0
Events tracked
0
Expansions
0
Reductions
0
Jurisdictions
Direction
Showing all events.
1785–1899
Foundations & disposal era
The era of moving public land into private and corporate hands. The federal government surveyed, sold, gave away, and granted away most of the public domain — until the Forest Reserve Act of 1891 reversed the policy.
-
1785FederalReductionPassed
Land Ordinance
Established the framework for surveying and selling federal public-domain land in the Northwest Territory. Created the township-and-range survey system still used today. Set the foundational U.S. policy of disposal — selling federal land to private settlers — that dominated public-land law for the next 100+ years.
-
1787FederalReductionPassed
Northwest Ordinance
Created the legal framework for organizing federal territories into new states and granting them 'equal-footing' status. The equal-footing doctrine has since been invoked in modern state transfer-attempt bills (Utah HB 148, Arizona HB 2002) as the legal argument for compelling federal land transfer.
-
1796FederalReductionPassed
Land Act of 1796
Established the first comprehensive system for surveying and selling federal lands in the Northwest Territory. Set a minimum price of $2.00 per acre with a 640-acre minimum purchase. Formalized the rectangular survey system and accelerated transfer of public domain into private hands.
-
1800FederalReductionPassed
Harrison Land Act
Reduced the minimum federal land purchase to 320 acres and introduced four-year credit terms, making public-domain land more accessible to individual settlers. Accelerated private acquisition of federal lands across the Northwest Territory and established regional land offices.
-
1820FederalReductionPassed
Land Act of 1820
Lowered the minimum federal land purchase to 80 acres at $1.25 per acre and ended credit sales, requiring cash payment. Substantially expanded private settler access to the public domain and remained the baseline for federal land sales for decades.
-
1841FederalReductionPassed
Preemption Act
Allowed squatters who had settled on surveyed federal land to purchase up to 160 acres at the minimum price of $1.25 per acre before public auction. Legitimized informal occupation of public lands and shifted millions of acres of federal domain into private ownership prior to its repeal in 1891.
-
1845Supreme CourtReductionDecided
Pollard's Lessee v. Hagan
Established the equal-footing doctrine, holding that new states enter the Union with the same sovereign rights as the original thirteen, including title to lands beneath navigable waters. The ruling limited federal retention of submerged lands and shaped subsequent state-versus-federal disputes over public land and waterways.
-
1850FederalReductionPassed
Donation Land Claim Act
Granted up to 320 acres of federal land in the Oregon Territory free of charge to white settlers (640 acres for married couples) who occupied and cultivated the land for four years. Transferred roughly 2.5 million acres of public domain into private ownership before expiring in 1855.
-
1854FederalReductionPassed
Graduation Act
Reduced prices on federal lands that had been on the market for ten or more years, with prices stepping down to as low as 12.5 cents per acre for parcels unsold for 30+ years. Disposed of approximately 25 million acres of public domain before its repeal in 1862.
-
1862FederalReductionPassed
Homestead Act
Granted 160 acres of federal public-domain land free to any settler who would farm or improve it for five years. Distributed approximately 270 million acres of federal land to private claimants over the next 70+ years — roughly 10% of U.S. land area. Democratized land ownership for many while displacing Indigenous nations and dramatically reducing the federal public estate.
-
1862FederalReductionPassed
Pacific Railroad Act
Authorized federal land grants of approximately 175 million acres to railroad companies — alternating sections of public land along the planned transcontinental route — as construction subsidies. The largest corporate land transfer in U.S. history. Enabled the transcontinental railroad while permanently moving vast tracts of federal land into private corporate ownership.
-
1862FederalReductionPassed
Morrill Land-Grant Act
Granted each state 30,000 acres of federal public-domain land per congressional member to fund the establishment of colleges teaching agriculture and mechanic arts. Distributed roughly 17 million acres of federal land into state and private hands to capitalize land-grant universities.
-
1872FederalReductionPassed
General Mining Act
Authorized U.S. citizens to claim and patent (purchase) federal mineral lands for $2.50–$5.00 per acre. Largely unchanged since enactment. Still allows hard-rock mining claims on federal land at the same per-acre price set in 1872 — without paying federal royalties. One of the longest-running federal land laws still in force.
-
1872FederalExpansionPassed
Yellowstone National Park Act
Established Yellowstone — 2.2 million acres across Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho — as the first national park in the world. Set the precedent that vast tracts of federal land could be permanently set aside for public use. Signed the same year as the General Mining Act, marking the early tension between disposal and retention.
-
1873FederalReductionPassed
Coal Lands Act
Authorized the sale of federal coal-bearing public lands at $10 to $20 per acre, allowing individuals to claim up to 160 acres and associations up to 320 acres. Created the framework for private development of coal resources on the public domain that operated until reform under the 1920 Mineral Leasing Act.
-
1873FederalReductionRepealed
Timber Culture Act
Granted up to 160 acres of federal land to settlers who agreed to plant and maintain trees on at least 40 acres for eight years. Transferred approximately 10 million acres of public domain to private ownership before being repealed in 1891 amid widespread fraud.
-
1877FederalReductionPassed
Desert Land Act
Authorized the sale of 640-acre tracts of arid public land at $1.25 per acre to any settler who would irrigate it within three years. Sold approximately 11 million acres before reform. Widely abused by speculators and large agricultural interests; many tracts were never actually irrigated.
-
1878FederalReductionPassed
Timber and Stone Act
Authorized sale of public timber and stone lands at $2.50 per acre — primarily in California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada. Widely exploited by timber companies who used dummy entrymen to assemble huge tracts; estimated 14+ million acres transferred under the act. Repealed in 1955 after decades of documented fraud.
-
1891FederalExpansionPassed
Forest Reserve Act
Authorized the President to set aside 'forest reserves' from federal public-domain land. THE PIVOT MOMENT in U.S. public-land policy: the first major federal law that explicitly retained land in public ownership rather than disposing of it. The first reserves became today's National Forest System — now 193 million acres across 154 forests.
-
1894New YorkExpansionPassed
New York 'Forever Wild' Constitutional Amendment
Article XIV of the New York State Constitution declared the Adirondack and Catskill Forest Preserves 'forever kept as wild forest lands' — banning timber harvesting, leasing, or sale of state-owned forest land. The first state-level constitutional protection of public land in the U.S., still in force today and frequently cited as a model. Covers 2.7 million acres in the Adirondacks alone.
-
1897Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
Camfield v. United States
Upheld the Unlawful Inclosures Act of 1885, ruling that Congress could prohibit private landowners from fencing public domain lands even when the fences sat entirely on private property. Affirmed broad federal power under the Property Clause to protect public lands from being effectively privatized through adjacent land use.
1900–1959
Antiquities & New Deal
The Antiquities Act unlocked presidential designation of national monuments. Court rulings from Camfield to Hunt established federal authority over public lands. The Taylor Grazing Act ended large-scale homesteading; the Pittman-Robertson Act invented user-pays conservation.
-
1906FederalExpansionPassed
Antiquities Act
Authorized the President to designate national monuments on federal land to protect 'historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest.' Used by every administration since across both parties. Has been the legal basis for protecting Grand Canyon, Bears Ears, Statue of Liberty, and many others.
-
1906Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Devil's Tower National Monument designation
President Theodore Roosevelt designated Devil's Tower in Wyoming as the first U.S. national monument under the just-passed Antiquities Act. Set the precedent for future presidential monument designations. Approximately 1,347 acres protected.
-
1907Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Petrified Forest National Monument designation
President Theodore Roosevelt designated Petrified Forest in Arizona as a national monument to protect its extensive deposits of fossilized wood and prehistoric resources. The site was later redesignated as a national park in 1962.
-
1908Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Grand Canyon National Monument designation
President Theodore Roosevelt designated Grand Canyon as a national monument under the Antiquities Act, protecting more than 800,000 acres of the canyon in Arizona. The designation withstood legal challenge in Cameron v. United States (1920) and the area became a national park by act of Congress in 1919.
-
1908Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Muir Woods National Monument designation
President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Muir Woods National Monument in California, protecting approximately 295 acres of old-growth coastal redwoods donated by William and Elizabeth Kent. The site was named at the donors' request for naturalist John Muir.
-
1909Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Mount Olympus National Monument designation
President Theodore Roosevelt designated Mount Olympus National Monument in Washington, protecting approximately 615,000 acres to safeguard Roosevelt elk habitat and old-growth forest. The area was later expanded and redesignated as Olympic National Park by Congress in 1938.
-
1909FederalReductionPassed
Enlarged Homestead Act
Doubled the homestead allotment to 320 acres to accommodate dryland farming in arid western states. Distributed an additional roughly 33 million acres of federal land into private ownership before its repeal under FLPMA in 1976.
-
1911Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
Light v. United States
Confirmed that the federal government, as proprietor of the public domain, could lawfully establish forest reserves and require permits for grazing livestock on those lands. The Court rejected the argument that long-standing custom or implied license entitled ranchers to graze the public range without federal authorization.
-
1911Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
United States v. Grimaud
Upheld Congress's delegation of authority to the Secretary of Agriculture to issue regulations governing forest reserves and to make violations of those regulations criminal offenses. Cemented the federal government's power to administer and enforce rules on national forest lands, a foundation of modern public-lands management.
-
1916FederalExpansionPassed
National Park Service Organic Act
Created the National Park Service and gave it a dual mandate: conserve scenery and wildlife AND provide for public enjoyment in a way that leaves them 'unimpaired for future generations.' The 'unimpaired' standard remains the legal basis for park management today.
-
1916FederalReductionPassed
Stock-Raising Homestead Act
Authorized 640-acre homesteads on federal lands designated for grazing and forage crops, while reserving mineral rights to the United States. Disposed of tens of millions of acres of western rangeland into private ownership and created the split-estate ownership pattern still common across the West.
-
1917Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
Utah Power & Light Co. v. United States
Held that private parties could not acquire rights in federal public lands through adverse possession, estoppel, or state law, and that only Congress could authorize the use of such lands. Reinforced that federal property is governed exclusively by federal law.
-
1920FederalModifiedPassed
Mineral Leasing Act
Replaced outright sale of coal, oil, gas, phosphate, and other fuel and fertilizer minerals on federal lands with a leasing and royalty system, retaining federal ownership while authorizing extraction. Established the framework still governing fossil-fuel development on most federal public lands.
-
1924Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Statue of Liberty National Monument designation
President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed the Statue of Liberty a national monument under the Antiquities Act, protecting the statue and Bedloe's (now Liberty) Island in New York Harbor. The monument was later expanded to include Ellis Island in 1965.
-
1928Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
Hunt v. United States
Upheld federal authority to order the killing of excess deer on the Kaibab National Forest to protect the range from overgrazing, even when the action conflicted with Arizona's game laws. Confirmed that federal power over public lands extends to wildlife management decisions necessary to preserve the lands themselves.
-
1933Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Death Valley National Monument designation
President Herbert Hoover proclaimed Death Valley National Monument, protecting approximately 1.6 million acres of desert landscape across California and Nevada. The area was expanded and redesignated as a national park by Congress through the California Desert Protection Act in 1994.
-
1933Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Saguaro National Monument designation
President Herbert Hoover designated Saguaro National Monument in Arizona to protect stands of the iconic saguaro cactus and surrounding Sonoran Desert ecosystem. The monument was redesignated as a national park by Congress in 1994 and protects roughly 91,000 acres.
-
1934FederalExpansionPassed
Taylor Grazing Act
Withdrew up to 80 million acres (later expanded) of unappropriated federal rangeland from the public domain, ended widespread homesteading on western grazing lands, and established the U.S. Grazing Service (predecessor to BLM). Effectively closed the disposal era for most remaining federal lands.
-
1934FederalExpansionPassed
Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act (Duck Stamp)
Required waterfowl hunters age 16 and older to purchase a federal Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp, dedicating proceeds to acquiring and protecting wetland habitat in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Has funded the conservation of more than 6 million acres of waterfowl habitat.
-
1936Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Joshua Tree National Monument designation
President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Joshua Tree National Monument in southern California, originally protecting approximately 825,000 acres of Mojave and Colorado desert. The area was reduced in 1950 and ultimately redesignated as a national park by Congress in 1994.
-
1936FederalExpansionPassed
Park, Parkway and Recreation Area Study Act
Authorized the National Park Service to conduct a comprehensive nationwide study of park, parkway, and recreation-area needs in cooperation with states and other federal agencies. Established the foundation for federal coordination of outdoor recreation planning.
-
1937FederalExpansionPassed
Pittman-Robertson Act
Created an excise tax on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. The revenues — paid by hunters — fund state wildlife conservation. Has distributed more than $14 billion to date.
-
1943Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Jackson Hole National Monument designation
President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Jackson Hole National Monument in Wyoming, incorporating roughly 221,000 acres including land donated by John D. Rockefeller Jr. The controversial designation prompted Congress in 1950 to merge the area into Grand Teton National Park while amending the Antiquities Act to require congressional consent for future monuments in Wyoming.
-
1950FederalExpansionPassed
Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act
Imposed a federal excise tax on fishing equipment and apportioned the revenue to states for sport fish restoration, public-access boating facilities, and aquatic habitat conservation. Created a parallel funding stream to Pittman-Robertson and underwrites a substantial share of state fisheries management.
-
1950FederalModifiedPassed
Grand Teton expansion + Wyoming Antiquities Act limit
Congress merged the Jackson Hole National Monument into Grand Teton National Park and simultaneously amended the Antiquities Act to bar future presidential monument designations in Wyoming without congressional approval. Resolved a long-running dispute over the 1943 monument proclamation.
-
1958FederalExpansionPassed
Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Act
Established the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission to inventory the nation's outdoor recreation needs and resources. The Commission's 1962 report directly led to creation of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the Wilderness Act.
1960–1989
Postwar foundations
The conservation era's institutional core — Wilderness Act, LWCF, Wild and Scenic Rivers, the National Trails System, NEPA, Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, FLPMA, and ANILCA. Plus the Supreme Court rulings (Kleppe, TVA v. Hill) that confirmed it.
-
1960FederalModifiedPassed
Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act
Directed that the National Forests be administered for outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and fish and wildlife purposes on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield. Codified the multiple-use management mandate that continues to govern Forest Service planning.
-
1961New JerseyExpansionPassed
New Jersey Green Acres Program
Created by the Green Acres Land Acquisition Act, the program authorized state bond funding to acquire and preserve open space and provide outdoor recreation. Voters have approved more than a dozen bond measures supporting Green Acres, helping protect over 700,000 acres statewide.
-
1962FederalExpansionPassed
Wetlands Loan Act
Authorized advance appropriations against future Duck Stamp receipts to accelerate federal acquisition of waterfowl production areas and refuge lands. Funded the protection of millions of additional acres of wetland habitat in the National Wildlife Refuge System.
-
1962FederalExpansionPassed
Outdoor Recreation Act
Authorized the Secretary of the Interior to coordinate federal outdoor recreation programs, conduct nationwide planning, and provide technical assistance to states. Created the institutional framework that became the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation.
-
1964FederalExpansionPassed
Wilderness Act
Created the National Wilderness Preservation System and defined wilderness in federal law as 'an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man.' Initially protected 9.1 million acres; the system has since grown to 111+ million acres across 800+ designated areas in 44 states.
-
1965FederalExpansionPassed
Land and Water Conservation Fund Act
Established a fund — drawn from offshore oil and gas royalty revenues — for federal and state acquisition of recreation land, trail systems, and public access points. The single largest federal source of conservation funding.
-
1968FederalExpansionPassed
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
Created the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System to preserve free-flowing rivers with outstanding recreational, scenic, or ecological value. Now includes 226 rivers across 41 states totaling more than 13,000 protected river-miles.
-
1968FederalExpansionPassed
National Trails System Act
Established the federal trail system, including the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail as the first National Scenic Trails. Created the framework for three trail categories: National Scenic Trails, National Historic Trails, and National Recreation Trails. The system now spans more than 88,000 miles.
-
1969FederalExpansionPassed
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
Required federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of major federal actions through Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements. Established the public-comment process that shapes nearly every federal public-land decision.
-
1969Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Marble Canyon National Monument designation
President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed Marble Canyon National Monument in Arizona, protecting approximately 26,000 acres of Colorado River canyon upstream of Grand Canyon National Park. The monument was incorporated into an enlarged Grand Canyon National Park by Congress in 1975.
-
1969MarylandExpansionPassed
Maryland Program Open Space
Established a dedicated funding source through a 0.5% real estate transfer tax to acquire parkland and conservation areas at the state and local level. The program has helped protect hundreds of thousands of acres of open space, parks, and natural resource lands across Maryland.
-
1970FederalExpansionPassed
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970
Created the modern federal air-quality regulatory framework, including National Ambient Air Quality Standards and later Class I airshed protections for many national parks and wilderness areas. Provides the basis for protecting visibility and air quality across the federal public-land system.
-
1972CaliforniaExpansionPassed
California Proposition 20 (Coastal Zone Conservation Initiative)
Citizen-initiated ballot measure that created the interim California Coastal Commission and established statewide coastal land-use review. Passed by 55% of California voters after the legislature failed to pass equivalent legislation. Set the foundation for the permanent 1976 California Coastal Act.
-
1972FederalExpansionPassed
Clean Water Act
Established the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into U.S. waters and protecting wetlands through Section 404 dredge-and-fill permits. Provides the principal federal tool protecting waters and wetlands on and adjacent to public lands.
-
1972FederalExpansionPassed
Coastal Zone Management Act
Created a voluntary federal-state partnership to balance development, conservation, and public access in the nation's coastal zone, including federally designated National Estuarine Research Reserves. Funds state coastal-management programs that protect public coastal access and habitat.
-
1972FederalExpansionPassed
Marine Mammal Protection Act
Established a federal moratorium on the taking of marine mammals in U.S. waters, with limited exceptions, and assigned management authority to NOAA Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Underpins protection of marine mammals across federal waters and coastal public lands.
-
1972Supreme CourtReductionDecided
Sierra Club v. Morton
Held that an organization must allege concrete injury to its members, not merely a general interest in environmental conservation, to establish standing to challenge federal land-use decisions. Although the Sierra Club lost on standing grounds in this Mineral King Valley dispute, the decision opened the door to environmental standing once organizations alleged member-specific harms.
-
1973FederalExpansionPassed
Endangered Species Act
Authorized the federal listing and protection of threatened and endangered species and their habitat — including critical-habitat designations on federal land that affect timber, mining, grazing, and infrastructure decisions. Has been credited with preventing the extinction of the bald eagle, peregrine falcon, gray wolf, and grizzly bear among hundreds of others.
-
1973OregonExpansionPassed
Oregon Senate Bill 100 (Statewide Land Use Planning)
Created Oregon's statewide land use planning program and the Land Conservation and Development Commission, requiring every city and county to adopt comprehensive plans consistent with statewide goals. Established urban growth boundaries and protections for farm and forest lands that have shaped Oregon's landscape conservation.
-
1976CaliforniaExpansionPassed
California Coastal Act
Made the Coastal Commission permanent and locked in protections for California's 1,100 miles of coastline. Requires a coastal development permit for most projects in the coastal zone, mandates public access where feasible, and protects environmentally sensitive habitat. The most comprehensive state-level coastal protection regime in the U.S.
-
1976FederalExpansionPassed
Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA)
Established the Bureau of Land Management's modern authority and formally ended large-scale federal land disposal. Shifted federal policy explicitly toward 'retention' of public land and 'multiple-use' management balancing recreation, grazing, mining, and conservation. Often called BLM's 'Organic Act.'
-
1976FederalExpansionPassed
National Forest Management Act
Required the Forest Service to develop integrated land-management plans for each national forest with public participation, and set substantive standards for timber harvest, biodiversity, and watershed protection. Provides the planning framework that governs the 193-million-acre National Forest System.
-
1976Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
Kleppe v. New Mexico
Unanimously upheld the federal government's broad authority over public lands under the Property Clause, ruling that the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was constitutional and that federal law preempted New Mexico's competing claims. Foundational ruling that confirmed Congress's power to regulate uses on federal lands without limit.
-
1977FederalExpansionPassed
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA)
Established federal standards for surface coal mining and required reclamation of mined lands, while creating the Abandoned Mine Land program funded by per-ton fees on coal production. Has funded reclamation of hundreds of thousands of acres of previously mined public and private lands.
-
1978Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Admiralty Island and Misty Fjords National Monuments designation
President Jimmy Carter used the Antiquities Act to proclaim 17 national monuments in Alaska, including Admiralty Island (about 1.0 million acres) and Misty Fjords (about 2.3 million acres) in the Tongass National Forest. The designations protected lands during a stalemate over Alaska conservation legislation that culminated in ANILCA in 1980.
-
1978Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill
Held that the Endangered Species Act required halting the nearly completed Tellico Dam to protect the snail darter, a small fish listed as endangered. Established that the ESA's protective mandate is to be enforced strictly, even when the cost of compliance is substantial.
-
1978Supreme CourtReductionDecided
United States v. New Mexico
Narrowly construed the federal reserved water rights doctrine for national forests, holding that the United States reserved water only for the primary purposes of the Organic Act of 1897 (timber and watershed protection) and not for secondary purposes such as recreation or wildlife. Limited federal claims to unappropriated western water tied to public-lands reservations.
-
1980FederalExpansionPassed
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA)
Designated more than 104 million acres of Alaska — over a quarter of the state — as national parks, wildlife refuges, wild and scenic rivers, or wilderness. Doubled the size of the National Park System and tripled the National Wildlife Refuge System overnight. The largest single conservation expansion in U.S. history.
-
1980Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
Andrus v. Utah
Upheld the Interior Secretary's discretion to deny Utah's selection of valuable federal lands as in-lieu indemnity school-trust selections under the 1891 statute. Confirmed federal control over the disposition of public lands when states seek substitute parcels for lost school sections.
-
1980FederalExpansionPassed
CERCLA / Superfund
Created a federal program to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances, including abandoned mines and industrial sites on public land, and authorized the federal government to recover cleanup costs from responsible parties. Has funded remediation of thousands of contaminated sites.
-
1984FederalExpansionPassed
Wallop-Breaux Amendment to Sport Fish Restoration Act
Expanded the Sport Fish Restoration Trust Fund by dedicating import duties on fishing tackle and a portion of motorboat fuel taxes to sport fish restoration, boating access, and aquatic education. Roughly tripled federal funding available to state fisheries agencies.
-
1984Supreme CourtExpansionOverturned
Chevron U.S.A. v. NRDC
Established the two-step framework requiring courts to defer to reasonable agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes they administer, long the bedrock of federal environmental and public-lands rulemaking. Overruled by Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo in 2024, ending forty years of Chevron deference.
-
1985Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
United States v. Locke
Upheld FLPMA's strict annual filing deadline for unpatented mining claims on federal lands, ruling that miners who missed the December 30 filing date forfeited their claims regardless of the equities. Affirmed Congress's authority to impose recordation requirements on mining claimants.
-
1985FederalExpansionPassed
Food Security Act of 1985 (Conservation Reserve Program origin)
Established the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Swampbuster, and Sodbuster provisions in the federal Farm Bill, paying farmers to retire highly erodible cropland and restore wetlands. Has enrolled tens of millions of acres in long-term conservation cover, providing significant private-land wildlife habitat.
-
1986FederalExpansionPassed
Emergency Wetlands Resources Act
Authorized the use of Land and Water Conservation Fund money to purchase wetlands, increased Duck Stamp prices, and required state wetlands plans. Substantially expanded federal authority and funding to acquire wetland habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System.
-
1987VermontExpansionPassed
Vermont Housing and Conservation Board
Created by Act 88, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board provides funding for both affordable housing and the conservation of agricultural land, forestland, historic properties, and recreational lands. Since its founding, VHCB has helped conserve hundreds of thousands of acres of working and natural lands.
-
1987MaineExpansionPassed
Land for Maine's Future
Established by the Legislature and approved by Maine voters in a $35 million bond referendum, the program funds acquisition of conservation lands, working waterfronts, farmland, and public access. Subsequent bond approvals have expanded the program, conserving more than 600,000 acres of Maine land.
-
1989FederalExpansionPassed
North American Wetlands Conservation Act
Authorized federal matching grants to support wetland conservation projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Has leveraged billions of dollars in partner funding to protect, restore, and enhance more than 30 million acres of wetlands and associated habitat.
-
1989IowaExpansionPassed
Iowa Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) Act
Enacted by the Iowa Legislature to invest in soil and water conservation, public land acquisition, county conservation, roadside vegetation, and historic resources. REAP allocates funding from the state's Environment First Fund and gaming receipts to support conservation projects statewide.
-
1989Supreme CourtReductionDecided
Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council
Held that NEPA imposes procedural rather than substantive obligations, requiring agencies to take a hard look at environmental consequences but not to elevate environmental concerns above other considerations or to adopt mitigation plans. Limited NEPA's leverage over federal land-use approvals.
1990–2009
Modern era
Wilderness expansions (CA Desert Protection, Omnibus PLMA), state conservation programs (FL, MA, MN, CO), the rise of national-monument designations under the Antiquities Act, and the early federal court rulings that began narrowing environmental authority.
-
1990FederalExpansionPassed
Tongass Timber Reform Act
Designated approximately 1 million acres of additional wilderness and Land Use Designation II areas in Alaska's Tongass National Forest, eliminated mandatory timber-supply targets, and reformed long-term timber contracts. Significantly reduced the scale of federal old-growth logging on the largest national forest.
-
1990FloridaExpansionPassed
Florida Preservation 2000
Authorized $3 billion in state bonds over 10 years for conservation-land acquisition. Funded purchase of 1.78 million acres of Florida natural areas for state parks, wildlife management areas, and water-supply protection. The largest state-level conservation investment in U.S. history at the time.
-
1990FederalExpansionPassed
Wetlands Reserve Program (1990 Farm Bill)
Established the Wetlands Reserve Program in the federal Farm Bill, providing easement and restoration payments to landowners for restoring and protecting wetlands on agricultural lands. Has restored more than 2.7 million acres of wetlands across the United States.
-
1992ColoradoExpansionPassed
Colorado Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) Amendment
Voters approved Amendment 8, a constitutional amendment dedicating a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to wildlife, parks, rivers, trails, and open space. GOCO has invested billions of dollars and helped conserve more than one million acres of land in Colorado.
-
1992Supreme CourtReductionDecided
Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife
Tightened Article III standing doctrine, holding that plaintiffs challenging federal agency actions affecting endangered species abroad failed to show concrete, particularized, and imminent injury. Restricted citizen-suit access to courts in environmental and public-lands litigation by demanding more than generalized or speculative harm.
-
1994FederalExpansionPassed
California Desert Protection Act
Designated 7.7 million acres of new wilderness, elevated Death Valley and Joshua Tree from national monuments to national parks, and created the new Mojave National Preserve. The largest desert protection bill in U.S. history.
-
1995Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
Babbitt v. Sweet Home Chapter
Upheld the Interior Department's regulation defining the ESA's prohibition on the take of endangered species to include significant habitat modification that actually kills or injures wildlife. Validated habitat-based protections that affect logging, grazing, and development on and adjacent to federal lands.
-
1996Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument designation
President Bill Clinton designated Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah, protecting approximately 1.7 million acres of canyons, plateaus, and paleontological resources managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The first BLM-managed national monument; prompted significant political opposition in the Western states.
-
1999PennsylvaniaExpansionPassed
Pennsylvania Growing Greener
Signed by Governor Tom Ridge, the Environmental Stewardship and Watershed Protection Act provided dedicated funding for farmland preservation, watershed restoration, abandoned mine reclamation, and state parks. Became the largest single environmental investment in Pennsylvania history at the time.
-
1999FloridaExpansionPassed
Florida Forever Act
Replaced and extended Preservation 2000 with another $3 billion bond program for conservation-land acquisition. Has continued to fund land protection across Florida. Florida's combined Preservation 2000 + Florida Forever programs have protected more than 2.6 million acres.
-
2000Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Giant Sequoia National Monument designation
President Bill Clinton proclaimed Giant Sequoia National Monument in California's Sierra Nevada, protecting approximately 328,000 acres of giant sequoia groves and surrounding forest managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Safeguards 38 named groves of Sequoiadendron giganteum.
-
2000Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument designation
President Bill Clinton designated Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southern Oregon, initially protecting roughly 53,000 acres at the convergence of three mountain ranges noted for biological diversity. Later expanded by President Obama in 2017 to about 113,000 acres.
-
2000Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Hanford Reach, Canyons of the Ancients, Sonoran Desert designations
President Bill Clinton proclaimed multiple BLM-managed national monuments in 2000, including Hanford Reach in Washington (~195,000 acres), Canyons of the Ancients in Colorado (~176,000 acres), and Sonoran Desert in Arizona (~487,000 acres). The designations expanded the National Landscape Conservation System.
-
2000FederalExpansionFailed
Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA)
CARA sought to provide permanent dedicated funding to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and state wildlife programs from offshore oil and gas revenues. Passed the House overwhelmingly but stalled in the Senate, prompting decades of subsequent reauthorization battles.
-
2000MassachusettsExpansionPassed
Massachusetts Community Preservation Act
Authorized municipalities to adopt a property tax surcharge of up to 3%, with state matching funds, to support open space preservation, historic preservation, affordable housing, and recreation. Has funded the protection of tens of thousands of acres of open space across Massachusetts municipalities.
-
2001Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Roadless Area Conservation Rule
The U.S. Forest Service finalized the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, prohibiting most new road construction and timber harvest on approximately 58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless areas across National Forests.
-
2003FederalModifiedPassed
Healthy Forests Restoration Act
Authorized expedited environmental review and contracting procedures for hazardous-fuels reduction and forest-health projects on federal lands at risk of wildfire and insect outbreaks. Streamlined NEPA analysis for qualifying treatments on Forest Service and BLM lands.
-
2004Supreme CourtReductionDecided
Norton v. Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Held that courts may compel agency action under the Administrative Procedure Act only where an agency has failed to take a discrete action it is legally required to take. Sharply limited judicial review of BLM's broad land-management duties under FLPMA, including obligations to protect wilderness study areas from off-road vehicle damage.
-
2005PennsylvaniaExpansionPassed
Pennsylvania Growing Greener II
Authorized a $625 million bond issue approved by voters to continue investments in parks, watersheds, farmland preservation, and environmental cleanup begun under the original Growing Greener program.
-
2005Federal ExecutiveReductionModified
State Petitions Rule replacing the Roadless Rule
The U.S. Forest Service issued the State Petitions Rule, replacing the 2001 Roadless Rule with a process allowing governors to petition for state-specific roadless management. Later set aside by federal courts, restoring the 2001 framework after extended litigation.
-
2006Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument (Papahānaumokuākea)
President George W. Bush proclaimed the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, later renamed Papahānaumokuākea, protecting approximately 140,000 square miles of Pacific Ocean. The largest marine protected area in the world at the time of designation.
-
2006Supreme CourtReductionDecided
Rapanos v. United States
Fragmented decision that narrowed federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction over wetlands and tributaries, with a plurality requiring relatively permanent waters and Justice Kennedy's concurrence requiring a significant nexus to navigable waters. Created two decades of regulatory uncertainty over which waters and wetlands receive federal protection.
-
2007Supreme CourtExpansionDecided
Massachusetts v. EPA
Recognized state standing to challenge EPA inaction on greenhouse gas emissions and held that carbon dioxide is an air pollutant under the Clean Air Act, requiring EPA to determine whether such emissions endanger public health or welfare. Anchored federal regulation that has since shaped public-lands energy policy.
-
2008MinnesotaExpansionPassed
Minnesota Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment
Voters approved a constitutional amendment dedicating a 0.375% sales tax through 2034 to clean water, habitat, parks and trails, and arts and cultural heritage. The Outdoor Heritage and other Legacy funds have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in habitat protection and restoration.
-
2009FederalExpansionPassed
Omnibus Public Land Management Act
Designated more than 2 million acres of new wilderness across nine states, plus 1,000+ miles of wild and scenic rivers and three new national park units. Combined more than 160 individual public-land bills into a single package.
-
2009Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Pacific marine national monuments
President George W. Bush designated three new Pacific marine national monuments: Marianas Trench, Pacific Remote Islands, and Rose Atoll, together protecting roughly 195,000 square miles of ocean. The designations significantly expanded U.S. marine protected areas.
2010–2019
The wave: 2010s
The decade Utah HB 148 launched a coordinated state-level transfer movement, while presidents on both sides of the aisle used the Antiquities Act actively. Federal CRA repeals undid two 2016 environmental rules. The Dingell Act capped the decade with the largest conservation package in years.
-
2012UtahReductionPassed
Utah Transfer of Public Lands Act (HB 148)
Required the federal government to transfer approximately 31.2 million acres of federal public land within Utah to state ownership by December 31, 2014. The state law passed; the federal transfer never occurred. Has been the subject of subsequent litigation and is widely cited as the modern model for state-level transfer attempts.
-
2013IdahoReductionPassed
Idaho HB 268 (Federal Lands Interim Committee)
Created the Federal Lands Interim Committee to study management, control, and disposition of federally controlled lands within Idaho and to evaluate options for transferring federal lands to state control. The committee issued reports recommending further legislative action on transfer.
-
2014FederalExpansionPassed
Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill conservation title)
Consolidated federal farm-bill conservation programs, established the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), and funded EQIP and CRP. Provides the largest single source of federal funding for private-land conservation easements and wildlife habitat.
-
2014ArizonaReductionPassed
Arizona HB 2002 — State land demand resolution
Demanded that the federal government 'extinguish title' to federal land within Arizona by 2017 and transfer ownership to the state. Signed but symbolic. Part of a coordinated effort across Western state legislatures (Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona) following the Utah HB 148 model.
-
2014Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument designation
President Barack Obama proclaimed San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in southern California, protecting approximately 346,000 acres of Angeles National Forest and a portion of the San Bernardino National Forest. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
-
2014UtahReductionPassed
Utah HB 142 Public Lands Litigation Funding
Appropriated funds to support legal analysis and possible litigation to compel the federal government to transfer public lands to the state under Utah's 2012 Transfer of Public Lands Act. Funded a Legislative Commission's outside legal study of transfer claims.
-
2015Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument designation
President Barack Obama designated Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in northern California, protecting approximately 330,000 acres of Inner Coast Range managed jointly by the BLM and U.S. Forest Service. Safeguards a biodiversity hotspot stretching from Lake Berryessa to Snow Mountain.
-
2015Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Basin and Range National Monument designation
President Barack Obama proclaimed Basin and Range National Monument in eastern Nevada, protecting approximately 704,000 acres of remote desert valleys and mountain ranges. The BLM-managed monument preserves rock art, archaeological sites, and intact sagebrush ecosystems.
-
2015FederalReductionModified
Land and Water Conservation Fund Authorization Lapse
The Land and Water Conservation Fund's 50-year authorization expired on September 30, 2015, halting the program's authority before Congress reauthorized it for three years in late 2015. Highlighted the program's vulnerability and prompted the eventual permanent reauthorization in 2019.
-
2015NevadaReductionFailed
Nevada AB 408 Public Lands Bill
Sought to assert state authority over and require transfer of certain federal public lands within Nevada to the state, modeled in part on Utah's transfer legislation. The bill stalled in the Nevada Assembly without passage.
-
2015UtahReductionPassed
Utah HCR 1 Demanding Federal Land Transfer
A concurrent resolution urging the United States to honor what the Legislature characterized as promises to transfer title to public lands to Utah. Reinforced the state's position under the Transfer of Public Lands Act.
-
2015MontanaReductionPassed
Montana HB 496 Federal Land Management Study
Created an interim study to evaluate state management of certain federal lands in Montana and report findings to the Legislature. Part of a wave of Western state efforts to consider taking over federal land management.
-
2016Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Bears Ears National Monument designation
President Barack Obama proclaimed Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah, protecting approximately 1.35 million acres co-managed with a coalition of five tribes. The designation safeguarded extensive cultural and archaeological resources on BLM and Forest Service lands.
-
2016Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Gold Butte National Monument designation
President Barack Obama designated Gold Butte National Monument in southern Nevada, protecting approximately 296,000 acres of BLM-managed desert landscape. Preserves rock art, fossils, and habitat for desert tortoise and bighorn sheep.
-
2016Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument
President Barack Obama proclaimed Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off the coast of New England, protecting approximately 4,913 square miles of Atlantic Ocean. The first marine national monument designated in the U.S. Atlantic.
-
2016IdahoReductionPassed
Idaho HCR 21 Federal Land Transfer Resolution
A concurrent resolution endorsing the conclusions of the Federal Lands Interim Committee and supporting continued efforts to transfer federally controlled public lands within Idaho to state ownership. Lacked the force of statute.
-
2016ColoradoReductionFailed
Colorado SCR 16-007 Federal Lands Resolution
A Senate Concurrent Resolution proposing that Colorado support efforts to transfer certain federal public lands to the state. The measure did not advance through the General Assembly.
-
2016New JerseyExpansionPassed
New Jersey Public Question 2 (Open Space Funding)
Voters approved a constitutional amendment dedicating a larger share of corporate business tax revenue to open space, farmland, and historic preservation. Built on the state's long-running Green Acres tradition.
-
2017FederalReductionPassed
H.J. Res. 38 — Stream Protection Rule repeal
Used the Congressional Review Act to repeal a 2016 federal rule limiting coal-mining waste discharge into streams. The 2016 rule had taken seven years and $50 million to develop. Repeal weakened water quality protections affecting downstream rivers, fish habitat, and drinking water sources.
-
2017FederalReductionPassed
H.J. Res. 44 — BLM Planning 2.0 repeal
Used the Congressional Review Act to repeal a 2016 BLM rule that modernized federal land-use planning. The repealed rule had increased public participation requirements and required BLM to evaluate land-use plans across larger landscapes rather than parcel by parcel.
-
2017FederalReductionWithdrawn
H.R. 621 — Disposal of Excess Federal Lands Act
Would have authorized the sale of approximately 3.3 million acres of federal land across 10 Western states. Introduced January 24, 2017; withdrawn February 1 after public opposition from Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, the National Wildlife Federation, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and grassroots sportsmen's groups.
-
2017FederalReductionWithdrawn
H.R. 622 — Local Enforcement for Local Lands Act
Would have stripped BLM and U.S. Forest Service of law enforcement authority and transferred that authority to county sheriffs. Withdrawn after concerns about enforcement gaps for poaching, illegal off-road driving, archaeological theft, and resource extraction violations.
-
2017Federal ExecutiveReductionModified
Bears Ears National Monument reduction (Proclamation 9681)
Proclamation 9681 reduced Bears Ears National Monument by approximately 85 percent, from about 1.35 million acres to roughly 201,876 acres, and reorganized the remainder into two separate units. Prompted multiple lawsuits over the scope of presidential authority under the Antiquities Act.
-
2017Federal ExecutiveReductionModified
Grand Staircase-Escalante reduction (Proclamation 9682)
Proclamation 9682 reduced Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by roughly half, from about 1.87 million acres to approximately 1.0 million acres, and divided the remainder into three units. The reduction was challenged in federal court alongside the Bears Ears modification.
-
2017WyomingReductionPassed
Wyoming HB 0142 — Federal lands transfer resolution
State resolution endorsing the transfer of federal public land to Wyoming state ownership. Signed but symbolic — like similar resolutions in Utah, Arizona, and Idaho, has no mechanism to compel federal compliance.
-
2017NevadaReductionFailed
Nevada AB 408 (reintroduced)
Reintroduced legislation again sought to assert Nevada control over federal public lands and continued earlier transfer efforts. The bill failed to pass the Legislature.
-
2018FederalExpansionPassed
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Farm Bill)
Reauthorized federal farm-bill conservation programs including CRP (with an enrollment cap raised to 27 million acres), ACEP, and RCPP, and created the Working Lands for Wildlife framework in statute. Continues to be the principal federal funding source for private-land habitat and easement programs.
-
2018GeorgiaExpansionPassed
Georgia Amendment 1 Outdoor Stewardship
Voters approved a constitutional amendment dedicating up to 80% of existing sporting goods sales tax revenue to land conservation, parks, and trails through the Georgia Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund. Passed with strong voter support.
-
2018ConnecticutExpansionPassed
Connecticut Question 2 Public Lands Protection
Voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring a public hearing and supermajority vote of the General Assembly before state-owned conservation, agricultural, or park lands can be sold, transferred, or swapped. Strengthened protection of state public lands.
-
2019FederalExpansionPassed
John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation Act
Designated 1.3 million new acres of wilderness across multiple states, 367 miles of wild and scenic rivers, and four new national monuments. Permanently reauthorized the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Passed with broad bipartisan support — 363-62 in the House, 92-8 in the Senate.
-
2019FederalModifiedPassed
Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Management Act
Amended the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to improve recreational data collection, allow alternative management approaches for recreational fisheries, and study allocation reviews. Recognized recreational angling as a distinct use of federal marine waters.
-
2019New MexicoExpansionPassed
New Mexico Outdoor Equity Fund
Created a state Outdoor Equity Fund and Outdoor Recreation Division to support outdoor access, conservation projects, and equitable access to public lands for New Mexico youth. Signaled growing legislative investment in public-lands recreation infrastructure.
2020–today
Now: 2020 → today
The Great American Outdoors Act delivered permanent LWCF funding and $9B+ for deferred maintenance. Monument designations, reductions, and restorations whiplashed across administrations. Loper Bright, Sackett, and West Virginia v. EPA are reshaping how every public-lands rule is reviewed.
-
2020FederalExpansionPassed
Great American Outdoors Act
Permanently funded the LWCF at $900 million per year and dedicated up to $1.9 billion per year for five years to address deferred maintenance on federal land. The single largest investment in public-land infrastructure in 50+ years. Passed 73-25 in the Senate and 310-107 in the House.
-
2020CaliforniaExpansionPassed
California Proposition 68 Implementation
Building on the 2018 voter-approved Proposition 68, California continued to allocate $4.1 billion in bond funding for parks, water, climate, and coastal protection projects. Implementation grants funded acquisitions and improvements at state, regional, and local public lands.
-
2020VirginiaExpansionPassed
Virginia Land Conservation Foundation Reauthorization
The General Assembly continued and expanded funding for the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, which provides grants for protecting open space, natural areas, historic sites, and farmland. The state also expanded conservation tax credit programs to spur private land protection.
-
2021Federal ExecutiveExpansionRestored
Bears Ears National Monument restoration (Proclamation 10285)
Proclamation 10285 restored Bears Ears National Monument to its original boundaries of approximately 1.36 million acres in southeastern Utah. Reaffirmed co-management with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition.
-
2021Federal ExecutiveExpansionRestored
Grand Staircase-Escalante restoration (Proclamation 10286)
Proclamation 10286 restored Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to approximately 1.87 million acres in southern Utah. Reversed the 2017 reduction and reinstated original protections.
-
2021Federal ExecutiveExpansionRestored
Northeast Canyons protections restored
Proclamation 10287 restored commercial fishing prohibitions in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument that had been removed in 2020. The action covered approximately 4,913 square miles off the New England coast.
-
2021MontanaExpansionPassed
Montana SB 122 (Limit on Federal Land Transfer)
Required additional legislative review and limited the ability of state agencies to spend funds on litigation aimed at transferring federal public lands to the state. Represented a legislative pushback against earlier transfer-study efforts.
-
2022Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument
Proclaimed Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado, protecting approximately 53,804 acres of the White River National Forest. The monument honors the World War II 10th Mountain Division training site and surrounding alpine landscape.
-
2022New YorkExpansionPassed
New York Environmental Bond Act
Voters approved a $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, the largest environmental bond in state history. Funds support land conservation, climate resilience, water quality, and open space acquisition.
-
2022Rhode IslandExpansionPassed
Rhode Island Green Bond Conservation Question
Voters approved a state environmental bond authorizing tens of millions of dollars for open space, farmland, forest, and recreational land protection, as well as climate resilience projects. Continued Rhode Island's tradition of regular voter-approved conservation bonds.
-
2022Supreme CourtReductionDecided
West Virginia v. EPA
Applied the major questions doctrine to invalidate EPA's Clean Power Plan approach of requiring generation shifting across the power sector, holding that Congress had not clearly authorized such broad regulatory restructuring. Constrained agency authority over economically and politically significant environmental questions.
-
2023Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Avi Kwa Ame National Monument
Proclaimed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in southern Nevada, protecting approximately 506,814 acres of BLM-managed Mojave Desert significant to the Yuman-speaking tribes. Connects a corridor of protected lands across the Mojave.
-
2023Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Castner Range National Monument
Proclaimed Castner Range National Monument in El Paso, Texas, protecting approximately 6,672 acres of former Department of Defense training land. Preserves Chihuahuan Desert habitat and archaeological sites adjacent to Fort Bliss.
-
2023Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument
Proclaimed Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona, protecting approximately 917,618 acres of BLM and Forest Service lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. Withdrew the area from new mineral entry, including uranium mining.
-
2023UtahReductionPassed
Utah HB 384 Public Lands Litigation Renewal
Continued state appropriations for legal action seeking transfer of federal public lands to Utah, building on prior funding under HB 142 and supporting the state's eventual U.S. Supreme Court filing. Kept Utah's transfer effort active.
-
2023WyomingReductionFailed
Wyoming HB 0026 Federal Land Management Study
Proposed a renewed study of options to assert state control over federal public lands within Wyoming, following earlier 2017 HB 0142 work. Did not advance through the Legislature.
-
2023Supreme CourtReductionDecided
Sackett v. EPA
Sharply narrowed Clean Water Act jurisdiction over wetlands, holding that the Act covers only wetlands with a continuous surface connection to traditional navigable waters, indistinguishable from those waters. Removed federal protection from a substantial share of wetlands on and adjacent to public lands.
-
2024FederalExpansionPassed
EXPLORE Act
Modernized outdoor recreation policy on federal land — addressing trail maintenance, climbing access in wilderness areas, e-bike rules on public-land trails, broadband at trailheads, and recreation permit reform. Signed into law early 2025.
-
2024Federal ExecutiveExpansionModified
Berryessa Snow Mountain expansion
Expanded Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument by approximately 13,696 acres in northern California to incorporate the Molok Luyuk (Walker Ridge) area. Brought the monument to roughly 343,000 acres total.
-
2024Federal ExecutiveExpansionModified
San Gabriel Mountains expansion
Expanded San Gabriel Mountains National Monument by approximately 105,919 acres of Angeles National Forest in southern California. Brought the monument to roughly 452,000 acres.
-
2024Supreme CourtReductionDecided
Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo
Overruled Chevron v. NRDC and held that courts must exercise independent judgment in deciding whether an agency has acted within its statutory authority, rather than deferring to reasonable agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes. Reshapes judicial review of public-lands, wildlife, and environmental rulemakings by Interior, Agriculture, and EPA.
-
2024UtahReductionFailed
Utah Lawsuit Seeking U.S. Supreme Court Review
The State of Utah filed an original-jurisdiction action at the U.S. Supreme Court asking the Court to compel disposal of unappropriated federal public lands within the state. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case in early 2025.
-
2024MinnesotaExpansionPassed
Minnesota HF 2310 Outdoor Heritage Appropriations
The Legislature appropriated additional Outdoor Heritage Fund money under the Legacy Amendment for habitat acquisition, restoration, and enhancement projects across Minnesota. Supported wildlife management areas, scientific and natural areas, and aquatic management areas.
-
2024CaliforniaExpansionPassed
California Proposition 4 Climate and Conservation Bond
Voters approved a $10 billion bond for climate resilience, including funding for wildfire prevention, water supply, biodiversity, parks, and coastal protection. Significant portions are dedicated to land conservation and habitat protection.
-
2024Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
BLM Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (Public Lands Rule)
BLM finalized a rule placing conservation alongside grazing, mining, and energy as a recognized 'use' on the 245 million federal acres BLM manages. Codified land-health standards across all BLM land, expanded protections for Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, and authorized 'restoration and mitigation leases' allowing conservation-focused uses on BLM land. Effective June 10, 2024.
-
2025Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Chuckwalla National Monument
Proclaimed Chuckwalla National Monument in southern California, protecting approximately 624,270 acres of BLM-managed Colorado Desert south of Joshua Tree National Park. Preserves desert ecosystems, cultural resources, and connectivity for desert wildlife.
-
2025Federal ExecutiveExpansionIssued
Sáttítla Highlands National Monument
Proclaimed Sáttítla Highlands National Monument in northern California, protecting approximately 224,676 acres of Modoc, Klamath, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests. Safeguards volcanic landscape, headwaters, and lands sacred to the Pit River Tribe.
-
2025Federal ExecutiveReductionModified
Roadless Rule rescission proposed
USDA announced in June 2025 its intent to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which had restricted road construction and timber harvest on approximately 58.5 million acres of National Forest System lands. The rulemaking initiated a public process to remove nationwide roadless protections.
-
2025Federal ExecutiveReductionIssued
National monuments boundary review
The Department of the Interior was directed to review national monument designations made under the Antiquities Act for potential boundary modifications. The review targeted recent BLM-managed monuments including Chuckwalla, Sáttítla, Avi Kwa Ame, and Baaj Nwaavjo.
-
2025IdahoReductionPassed
Idaho HJM 5 Federal Lands Memorial
A joint memorial urging Congress to transfer or divest certain federal public lands to state and local control. The memorial expressed legislative intent without binding legal effect.
-
2025MontanaExpansionPassed
Montana HB 379 Public Land Access Protection
Strengthened protections for public access to state and federal lands by tightening rules on landlocked-parcel exchanges and reaffirming legislative oversight of land transfers. Responded to ongoing access disputes in Montana.
-
2025FederalExpansionIntroduced
H.R. 718 — Public Lands in Public Hands Act
Bipartisan bill (Zinke R-MT, Vasquez D-NM) prohibiting the Departments of Interior and Agriculture from transferring federal lands larger than 300 acres if publicly accessible (or 5 acres if accessible by waterway) without explicit congressional approval. Introduced January 23, 2025, currently in committee. Designed as a structural backstop against any future executive-branch land disposal.
-
2025FederalReductionPassed
H.J. Res. 104 — Miles City Field Office RMP repeal (CRA)
Used the Congressional Review Act to repeal the Bureau of Land Management's revised Miles City Field Office Resource Management Plan covering 2.7 million surface acres and 12.4 million subsurface acres across 16 eastern Montana counties. Returned the area to its previous, less protective management framework.
-
2025FederalReductionPassed
H.J. Res. 105 — Central Yukon Field Office RMP repeal (CRA)
Used the Congressional Review Act to repeal the BLM's revised Central Yukon Field Office Resource Management Plan covering 13.3 million acres of BLM-managed land in central Alaska. Reversed conservation-oriented management direction for the largest BLM planning area in the state.
-
2025FederalReductionPassed
H.J. Res. 106 — North Dakota Field Office RMP repeal (CRA)
Used the Congressional Review Act to repeal the BLM's revised North Dakota Field Office Resource Management Plan covering 58,500 surface acres and more than 4 million subsurface acres across North Dakota. Returned planning to the previous framework less restrictive of oil-and-gas development.
-
2025FederalReductionWithdrawn
Public-lands sale provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (Sen. Lee)
Senator Mike Lee added a public-lands sale provision to the Senate budget reconciliation bill (One Big Beautiful Bill Act) that would have mandated the sale of between 2.2 and 3.3 million acres of BLM- and USFS-managed land across 11 Western states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming). After the Senate parliamentarian ruled the original language violated the Byrd Rule, Lee narrowed it to 600,000–1.2 million acres, then withdrew the entire provision on June 28, 2025, citing roughly 115,000 calls and emails from Backcountry Hunters & Anglers members alone.
-
2026FederalExpansionIntroduced
Public Lands Integrity Act (Bennet/Merkley/Wyden/Heinrich)
Senate bill introduced April 30, 2026 by Senators Michael Bennet (CO), Jeff Merkley (OR), Ron Wyden (OR), and Martin Heinrich (NM). Amends the Congressional Budget Act's Byrd Rule to bar the sale of federal public lands through expedited budget-reconciliation procedures. Direct response to the 2025 Mike Lee reconciliation-sale provision.
-
2026Federal ExecutiveReductionIssued
BLM rescission of the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule
BLM finalized the rescission of the 2024 Public Lands Rule, removing the rule's conservation-as-use codification and its mitigation-lease authority across 245 million acres of BLM-managed land. Filed May 11, 2026; published in the Federal Register May 12, 2026; effective 30 days later. BLM stated in the rule that the 2024 rule's restoration-and-mitigation-lease provisions 'exceed[ed] the Bureau's statutory authority.'
What we're doing about it
5% of every order. Built into the price. Paid out quarterly.
You buy the hat. The land gets paid. Partner organizations and dollar amounts publish in our launch report — you'll be able to verify the math.