As a former state representative and educator, and a fourth-generation Coloradan, I have seen the transformative impact open spaces and public lands have on our communities. The environment is part of our identity as Coloradans – it shapes our culture, economy and health. It’s where we spend our weekends, it’s what employs so many of our neighbors and it’s what defines our home.
Disturbingly, the very fabric and existence of our public lands are being threatened by this administration who are sneakily laying the groundwork to sell federal land by dismantling environmental protections, freezing federal funding for local conservation and agricultural initiatives and firing federal employees who are stalwart stewards of the places we cherish.
Congress passed a budget package with provisions aimed at making the selling of our federal lands easier. This package, combined with ongoing discussions about using budget reconciliation to facilitate land sales, raises serious concerns about the future of public lands across the West.
It goes beyond merely reducing government spending or streamlining operations. Instead, it is a deliberate strategy to weaken the institutions responsible for managing and protecting our public lands. That will create the conditions for justifying their sale to private corporations or wealthy individuals, filling the gaps they themselves have created.
A more immediate concern is the dismantling of local land management agencies. More than 8,400 employees responsible for managing public lands either left or were fired, with no guarantees against further cuts. These dedicated civil servants are located throughout the nation, many in Western rural communities like Southwest Colorado, and help take care of public lands by supervising grazing allotments, cleaning the restrooms, fighting fires and so much more.
By removing these hardworking people, they are not only putting rural residents out of work, but are also impacting public safety and the economy. Without these federal workers, we will see a reduction in resources to fight wildfires, respond to emergencies on public lands and continue vital maintenance. Further, these agencies have their credit cards frozen; it is impossible for remaining employees to conduct their work if they cannot even fill up a tank of gas.
In Colorado, Bureau of Land Management lands alone contributed $8.8 billion to Colorado’s economy in Fiscal Year 2023, and 39,000 jobs are tied to BLM public lands. In Montezuma County, a 2024 study revealed that more than $100 million in annual economic output and 720 jobs in the county resulted from recreational tourism. It is a significant source of revenue for such a rural county.
Further harming our communities is the freezing of federal funding already committed to grants supporting agriculture and water conservation. The Mancos Conservation District had their significant USDA grant pulled with no reason. It was supporting staff time, underserved farmers and education to rural communities.
Other state conservation projects are also in limbo, all which support water conservation as the state continues to see less snow and higher temperatures because of climate change.
Our public lands are one of the best things about America – they provide spaces for solitude and recreation, support the clean water and functioning ecosystems we all rely on and offer sustainable economic opportunities for family ranching operations and tourism. If they are sold or managed by the state, all that will be threatened.
Colorado must stand firmly behind our public lands and do what we can to ensure future generations are able to experience these incredible places that belong to all of us.
All of us.
Colorado is fighting back. I am proud to see our state Legislature pass a resolution in support of public lands, explicitly recognizing their value and opposing any federal attempt to sell them.
Once these lands are gone, they can never be replaced. And we will all lose.
Barbara McLachlan, a former state representative is, and always has been, a public lands advocate.
