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Senate Republicans want to sell millions of acres of public land: Here's how to fight back

Updated: Jun 26

This is a developing story. Things may change. I will try to update this blog post as often as possible, but please always verify facts and information from official sources (linked at the bottom of this post).


UPDATED JUNE 26th, 2025 at 11:30 am PT


We’re in an emergency. I’m not being dramatic, I’m being real. Right now, the U.S. Senate is considering a budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 1), and buried in that legislation is a last-minute amendment that could permanently strip away 1.2 million acres of federal public land — land that belongs to all of us.


We have 24 hours to stop it.


Here’s what’s happening, why it matters, and how you can help.


What's happening NOW (June 26th, 2025)


A revised version of Mike Lee’s “public land sell-off” amendment was unveiled on June 25, 2025, following the Senate parliamentarian’s earlier decision to remove his original proposal from the reconciliation package


The updated plan:

  • Removes all U.S. Forest Service lands from eligibility.

  • Targets Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.

  • Targets roughly 612,500 to 1.225 million acres of BLM land.

  • Requires that lands be located within 5 miles of a “population center”—possibly including towns as small as 2,500 residents (keep in mind, the amendment does not clearly define a "population center").


What this means & why it's a big deal


  • Though scaled back from the original 3.2–3.3 million acres plan (see below for more details about the original plan), this iteration still threatens over 1 million acres, some of which are used for everyday recreation, hunting, fishing, and community trails.

  • Eliminating public oversight is negligent. The amendment includes no public comment, tribal consultation, or environmental assessments.

  • We risk private investors turning public lands into private developments, golf courses, or luxury housing. Lee claims his amendment is to provide "affordable housing," yet fails to define what "affordable" means or how he proposes to make this a reality for working-class Americans.


What we can do

  • Engage: Reach out to your Senators—especially if you live in Western states or they are Republican—urging them to oppose any carve-outs for BLM land sales. While they might not vote no on the reconciliation bill as a whole, they can advocate for the removal of this amendment.

    • Use 5Calls.org to find your Senators, read scripts, and make calls.

    • Scared to call? Don't worry, I totally understand. I made a YouTube video so you can see me actually call and know what to expect.

    • You can also email your Senators.

  • Stay informed: This revamped amendment is now part of the Senate’s budget reconciliation process, potentially bringing it to a vote as early as tomorrow, June 27th. Follow groups like Outdoor Alliance, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, and the Wilderness Society who are mobilizing action alerts and grassroots pressure.


*** END JUNE 26th, 2025 UPDATE ***


NOTE: This is also available as a podcast if you'd rather listen. Search "Outdoorsy" wherever you get your podcasts or find it directly here.


TL;DR: What's going on with our public lands?


You may have heard it called the “budget bill,” “reconciliation bill,” “H.R. 1,” or even the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” No matter what name it goes by, it's dangerous.


🚨 The amendment (introduced by Senator Mike Lee):

  • Requires the Department of the Interior to identify and sell 3.3 million acres of federal public land.

  • Focuses on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS).

  • Selects from a pool of up to 250 million acres that the agency deems “eligible” for disposal.

  • Contains no environmental review, no tribal consultation, and no public input before these sales happen


These lands are where we hike, camp, hunt, fish, off-road, birdwatch, and just exist. They’re also home to vital wildlife habitats, biodiversity hotspots, and Indigenous ancestral territory.


Once they’re sold off? They’re gone. Forever.

🔥 Why Mike Lee's amendment to the Big Beautiful Bill is so dangerous


This is the largest proposed public land sell-off in modern U.S. history.


These at-risk lands are:

  • Recreation havens where we hike, hunt, camp, fish, off-road, stargaze, and just exist in the outdoors.

  • Wildlife corridors, home to hundreds of threatened species.

  • Sacred ancestral territory, many of these areas are culturally significant to Indigenous nations.

  • Climate lifelines and biodiversity hubs critical for combating the climate crisis.


If this amendment passes, we risk:

  • Losing irreplaceable public lands to private developers

  • Destroying ecosystems and threatening wildlife

  • Violating Indigenous sovereignty and skipping tribal consultation

  • Silencing local communities by ignoring public input

  • Setting a horrifying precedent that opens the floodgates to future sell-offs


Once sold, these lands are gone. Sold to private developers. Opened to drilling, mining, fracking, or gated access. That’s it. Game over.


Mike Lee and his billionaire buddies have been after this for years. Their goal is to take land out of the hands of the public and give it to private industry, to strip protections for profit.


We cannot let them succeed.


🗳️ What’s the status of the budget reconciliation bill?


  • The bill already passed the House.

  • Now it’s in the Senate, where it will likely pass (the Republicans are largely in favor of this bill and hold the majority). Our focus needs to be on getting amendments like this one removed or blocked.

  • Mike Lee’s amendment was quietly added at the last minute, but there is still time to remove it if we act fast!


✊ There’s hope — we’ve done this before


Earlier this year, the House tried to pass an amendment that would’ve sold off 500,000 acres of public land.We showed up. We made noise. We called our reps.And guess what? That amendment was removed before the bill passed.


Now, they’ve upped the stakes to 3.3 million acres. But the playbook remains the same. We’ve stopped them once. We can do it again.


🛑 Here’s what you can do to protect public lands RIGHT NOW


1. Call your senators.

This is the single most impactful thing you can do. Even if the land in question isn’t in your state, your senator still votes on this bill and still talks to their peers.

I know, calling can feel intimidating. I hate making phone calls. But I made a video walking through the process using 5Calls, and I promise: it’s easier than you think. Most of the time, you’ll leave a voicemail. Scripts are provided. It takes 2 minutes.

2. Email your senators.

If phone calls aren’t your thing, email! The Outdoor Alliance has a pre-written form that takes under 30 seconds.


3. Talk to your friends, family, and community.

Bring this up at dinner. On a hike. At the local brewery. Share the proposed land use map and say, “Hey — did you know this area we camped at might be sold off soon?” People need to hear real, local stakes to care. Do I wish everyone had empathy for stuff that didn't directly impact them? Of course. But that's not the reality we live in today. We need to help them see how it impacts them directly.


4. Post online.

Whether it’s sharing your favorite outdoor memory from one of the places potentially at risk or just resharing other creators spreading the word, it all helps. Awareness is everything right now.


⚠️ Myth vs. fact: Debunking the misinformation about public lands

MYTH

FACT

250 million acres will be sold.

The 3.3 million is the mandated sale. The pool of 250 million acres is the inventory they can choose from. Source: The Wilderness Society https://www.wilderness.org/articles/blog/congress-making-more-250-million-acres-public-lands-available-sale

The lands for sale are "unneeded" or "excess."

No agency has declared these lands as excess. The amendment assumes they are, without justification. Source: NPCA on H.R. 1 https://www.npca.org/articles/8792-position-on-h-r-1-one-big-beautiful-bill-act

There will still be reviews and protections.

False. This amendment bypasses NEPA environmental reviews, ignores tribal consultation, and does not require public notice or comment. Source: Outside https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/theres-a-new-plan-to-sell-off-public-lands-it-would-impact-millions-of-acres-in-western-st

This won’t affect me, I don’t live near public lands.

Federal public lands support air, water, biodiversity, and climate stability across the country, and losing them sets a precedent that threatens all protected areas. Source: Common sense :)

There's nothing I can do to stop this.

We've stopped a land grab amendment like this before; we can do it again. There are so many ways you can help encourage our Senate to stop this amendment (and the bill as a whole). Even if your Senators support this bill right now, it's still worth it to make your voice heard! Source: This post!

National Parks will be sold.

This amendment only considers the sale of BLM and USFS land. This land also borders many National Parks and Monuments, so it will impact the Parks significantly. There are also other provisions in the "Big Beautiful Bill" that harm the NPS, National Monuments, and environmental protections that impact the Parks. Source: NPCA https://www.npca.org/articles/8792-position-on-h-r-1-one-big-beautiful-bill-act

This bill already passed.

This bill only passed the House. It needs to pass the Senate as well. Source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1

We got this amendment removed already.

False. We did, however, get an amendment removed that proposed 500,000 acres of land be sold back before this bill passed the House. That was a huge win, and it just goes to show that we can get this amendment removed before it passes in the Senate. Source: Outdoor Alliance https://www.outdooralliance.org/blog/2025/5/22/land-sell-offs-removed-from-spending-bill-but-its-still-bad

This is all part of a bigger picture


This is about who we are. Do we believe in shared resources? In respecting ecosystems? In honoring Indigenous sovereignty? In protecting the most democratic thing we have: Our public lands?


If you’ve ever taken a walk in the woods, laid under the stars, or just sat quietly under a tree, this affects you. If you believe that nature should be for everyone, not just billionaires, this affects you.


Be brave with me. Make a call. Send an email. Tell a friend. We have two weeks—let's go!

We can’t afford to be quiet. We’ve stopped land sell-offs before. Let’s do it again.


Public lands belong to the people. Keep public lands in public hands.


Sources



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Madeleine Wilson is a Seattle, WA based natural light wedding and engagement photographer.

© Copyright. Madeleine Wilson Photography, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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