USAC Joins National Conservation Leaders in Opposing Public Land Sell-Off Effort
Since before Utah became a state, Utahns have enjoyed recreating on federal lands within the boundaries of the Utah Territory. Perhaps the most significant recreational pursuit enjoyed by early settlers, including Wilford Woodruff, the fourth President of the LDS Church, was fishing in the rivers and streams that traverse those federal lands. And so it has always been.
Since the Utah Stream Access Coalition (USAC) was founded approximately 15 years ago, the Coalition and its members have consistently assumed that the rights of Utahns to fish, paddle, and otherwise enjoy our rivers and streams traversing federal lands were guaranteed forever. That assumption is now under threat. If federal lands with streams traversing them are sold to private interests, do you really think that the new owners will allow the public to continue recreating on them? USAC's Board of Directors sincerely doubts it.
The prospect of Utahns losing access to rivers and streams that traverse federal lands is too great a threat for USAC not to act. Consequently:
The Utah Stream Access Coalition (USAC) stands with more than 50 of the nation's leading hunting, angling, and conservation organizations in firm opposition to Senator Mike Lee’s attempt to fast-track the sale of federal public lands through the budget reconciliation process.
This alarming move would bypass longstanding public oversight provided by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), a law designed to ensure that any land sales occur transparently and with robust public input. If successful, this backdoor maneuver could undermine access to cherished hunting and fishing grounds—public lands that belong to all Americans.
The coalition of signatories—including Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, Trout Unlimited, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership—argues that reconciliation is the wrong venue for land disposal. Instead of open dialogue and public benefit, this approach risks:
Eliminating public input from land sale decisions
Redirecting land sale proceeds away from conservation and access programs
Selling off critical lands used for hunting, fishing, hiking, and rural economies
Public lands are not a budget item—they’re a legacy. These places are where we fish, teach our children about wildlife, and reconnect with the natural world. Losing them would be an irreversible blow to outdoor recreation and the cultural identity of the American West. We encourage all Utahns, and especially USAC members, to stay informed and speak up. Our public lands are too valuable to be sold off behind closed doors.
Please read the full letter signed by USAC and our conservation partners here.
