Public Fishing Areas Up For Sale in Senate Bill 

Photo: Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management, used via CC BY 2.0

Fishermen and hunters erupted in outrage last week as details emerged that the U.S. Senate is considering an amendment to sell off up to 3.3 million acres managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. 

The draft legislation—mirroring more moderate language that was ultimately removed from the House version of the “One Big Beautiful” budget reconciliation bill after vocal opposition from Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and others—directs the secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to immediately identify and auction parcels that would address “local housing needs including housing supply and affordability or any associated community needs.” 

“Community needs” is not defined in the bill and could be construed to suit whatever purposes a highest bidder might hold. 

The amendment calls for public land disposal in 11 Western states including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Montana is notably omitted, leaving many to wonder what deals its senators, Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, have made beyond the public eye. 

The legislative effort is led by Senate Natural Resources Committee Chairman Sen. Mike Lee, (R-UT), a longtime antagonist of public lands who counts several major land developers as donors. His bill notably goes around the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, which specifies the legal guidelines for any sale of public land and requires the American public be compensated with an exchange of land with equal or higher value. The 50-year-old law acknowledges the legal underpinnings of federal land ownership. It’s not the property of the government; it’s the property of the people.  

Under heavy fire from hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreators of all stripes, Lee tweeted on Sunday, June 22, “Hunter Nation: You spoke, and I’m listening. I’ll be making changes in the coming days.” On June 24, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that this amendment runs afoul of the Byrd Rule, under which budgetary measures can be passed with a simple majority. Lee removed the initial language while vowing to try again. Close observers do not yet expect a full retreat from the unpopular proposal and plan to keep pushing for complete deletion from the current budget legislation. 

This text is preceded by other mandates to dramatically increase oil drilling, mining, logging, and other development on the remaining public lands—including in such sensitive environments as the edges of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It excludes national parks, wilderness areas, and other places of conservation concern, but that leaves a lot on the table. The Wilderness Society has published a map and spreadsheet identifying more than 250 million acres of public lands meeting the criteria set forth in this bill. Some of those lands lie along waterways popular with fly anglers.

Josh Mills is a prominent Northwest steelheader and anadromous fisheries advocate. He was quick to highlight the places he swings that would wind up on the chopping block should this amendment become law.

“This selloff of public land will only serve to hurt these river systems, like the Grande Ronde,” Mills told MidCurrent. “The land will be degraded, developed, and access will be denied. The businesses that depend on the general public using these rivers will be hurt. Salmon and steelhead recovery will be pushed back. There’s no gain to this selloff, and the average fisherman or woman, as well as every hunter who runs around the vast public estate, will have to wear the weight of this short-sighted fleecing.”

Sen. Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho, was the first to publicly break with his caucus and oppose the public land sale proposal. He was followed by Sen. Mark Crapo, his colleague from Idaho. More may follow as the outcry grows. 

Photo: Bureau of Land Management, used via CC BY 2.0

Land Tawney is a lifelong fly angler and the co-chair of the recently formed conservation advocacy non-profit American Hunters & Anglers. He says that this idea to sell off public hunting and fishing areas to balance the budget comes around every decade or so—usually from legislators or their backers who are positioned to purchase or otherwise profit from such places. 

Several conservation groups are organizing a mass mobilization campaign today, June 25, called “Flood the Lines Day.” They encourage all concerned citizens to call or email their senators and representatives to tell them that America’s public lands and waters are not for sale. The Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 will connect you to your elected officials’ offices to make your voice heard. 

“Senator Mike Lee, Interior Secretary Doug Bergum, and all their other cronies need to know that this bullshit is dead on arrival,” Tawney said. “The people continue to rise up against the notion of selling our heritage. It’s time to put this idea in the dirt for good.”

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