Western Communities Commit To Protect Public Lands

Ahead of National Public Lands Day on Saturday, more than 60 communities across the West have passed resolutions, sent letters to their congressional delegations, or issued proclamations affirming their commitment to defending the United States’ natural spaces.

This comes as the Trump administration and anti-public lands politicians have taken a series of steps that impact management of public lands, including an attempt led by U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to force the sale of up to 1.2 million acres of public lands to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. While the provision was ultimately withdrawn by Lee after facing severe pushback from fellow Republicans, federal lands advocates said the move demonstrated the danger facing public lands under the current administration.

Anna Peterson, executive director of The Mountain Pact, said “[T]hreats from the Trump administration and radical anti-public lands politicians are putting our shared outdoor heritage in danger of being exploited for short-term gain. That’s why communities across the West are standing up and taking official action to condemn these reckless and irresponsible attacks, and to push back against those who want to auction off these irreplaceable and sacred landscapes to the highest bidder.”

The Mountain Pact is a collaboration of Western communities that works to "educate, empower, and mobilize local elected officials in over 100 Western mountain communities with outdoor recreation-based economies to speak with a collective voice on federal climate, public lands, and outdoor recreation policy."

The resolutions ahead of Public Lands Day project  a sense of solidarity among many Western communities as the Trump administration attempts to change management of  public lands. In June, for example, Congressional Republicans passed a budget bill that opponents said included a number of attacks on public lands, including reforms to the federal oil and gas leasing system that heavily favor the oil industry over taxpayers and the environment.

The bill also would  repeal incentives for weather resilience, energy efficiency, and improved air quality in Western communities.

This past spring, more than 315 current and former Western local elected officials from both sides of the aisle signed a letter calling for a more balanced approach to the management of U.S. public lands. It reflected the sentiments of many local officials in mountain communities, where public lands are a central part of their identities and a critical contributor to their economies. As Mayor John Clark of Ridgway, Colorado, explained, "Ridgway depends on easily accessible public lands as a major pillar of our economy. They bring visitors to our region in droves and support hundreds of good-paying jobs and give our community unparalleled opportunities to enjoy countless outdoor activities.”

City and state officials from across the country have expressed similar views, according to Mountain Pact.

A 2023 report from the National Park Service underscored the economic value of public lands when it found that “325 million park visitors spent an estimated $26.4 billion in local gateway regions while visiting National Park Service lands across the country.” Threatening this impact is the Trump administration’s firing of thousands of employees and slashing of funds from public land agencies like the Park Service.

The protection of public lands is highly popular among both Democrats and Republicans, according to public opinion surveys. The 15^th annual 2025 Conservation in the West Poll by Colorado College found that 65 percent of Western voters oppose transferring ownership of federal  ands to states; 89 percent oppose reducing or removing national monument protections, and; 72 percent prefer their elected officials to place more emphasis on protecting clean water sources, air quality, and wildlife habitat while providing opportunities to visit and recreate on public lands.

The community resolutions highlight the importance of protecting public lands in the United States, both for Americans and for the global community that benefits from these natural spaces.

“Ninety percent of public lands are in the West but people from around the world value them as a global treasure,” said Tom Boyd, Eagle County (Colorado) commissioner. “That's because America's public input process for preserving public lands is unlike anything in any other nation now or in history.”