Secretarial Order threatens Fund’s bipartisan legacy, opening door to land transfers and restricting public access.

For Immediate Release:

Sept. 4, 2025

Contact:

Media@backcountryhunters.org

 

BHA Calls For Reversal of Attack on Land and Water Conservation Fund

Secretarial Order threatens Fund’s bipartisan legacy, opening door to land transfers and restricting public access.

MISSOULA, Mont.—Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) is calling for the immediate reversal of Secretarial Order 3442, signed this week by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, which undermines the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)—America’s most successful conservation and public land access program.

For more than half a century, LWCF has conserved fish and wildlife habitat, safeguarded water resources and expanded public access for hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. With the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act in 2020, Congress permanently dedicated LWCF’s offshore energy revenues—not taxpayer dollars—to this purpose. Since then, LWCF has had more impact than ever, funding high-priority projects nationwide that are locally driven, broadly supported, and bipartisan in nature.

“For generations, LWCF has been the cornerstone of conservation and access, delivering projects that protect migration corridors, open up hunting and fishing opportunities, and strengthen local economies,” said Chris Borgatti, Eastern Policy & Conservation Manager at BHA. “This order undermines that legacy by substituting politics for sound policy. If allowed to stand, it will choke off high-priority projects across the country and could even pave the way for selling off federal lands. That’s not what LWCF was created for, and it’s not what Americans expect from our nation’s most successful conservation program.”

Secretarial Order 3442 fundamentally distorts LWCF’s mission. Among its most concerning provisions:

• Narrowing eligibility for acquisitions. The Order directs that proposed acquisitions primarily benefit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Park Service, sidelining projects on Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands that have long expanded access and improved habitat for hunters and anglers.

• Inserting political veto power. The Order requires written approval from both state governors and local county officials before acquisitions can proceed, creating new bureaucratic hurdles into an already rigorous review process, giving political gatekeepers veto power over projects even when they’re supported by local communities and involve willing sellers.

• Opening the door to land transfers. Alarmingly, the Order also allows states to use LWCF funds to purchase “surplus” federal property—a dangerous precedent that could facilitate the transfer or disposal of federal public lands.

“This Order does more than shut the door on good projects,” said Devin O’Dea, Western Policy & Conservation Manager at BHA. “It opens up a pathway to public land transfers and sale. Allowing LWCF dollars to be used by states to acquire so-called ‘surplus’ federal lands is a dangerous precedent that undermines the very purpose of this bipartisan program.”

BHA urges the Department of the Interior to rescind Secretarial Order 3442 and restore LWCF’s proven, bipartisan framework—one that delivered tangible conservation wins and expanded public access for generations of Americans.

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Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. To learn more about issues important to BHA’s membership, visit  https://www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues.