Boise mayor warns public lands are ‘gone forever’ if Congress OK’s any sales
On Tuesday, Boise Mayor Lauren McLean doubled down on her opposition of provisions by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that could trigger the sale of millions of acres of public lands, warning “once we lose this land, it’s gone forever.”
The mayor’s comments came during a press conference with U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, and outdoor industry leaders protesting the proposal that could affect public lands across 11 states.
“We’ve got to fight for our city. It is nestled up against foothills, open space that is BLM land that turns into Forest Service, land up against a river and land against the desert,” McLean said during the virtual press conference. “For over 20 years, we have a legacy of putting forward ballot measures to protect these lands so that they’re saved in perpetuity for generations after us.”
Lee announced on Monday evening changes to the controversial proposal in a post on X. The Utah senator said revisions would “significantly reduce the BLM land in the bill” to 5 miles within population centers being eligible.
Even so, McLean and others are pushing back against any revised proposal to try to sell lands. Lee said he would keep trying to come up with a plan after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the original effort by Lee would violate chamber rules.
McLean stated that the updated proposal would still block access to about 11% of the over 200 miles of trails within Boise’s distance.
“When land goes private, access is cut off, we stand to lose so much more than what it might even sound like at the time,” McLean said. “The removal of lands — putting them in public lands in private hands — increases risk to our communities from wildfire, takes away the very culture and life that all of us rely on to get outside, to connect, to take advantage of what’s in our backyard. It sells off things that belong to every one of us.”
The need for environmental preservation was also noted by Kaden McArthur, public policy director for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
“More than 80% of critical habitat for big game species like elk is found on public lands in the United States, more than 50% of Blue Ribbon trout streams are found on public lands in the United States,” McArthur said. “These landscapes are often vast and intact, and fragmenting them will have irreversible impacts for fish and wildlife and of course, anyone in the outdoors that recreates.”