Utah Sportsmen’s Organizations and Businesses Unite in Opposing Public Land Sales

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

June 23, 2025 

CONTACT: 

media@backcountryhunters.org 

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—Twenty-one Utah-based sportsmen’s organizations and over 50 Utah-based businesses in the hunting and fishing industries have signed on to a coalition letter opposing the sale of federal public lands included in the current version of the budget reconciliation bill. The letter, requesting that the sale of public lands be removed from the bill completely, was addressed to Utah Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis. The businesses represented in the letter include small fly-fishing guide operations, gear retailers, major hunting equipment manufacturers, and everything in between.

“The objective here is to highlight that Lee’s proposal is misaligned with the hunting and fishing constituency in Utah,” said Utah BHA Chapter Vice Chair Caitlin Curry. “We have been overwhelmed by the tremendous support from the hunting and fishing community in Utah for keeping public lands in public hands. We sincerely thank all those who signed on to collectively oppose this part of the budget bill.”

The letter outlines the value of public lands to the Utah hunting and angling community, and addresses concerns around the process by which the land disposal would occur if passed through the federal budget reconciliation. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) already includes robust processes that must occur to dispose of public land for public purposes, such as affordable housing. Streamlining the disposal of public lands through the budget reconciliation effectively overrides this process and would establish a new precedent for public land sales, consisting of less transparency and public input opportunity and yielding potential threats to hunting and angling access in the future.

“This effort signifies a consensus among hunters and anglers,” says Utah BHA Chapter Chair Perry Hall. “We have brought together organizations that represent thousands of Utahns, and businesses that generate millions of dollars within the state. This expansive community doesn’t always agree on everything, but one thing is certain; protecting our public lands and access is a unifying issue.”

View the Letter

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. To learn more about issues important to BHA’s membership, visit  https://www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues. 

Nadia MarjiNadia Marji

Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers

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