The Great Sell-Off of Our Public Lands and Resources


Punching Ourselves in the Face

In medieval times, village people enjoyed puppet shows featuring the irascible Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy. A colorful well-lit stage was set up in the town square and the entire show could be performed by one puppeteer with Punch on one hand and a succession of characters on the other. A partner in front of the stage often served as narrator and collected money. 

But oftentimes there were other partners in the shadows. While Punch was loudly holding forth and carrying out slapstick, nondescript people would creep about, stealing goods out of the bags of the distracted audience.  Today, Punch is still in the limelight, bulldozing historic buildings, openly fighting with colleagues, shutting down the government and grounding planes, while in the shadows our forests, parks and public lands are being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Here are just a few examples of the pillaging. 

It's Happening Now

Most of the damage the administration wants to do to our precious resources will be stopped by the courts, people think. It's something that will happen on down the road, in the distant future, we surmise. Plenty of time to undo the damage before it's irreversible. I'm sorry to have to inform the gentle reader that this is simply not true. About 8,000 acres of public land (including a Superfund site and landfill) near the Aurora Reservoir east of Denver is being readied for up to 150 pads for oil wells by the Civitas oil and gas giant as we speak. These acres were auctioned off just two months ago. More auctions will be held in December and in March of 2026. Residents of Aurora are hopping with anger, as the reservoir is the source of their drinking water. Drilling is happening, roads are being plowed through forests, surveying is going on, trees are being felled. The time to object is months ago. But we were, and continue to be, distracted by the high jinks in Washington, laughing and jeering at the silly buffoonery.

La Jara Basin Now Out of State Control

An expansive land south of the Rio Grande National Forest and west of the San Luis Valley has belonged to the state of Colorado for 150 years. But now it is in the hands of the federal government. The pristine wilderness area, spanning 46,000 acres, is split between the National Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, with only a small area near the La Jara Reservoir reserved for wildlife and parks. Why would the state allow this land to fall into the possession of agencies that are actively involved in leasing or selling off millions of acres of public lands for mining, logging, oil and gas development, grazing and construction? Apparently, officials in charge of the sale don't expect any negative outcomes. They say that local USFS and BLM managers promise there is no risk of the land being sold to commercial developers. Yes, and the East Wing of the White House won't ever be touched.  Read more about the land sale here. 

Authority Over Colorado River Ceded to Feds

In October of 2024, we wrote about a new survey that detailed exactly where the Colorado River water goes. Read about it in "Colorado River Basin Water Use Explained" in this blog.  Contrary to what most people think, the majority of the water is used in agriculture and the vast majority of the agriculture use is to raise hay, alfalfa and other livestock feed. The rest is divided up among seven states and Mexico to satisfy the thirst of 40 million people as well as forests, plants, wildlife and lawns. 

One would think that the affected states would place shepherding the water of the basin as their highest priority, working together to ensure that the Colorado River is used in a way that best benefits all. But one would be wrong.  Resource managers and planners have been working for years to update policies on water use and have come up empty-handed. Makes you want to ask, "What are we doing here?" 

So, having tried and failed, the fate of the Colorado River and its thirsty users is turned over to...the Feds! That's right, the same people who are bent on selling off millions of acres of public lands to developers now have control of divvying up the dwindling supply of life-giving water. But there's no need for people, city-dwellers especially, to worry, experts say, because "you can't fallow cities." The hidden message is that agriculture and wild places will be put on water diets, so that people can have all the water they want. 

But, wait a minute. Is it really true that "you can't fallow cities"? Since the Trump administration has tried to punish cities like Los Angeles in illegal ways, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to withhold water from them also. The Colorado River struggles to keep Lakes Mead and Powell stocked well enough to stay functional. And the river rarely reaches the sea anymore in Baja California. This is a crisis that was preventable if only the states could have worked together. Now, we have to wait and see how thirsty the future is,  be satisfied with the small portions we get, and pray for rain.  

Photo of Punch by Guy Higgins 
Colorado River near Moab by Lee Recca


 

 

 

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