of Agriculture, unilaterally makes an “Emergency Situation Determination” for more than 100 million acres of national forest land. This determination enables the Forest Service to shortcut environmental review, public participation and judicial review for logging and other timber harvest activities. 

Repealing the Public Lands Rule 

The Trump administration has notified the public that it intends to repeal the wildly popular Public Lands Rule, which put conservation on equal footing with other multiple uses for Bureau of Land Management (BLM) public lands. This rule established that conservation, access to nature, protection of cultural resources, wildlife preservation and climate change mitigation are just as important as energy extraction. Without the Public Lands Rule in place, the BLM will lose important tools for conserving our public lands for present and future generations.

1) Contact your elected officials

One of the most important things you can do to push back against the Trump agenda is to contact your federal elected officials and remind them these initiatives are not in Colorado’s best interest. A quick phone call or short email, letting them know you want them to stand strong for public lands, can make a meaningful difference. If you live in western Colorado, we’ve compiled contact info for your members of Congress. If you do not live in western Colorado, please visit this link to find your members of Congress.

Senator Micheal Bennet
(202)-224-5852
Send an email

Senator John Hickenlooper
(202)-224-5941
Send an email

Representative Joe Neguse (CO-2)
(202) 225-2161
Send an email

Representative Jeff Hurd (CO-3)
(202) 225-4676
Send an email

In addition to voicing your concerns with the issues described above, here are some important messages to emphasize when speaking with members of Congress or their staff:

• Trump’s energy dominance agenda is out of step with public sentiment in Colorado. Nearly 76% of Coloradans prefer that leaders place more emphasis on protecting water, air, wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities over maximizing the amount of land available for drilling and mining (2025 State of the Rockies Polling).
• Protected public lands are the backbone of Colorado’s economy and way of life. According to the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, outdoor recreation contributes more than $62 billion to our state’s economy and supports over 500,000 jobs, or 18% of our workforce.
• Colorado’s public lands are home to some of our state’s most important wildlife habitat, treasured recreation areas, wildlands that should be protected for future generations, critical water resources, famed Colorado scenery and Indigenous cultural sites. We shouldn’t sacrifice these values for short-term gain.

2) Write a letter to the editor

Writing letters to the editor is another important way to speak up for our public lands and get the attention of important decision makers like elected officials, including our members of Congress. These are letters that a community member writes to the editor of a paper to increase the public’s awareness of a specific issue, and they can make a big difference. Letters to the editor are also a great way to demonstrate where public sentiment lies.

For example, if you read an article about President Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce, you can write a letter to the editor in response voicing your perspective on why those actions are harmful to our public lands and communities. Typically, news outlets provide contact information for submitting a letter to the editor on their website under submissions.

When writing a letter to the editor, here are some tips to consider:

• Be clear and concise. Many newspapers will have word counts you’ll need to follow, so make sure you’re effectively communicating your point within the parameters you have.
• Personalize it. Our personal stories or connection to an issues will always be the most powerful persuaders
• Make it timely and relevant. Can you connect this issue to anything else going on in the news? Can you draw a local connection to a national issue? That may increase your chances of publication.
• Cite any relevant data or studies. Bolstering your argument with these lends credibility to you as the author.
• End with an ask or call to action. This is a great way to inspire action and get more people involved in your cause.

If you would like additional support for writing a letter to the editor, reach out to Wilderness Workshop’s Advocacy Director Erin Riccio at erin@wildernessworkshop.org

Tell Rep. Hurd to reject anti-conservation bills and keep public lands in public hands

• Representative Hurd is supporting three bills that are bad for the health and well-being of our public lands. Please ask him to withdraw his support for these anti-conservation efforts, and instead co-sponsor bipartisan legislation to keep public lands in public hands.

Stand in Solidarity with Our Public Land Managers!

• President Trump and Elon Musk are recklessly decimating federal agencies, harming Colorado communities – and our public lands – in their ruthless job cuts across the federal government. Send a letter to Congressman Hurd in support of our public land managers.

Tell the House no sale of our public lands!

• A leaked memo has revealed that some House Republicans are considering selling our public lands in addition to other extreme and unpopular proposals for our public lands. Send a message that our public lands are not for sale.