“Really concerning:” Local reaction to public land sale proposal, blocked in US Senate
Matthew Draxton
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A contentious topic this past week: the possible sale of public land. The provision brought forth by Utah Senator Mike Lee as part of the Trump Administration’s Big Beautiful Bill, aimed to sell swaths of Forest Service and and Beurau of Land Management land.
That provision, though, was blocked Tuesday in the United States Senate, with revisions expected soon.
KTVZ News spoke to locals and Central Oregon nonprofits about the provision, it’s possible revisions, and generally how folks would feel to the sale of public land.
One Bend resident, Kara Laduke, said “I think it’s a bummer for for a lot of us.” Another resident, Kirk Anderson, “it’s really concerning.”
Bend resident, Andrea Napoli said it’s “detrimental to everyone.” Andrew Deenick, a frequent user of public lands said, “it’s not good keep it as it is”
Frustration and confusion. That’s how community members and nonprofits such as Oregon Hunters Association initially felt about the possible sale of public land
Tyler Dungannon, the conservation coordinator with Oregon Hunters Association saidm, “OHA strongly opposes the sale of our public lands.”
The provision, though introduced by senator mike lee from Utah, was blocked In the us senate Tuesday morning. It proposed to mandate the National Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to sell 0.5 to 0.75 percent of all public lands. That’s about 2 to 3 millions acres of public land between 11 states.
“We moved to Central Oregon for this reason, and we have two young kids, and we want them to be able to grow up playing in the outdoors and taking advantage of what makes Central Oregon special,” Laduke said. She added, “so we feel protective over it.”
“I think public lands obviously benefit everyone. So, keeping them public is certainly ideal and out of the hands of private owners,” Napoli added.
In Oregon there’s 22 million acres of public land that would have been eligible. That includes over 9 million acres of Forest Service Land and over 11 million acres of BLM land.
Democratic Senator Ron Wyden commented saying “in terms of what this means, this runs contrary to all the Oregon values in our DNA, and particularly in Central Oregon.”
In a post on X, Senator Lee said he would make revisions to the provision. Still making housing a priority, the revised version would include a removal of all forest service land from the provision. He also noted he would significantly reduce the amount of BLM land in the bill.
Jeremy Austin, Wildlands and Water Program Director with Central Oregon Landwatch said, “efforts like this to sell off our public lands will only further fragment those landscapes and make it harder for wildlife to reach the access to access the resources they need to survive.”
Initially, the proposal required state or local government to nominate possible land. It also formerly required nominated land to be adjacent to existing developed areas, have existing infrastructure, and be suitable for residential housing.
Now, it’s Senator Lee’s intention to make land within 5 miles of population center eligible.
Dungannon added, “urban sprawl is one of the main reasons why our mule deer are declining in central Oregon. Urban sprawl, housing development, any sort of development is a direct loss of habitat.“
Others question the integrity that the need for housing justifies selling public land
“President Trump’s proposed budget would slash the US Department of Housing and Urban Development by up to 50%,” said Austin. He continued, “so it’s really concerning to see our public lands being, used in this way.”
Though the provision has been blocked, some say this attempt at privatizing public land is about principle and creates worries for future public land legislation.
Deenick noted ”setting the door so that it’s unlocked. So down the road, you know, someone can come in and develop it more aggressively.”
Dungannon added, “this could absolutely set a precedent for future land sales. That is of extreme concern for OHA.”
Representative Cliff Bentz voiced strong opposition to proposals that would sell millions of acres of federal land arguing that improving federal land management, not selling it, is the best way forward.
While he supports land exchanges, when there’s clear local demand, he says such decisions must include thorough debate, and local input.
This comes as the trump administration said Monday it’s moving to rescind Clinton-era Policy known as the roadless rule that blocked logging on 58 million acres of national forest lands.