By Alliance Communications Coordinator Amy Durr
On September 26, bi-partisan Save Public Lands will deliver their petition to Congress. Sign it to tell elected officials that public lands are a top five voting issue.
Americans have had enough with the sell offs, land giveaways and backroom deals. We’ve all got whiplash from the sheer number of attacks on public lands that Trump is trying to ram through. One of them is happening in the Alliance’s backyard.
Boundary Waters Mining Ban Overturned
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness draws more than 150,000 visitors a year, making it the most visited wilderness area in the US. Crucially, for 20 years, 225,000 acres of Superior National Forest near the BWCA Wilderness were off limits to mining.
Trump pushed Congress to end that, and the Senate passed the resolution by one vote, 50-49. This opened the door for Twin Metals (owned by the Chilean mining giant Antofagasta) to pursue copper-nickel mining 12 miles from the wilderness.
Gov. Walz signed a state executive order on August 18 banning nonferrous mining in the area. However, that executive order can be turned over by a new governor in January, thus underscoring the need for federal protection.
Sadly, the Attacks Are Here, There and Everywhere
Nearly every day, the news is bursting with stories about more wilderness areas, National Monuments and National Parks that the Trump Administration is trying to destroy.
An analysis by the Center for American Progress details how the Trump administration has moved to strip protections from more than 86 million acres of public land during his second term, focusing on resource extraction, commercial development, and privatization. Here are some specific examples:
Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments further cut – In Trump’s first administration reductions were made. Now, he’s signed proclamations stripping protections from nearly 3 million acres, about 91% of Bears Ears and 90% of Grand Staircase-Escalante. Mining claims were staked on the land within days.
A private road through Yosemite – The Department of the Interior is reportedly pressing the Park Service to hand a Nevada developer an easement through the park so it can build a road connecting its property, just outside Yosemite’s boundary, to a road inside.
Roadless Rule on the chopping block – The USDA moved to end protections on tens of millions of acres of national forest, the Tongass included, clearing the way for logging roads.
The Senators Listened Once – Public Pressure Worked
In June 2025, Republican Sen. Mike Lee tried to force the sale of up to 3 million acres of public land through the “Big Beautiful Bill.” People called their senators. A lot of them. Lee pulled the sell-off before the final vote.
We later learned the Department of the Interior staff had fed him data and signed off on his talking points the day before he introduced it, while Secretary Burgum was telling reporters the plan “wasn’t part of the president’s agenda.” They didn’t stop wanting our land. They just got quieter about it. They may be quieter, but we won’t be.
One Day, One Thing
There’s a name for the Trump Administration’s strategy: flooding the zone. Throw enough chaos at people that no single outrage sticks long enough for anyone to answer for it. It only works if we let it wear us down. So choose this one action and take it today.
Join the Alliance in helping gather one million signatures by signing Save Public Lands’ petition. Tell DC lawmakers that Americans love and value their public lands and we want them protected. Period.
Extra Credit: Stay Up to Date
League of Conservation Voters: Attacks on Public Lands and Waters
Center for American Progress: Unprotecting American Lands
Harvard Law School: National Monuments Regulatory Tracker
Conservation Lands Foundation: Get Involved
Save Public Lands is on Instagram, alongside partners Save the Boundary Waters, Outdoor Alliance, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and the Wilderness Society.