Public Lands Defense
California’s public lands are essential to the health and identity of our state, providing wildlife habitat, clean water, outdoor recreation, and climate resilience, while sustaining the Eastern Sierra’s economy. But ongoing federal budget cuts, staffing shortages, and policy roll-backs threaten these landscapes and the communities that depend on them.
The Trump administration and a number of Republican leaders have escalated efforts that directly undermine protections for public lands:
- The administration moved to rescind the Roadless Rule, which had protected some 59 million acres of National Forest land from road-building and logging.
- A wide-ranging plan was proposed by Republican lawmakers to sell off millions of acres (2.2–3.3 million acres) of federally-owned public lands in Western states in a bid to raise revenue.
- The administration launched a regulatory review to repeal the Public Lands Rule, which had sought to integrate conservation, recreation, and ecological values alongside extractive uses on BLM lands.
- A campaign to open vast protected areas to logging, drilling, and mining, including efforts to weaken or eliminate monument status for large public-land areas in California and Alaska.
- Hiring freezes, staffing cuts, and chronic underfunding have left federal public lands understaffed and under-resourced, undermining management, conservation, and enforcement efforts critical to protecting these lands.
California’s public lands are essential to the health and identity of our state, providing wildlife habitat, clean water, outdoor recreation, and climate resilience, while sustaining the Eastern Sierra’s economy. But ongoing federal budget cuts, staffing shortages, and policy roll-backs threaten these landscapes and the communities that depend on them.
When federal agencies are underfunded or understaffed, trail maintenance, fire prevention, and habitat restoration efforts stall. When policies that safeguard wilderness and roadless areas are weakened, our shared natural heritage is placed at risk. Without vigilant public engagement and consistent advocacy, these lands, and the voices of those who cherish them, could be overlooked in the decisions that shape their future.
Friends of the Inyo is building a stronger, more connected movement for public lands defense. Our strategy combines legislative engagement, public education, and grassroots mobilization to ensure that decision-makers and communities alike understand what’s at stake.
- Leading the Coalition: As an active leader in the California Public Lands Defense group, FOI helps guide strategy, coordinates campaigns, and ensures Eastern Sierra perspectives are represented at the state level.
- Working with Lawmakers: FOI meets directly with elected officials, including Representatives Kevin Kiley, to advocate for well-funded land-management agencies, responsible policies, and on-the-ground solutions.
- Engaging the Public: Through action alerts, educational events, postcard drives, and social media outreach, FOI is activating a growing network of constituents who speak up for public lands, reaching over a million people.
- Building Partnerships: By collaborating with organizations such as the Conservation Lands Foundation, Friends of Amargosa Basin, and Sierra Nevada Alliance, FOI amplifies regional efforts and shares resources to strengthen collective impact.
By educating elected officials, empowering communities, and uniting partners statewide, we help protect the ecological, economic, and cultural value of California’s public lands, now and for generations to come. Together, these efforts are fostering a broad, informed, and active constituency for public-lands protection, one capable of holding decision-makers accountable and defending the Eastern Sierra’s wild and beautiful landscapes from future threats.
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