Diablo Mountain Wilderness Study Area by Alice Weston
By Amanda Short
Sierra Club Oregon Legislative Committee Member & Volunteer
as published in The Bend Bulletin
It was in my early 30s that I discovered my love of the outdoors. Being in nature and watching the magic of untouched spaces unfold grounded me and gave me a deep desire to protect the natural world around us. Now as a Bend mom watching my children dig in the dirt, chase lizards, and shout with joy when an eagle soars overhead, my urge to keep the natural world natural has never been stronger.
Our public lands are one of the things that make this country and our state truly special. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees roughly 25 percent of Oregon’s land, a staggering 16 million acres, much of it right here in central and eastern Oregon. From the rugged lands around Prineville to the diverse terrain surrounding Burns, we are blessed by places that deserve to stay open for everyone to explore, not to be carved up for mining, drilling, or industrial projects.
Badlands near Millican Valley outside of Brothers, OR by Alice Weston
Last year, the BLM made an important change with what is known as the Public Lands Rule. After decades of putting extraction first, this rule recognized that conservation, including the protection of wildlife habitat, cultural resources, and access to nature, should be valued just as highly as mining or drilling. It affirmed that our public lands should serve the public good, not just private profit.
Now that progress is under threat. The Trump administration has begun the process of repealing the Public Lands Rule, barely a year after it was adopted with broad public support. If successful, this rollback would once again put corporate interests ahead of communities, giving polluters and developers freer rein to damage landscapes that belong to all of us.
This is part of a larger pattern, an effort to weaken environmental safeguards, slash funding, and open the door to privatizing public land. We have seen similar attempts in Congress to sell off or transfer public lands to private hands. Thankfully, people across the political spectrum have pushed back, recognizing that once these lands are gone, they are gone for good.
Undoing the Public Lands Rule does not just harm the environment, it also hurts local economies. Outdoor recreation on public lands generates hundreds of billions of dollars each year, supporting millions of jobs nationwide. Here in the West, small businesses, guides, outfitters, hunters, anglers, and countless others rely on healthy, accessible landscapes. Repealing the rule risks all of that in favor of short-term industrial gain.
And make no mistake, the public has spoken. When the government asked for feedback on the rule, 92 percent of respondents supported it. It was supported by tribes, scientists, elected officials, hunters, anglers and business owners—people from every corner of the country who understand the value of protecting what we all share.
Public lands are part of America’s identity. They are where we hike, fish, camp, and find peace. They connect us to something bigger than ourselves. As Oregonians, we know these lands are worth protecting. Let’s make sure they remain open, wild, and accessible for everyone, today and for generations to come.