The Big Horn Mountains have always served as a backdrop in my life.
Every time I drive into town, they stand sentinel in the distance, reflecting the changing seasons and weather. Sunday drives, floating on an air mattress in Lake Sibley, and days and nights at the 4-H Mountain Camp were all part of our summer routine.
To me, they represent our public lands’ legacy.
This week, that legacy came close to being undermined.
A proposal introduced in the Senate this month would have required the sale of millions of acres of public lands across the West. Its supporters attempted to sell it as “less than one percent,” a drop in the bucket, a simple solution to a federal budget mess.
The measure appears to be dead at this point, as its author, Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, offered to withdraw it Saturday night in the face of widespread opposition in Western states.
But let’s be clear about what it was: a reckless, forced sale of the land we share for short-term political gain.
When President Eisenhower warned that “we must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow,” he was referring to this way of thinking.
Senator John Barrasso, a Republican and Wyoming’s senior delegate to the upper chamber, quoted those exact words on the Senate floor in 2007.
Where was he during this? When it was most important, he remained silent. That silence is nothing more than complicity.
Because this is a nonpartisan issue. Opposition to this proposal came from every corner of Wyoming. Republican and Democrat. Rancher and hunter. Small business owners, county commissioners, and former governors from both parties. People who rarely agree on anything came together to oppose this plan.
Why? Because they understand what these lands represent.
They’re where we go hunting, fishing, grazing cattle, riding horses, hiking, and camping. They are the foundation of our economy and way of life.
Losing access to even small tracts near our communities is a significant inconvenience. It’s the loss of places where we can teach our children to respect the land and pass down traditions that have defined Wyoming for generations.
Once sold, those lands are lost forever. You do not get them back. That is not development. This is theft from our children and grandchildren.
Supporters of this plan emphasised affordable housing and local control. Let’s call it what it is, a smokescreen. This legislation would not have solved Wyoming’s housing crisis. It would provide playgrounds for the wealthy.
Local governments may have the “first right of refusal,” but the process requires a fire sale whether communities want it or not. That is not local control. That’s Washington telling us what we’ll lose.
They describe these as “chequerboard” parcels or “surplus” lands.
Ask anyone who hunts mule deer on BLM a few miles from town or grazes livestock on those same tracts if they’re in abundance. Those are the places where working people actually go. They’re close to home, convenient after a long day at work, and essential for families who can’t afford a week-long backcountry trip.
What’s worse is how they attempted to sneak this through. The current text of the bill was released early on Saturday morning to keep it hidden and on track for a July 4th signing. They knew it would not withstand real scrutiny in the light of day.
Because once people saw it clearly, they’d recognise it for what it was: a rushed, sloppy attempt to profit from our heritage, with no meaningful sideboards or accountability.
This plan does not improve management. It bypasses the careful, public process established by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. That legislation necessitates local consultation and environmental review.
It is deliberate for a reason. Selling public lands should not be easy. It should not be secretive. And it shouldn’t be required.
Our entire congressional delegation is aware of this. Sen. Barrasso. Senator Cynthia Lummis. Congresswoman Harriet Hageman. They understand how Wyoming feels. Yet they’ve either remained silent or attempted to spin this as a reasonable solution.
We deserved better.
We deserve elected officials who will fight for our access, heritage, and way of life, not for DC deals that use our home as collateral.
So, this is what we can do. Call them. Write them. Visit their offices. Tell them that this is unacceptable. Tell them that we will remember who fought for us and who did not.
Because this isn’t about party affiliations or political points. This is about the soul of Wyoming. Concerning whether our public lands remain in public hands. Concerned about whether our children will have the same freedom, opportunity, and beauty that we have enjoyed.
We have fought these battles before. We will fight them again. And we will fight for as long as it takes to keep our public lands public.
