“Privatization of Public Lands.” Colorado Springs (Colo.) Gazette: 6/5/25
Public lands, and hence hunting, are under threat like never before. From states such as Utah (and 14 others) laying claim to Bureau of Land Management lands — which was shot down by the Supreme Court — to Congress attempting to sell public lands using the budget reconciliation process to the Trump administration proposing selling public lands under the guise of promoting homebuilding to rolling back national monument protections.
In a nutshell, hunting access and opportunity are on the chopping block. Public lands provide access and opportunity to 70 million American hunters and anglers. Hunters cite lack of access as the No. 1 reason they quit hunting. Nothing will limit access and opportunity more than the privatization of public lands.
The Congressional Sportsmen Foundation surveys have found that over 90% of Colorado hunters use public lands. About 80% of the critical habitat for elk and other big game is found on public lands. Approximately 72% of sportsmen and sportswomen in the West rely on public lands for hunting. Any effort to sell off public lands or transfer them to the states is a stake in the heart of hunting.
“As a Marine, I dedicated my career to defending the United States against foreign threats. But it’s unsettling to see domestic threats to the same public lands I fought to protect,” Garrett Robinson wrote in the Spring 2025 Backcountry Journal. “It’s an affront to everything I believe … These lands belong to all Americans, held in trust for current and future generations. Seeing them threatened by short-sighted interests is deeply troubling.”
Hunters are on the verge of becoming an endangered species, but these proposed actions will essentially guarantee it. Public lands are not a left or right issue, they’re an American issue. Join us in the fight to keep public lands in public hands! Take Action: https://www.backcountryhunters.org/take_action#/
David Lien of Colorado Springs, Colo., is co-chair of the Colorado Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, an author, and former Air Force missile launch officer.[1] In 2014 he was recognized by Field & Stream as a “Hero of Conservation.”[2] During 2019 he was the recipient of BHA’s Mike Beagle-Chairman’s Award “for outstanding effort on behalf of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.”[3]
“Privatization of public lands.” Colorado Springs (Colo.) Gazette: 6/5/25. https://gazette.com/opinion/letters-privatization-of-public-lands-crucial-weather-systems/article_c6c9cb83-583f-4789-bb15-0779a3e4220b.html
[1] David A. Lien. “A Higher Calling.” Association of Air Force Missileers (AAFM) Newsletter: March 2011, p. 4.
[2] Editors. “Heroes of Conservation: Safeguarding Winter Elk Range.” Field & Stream: July 2014, p. 29.
About David Lien