FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 21, 2025
Contact:
Kaden McArthur, Director of Policy and Government Relations, [email protected]
President Trump’s Day One Actions Include Assault on Alaska Public Lands
Executive order threatens conservation of more than 50 million acres of iconic wild landscapes
Washington, D.C. — Following his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States, President Donald Trump signed numerous executive orders, among them an order strongly condemned by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) titled, Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Energy Potential. Aimed at boosting domestic energy and resource production, the order threatens the health of more than 50 million acres of public lands in Alaska, undermines critical conservation efforts, and disregards the voices of hunters, anglers, and conservationists who treasure these wild places for their unparalleled backcountry value.
“It is deeply disappointing that the administration sided with private interests and foreign entities at the expense of outdoorsmen and women across the United States. The uncompromising action to prioritize wholesale resource extraction over the conservation of tens of millions of acres of public lands across Alaska creates unnecessary conflict and picks sides in what should be a collaborative process to manage valuable public resources,” said Patrick Berry, BHA President and CEO. “Not only do these landscapes sustain migrating populations of caribou, waterfowl, salmon, and a host of other wildlife that depend on expansive, intact habitats to thrive – these public lands are also invaluable to the communities who rely on them for subsistence, hunting and fishing, and other means of outdoor recreation.”
Included in the order are provisions that pose significant threats to more than 50 million acres managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:
- Targeting oil and gas leasing in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
- Reversing the decision by the BLM to deny permitting for the Ambler Road
- Reversing protections for 13 million acres in designated Special Areas in the Western Arctic
- Expediting development of a road through designated wilderness in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge
- Revoking the conservation status of 28 million acres of public lands that have been withdrawn from development since 1971
- Reinstating the Alaska Roadless Rule, which will strip protections from more than 9 million acres of the Tongass National Forest
“Alaska is home to the nation’s largest and wildest public landscapes, some of the most highly coveted hunting and angling opportunities, and people who embrace those opportunities as a lifestyle,” said Mary Glaves, Alaska Coordinator for BHA. “It brings people from all over to pursue their North American heritage of hunting and fishing. Without the intact landscapes that make this possible, these opportunities would disappear forever. Allowing hasty and risky projects such as the Ambler Road – which costs Alaskans and public land users more than they would gain – and overwriting a public process where hunters and anglers can, and already did, voice their concerns and opposition, is unscrupulous.”
BHA believes the best policy decisions come from intentional collaboration with various stakeholder groups, including hunters and anglers, to develop policies that balance responsible energy development with conservation priorities. This approach ensures outcomes that respect the voices of hunters, anglers, and conservationists while safeguarding the future of our public lands.
“While it’s unfortunate that the current administration has chosen to proceed unilaterally, we recognize the passion hunters and anglers have for our public lands transcends political lines,” Berry continued. “We call on all who value these irreplaceable landscapes to join BHA in actively opposing policies that put short-term profits for private interests and foreign entities ahead of the long-term health of our wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. Because these lands represent more than just open spaces – they’re the lifeblood of our outdoor passions, the foundation for thriving wildlife populations, and a promise to future generations.”
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 www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues.