On Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Department of the Interior released its 2026–2030 Strategic Plan – a guide for how the DOI manages our public lands in the coming years. 

Given the plan’s contents, one thing is clear: either DOI Secretary Doug Burgum isn’t listening to the will of the People – or worse, he is and just doesn’t care. 

For the first time in an official department-wide strategic plan, DOI has put in writing that it intends to shrink America’s public lands. The plan states, “the Department will work to decrease the size of the federal estate by offering to states, localities and Tribes the opportunity to purchase federal lands.” Which lands, you ask? How many acres? Where? The plan doesn’t say. This should worry every hunter, angler, and outdoor enthusiast in America, because once public land leaves public hands, it almost never comes back. 

DOI’s strategic plan isn’t just bad policy; it defies U.S. law. Since 1976, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, commonly referred to as FLPMA, has made keeping public lands in federal ownership our national policy. It permits the sale of select Bureau of Land Management parcels only when they meet narrow criteria; A department-wide goal of shrinking the federal estate turns that principle on its head. 

The plan doesn’t stop at sales. Under Burgum’s leadership, the DOI also plans to shift Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars away from buying public land and toward easements on private land to ensure the federal estate does not grow. LWCF is one of our most effective tools for opening landlocked public lands, consolidating checkerboard ownership, and protecting critical habitat long term. Easements have their place, but they are no substitute for permanent public ownership. And Congress did not fully and permanently fund LWCF so the DOI could turn its back on federal land acquisition and leverage the program to advance a broader agenda of shrinking public ownership. 

Additionally, the plan calls for “rights-of-way agreements, land exchanges and direct transfer of lands” to support energy development. To accomplish this, it calls for rewriting land-use rules and speeding up leasing and permitting. Depending on how that’s carried out, this could reliably mean: less environmental reviews, fewer chances for public input, and added pressure on the habitat and clean water that fish and wildlife depend on. 

Equally alarming, the 28-page document outlines DOI’s plans to “consolidate its workforce to advance operational efficiencies” at a time when our land management agencies are already short-staffed and buried in maintenance backlogs. According to an Outdoor Life analysis of federal government workforce data, staffing at our public land management agencies has declined significantly since 2002. Specifically, the analyses identified a 27% reduction of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff, 23% of National Park Service staff, 20% of BLM staff, and a 16% reduction of U.S. Forest Service staff. Over the past quarter century, the need to conserve our lands has only increased, yet the workforce required to accomplish that mission has been squeezed to a historic low.  

Now, the DOI’s 2026–2030 Strategic Plan does outline objectives Backcountry Hunters & Anglers readily supports: better hunting and fishing access, trail and facility upgrades through the Legacy Restoration Fund, abandoned mine cleanup, and habitat restoration. These are necessary and welcomed. However, if the Burgum-led DOI is serious about making such improvements, the department will have to first reconcile how to expand access to public lands while simultaneously selling them off, and how to restore habitat without the staff necessary to do the work effectively. A much simpler solution? Stop tearing down what you’re promising to build. 

The American people have been loud and clear. Three out of four Western voters oppose selling public lands for oil and gas development. Leaders from both parties, including Montana’s Republican senators, have already pushed back on DOI’s plan. And just last year, hunters and anglers quickly forced a public land sell-off attempt out of the federal budget bill. We did this by joining forces, speaking up loudly, and refusing to back down. We did it then; we can do it again. 

To keep public lands in public hands, BHA is adopting its own unofficial multi-year strategic plan. A key objective? Ensure the DOI Secretary understands that the vast majority of the American people hold public lands and waters in the highest regard. And that, under no circumstance, is disposing of or causing undue harm to our shared lands acceptable. 

Join us. United We Stand for Public Lands. 

– Team BHA