Public lands sales dropped after pressure from Washington Congressional delegation, hikers and the outdoor recreation community

by Michael DeCramer

In an important win for Washington’s trails and the millions of people who use them, leaders in Congress recently removed a deeply unpopular proposal to sell national public lands from the wide-ranging bill that was passed by Congress today. Dropping these land sales is a major victory for outdoor recreationists and it prevents millions of acres of national public lands from opening to private development. Broad public opposition to the land sale proposal and bipartisan criticism of the idea by Washington’s congressional delegation played a vital role in preventing this policy from moving forward. 

Sunset along a section of the Pacific Crest Trail near Snoqualmie Pass by Tobin Akehurst. 

Washington's shows up, speaks out to keep public lands, trails accessible to all

At a pivotal moment last week, Congressman Newhouse, whose district encompasses some of the most popular areas for hiking and camping in the state, joined several other House Republicans in opposing the land sales. His public opposition to selling national public land helped prevent the sales from moving forward. On the Democratic side, Senator Patty Murray and Senator Maria Cantwell have repeatedly denounced the idea of disposing of national public lands to generate revenue to offset the cost of extending tax cuts. WTA appreciates everyone who voiced opposition to this short-sighted policy proposal. 

The public overwhelmingly opposes the sale of national public lands. Across the western United States, selling national public lands is broadly unpopular. Auctioning off federally managed lands would reduce the public’s access and ability to enjoy time in nature. The proposed mandate to sell BLM and U.S. Forest Service lands would have eliminated public access along trails, as well as threatened ancient forests and other sensitive landscapes with development. In the last few weeks, hundreds of thousands of Americans communicated with their leaders in the federal government that they do not support efforts to force the sale of federally managed lands.

Washington’s hiking community helped secure this important victory. Hikers communicated strongly that public lands are not for sale. At trailheads and online, 9,925 hikers signed WTA's petition and expressed their opposition to proposals to sell public lands. With the help of Senator Murray, WTA delivered your signatures to Doug Burgum, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and Brook Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, as well as key leaders in Congress this week.

National forests and parks still need our voices and investment

The majority of the trails in Washington are on federally-managed lands. There are more than 9,000 miles of trails on national forests in Washington alone. We need to invest in our land management agencies, like the U.S. Forest Service, and care for our public lands. Your voice matters. It helped stop the sale of millions of acres of national public lands. This is an important victory and there is more work to be done. The legislation that passed the Senate on Tuesday included many other provisions that are harmful to the conservation of public lands.

Thank you for standing up for trails

Thank you to everyone who has taken action this year to defend our national public lands and to advocate for the national forest and parks staff who manage these special places. Your efforts are paying off. When we work together for trails, we can make a difference. 

So spread the word about getting involved with WTA, and enjoy the sweetness of summer on trail. As you hike, pick up a little extra trash and help each other out by reporting out conditions in a trip report.

Thousands of hikers spoke up for trails both online and at trailheads on Washington Trails Day, sharing what they value about access to public lands. Photo by WTA staff.