Little more than a year after celebrating a major step forward for the conservation of our public lands, we’re now faced with its likely repeal. On Sept. 11, the administration began the process of repealing the Public Lands Rule, a science-based, bipartisan and publicly popular policy designed to safeguard the health and the public’s access to 245 million acres of public lands —much of it across the American West. These lands are central to the economy, culture and climate resilience of Western states, including California.
Without this rule, the federal government will go back to prioritizing extraction and privatization of our public lands. The federal government opened a 60-day comment period that ends on Nov. 10, and Humboldt County voices must be heard.
In California, the public’s land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management aren’t just scenery — they’re wildlife corridors, water sources, and local economic engines. California’s public lands produce billions of dollars in economic activity annually through outdoor recreation — estimated to generate $54 billion per year. In California, BLM manages 15 percent of the Golden State’s land mass, or 15 million acres, giving us an outsized responsibility to speak up for the conservation of these lands and the Public Lands Rule.
The Public Lands Rule was built through input from a broad bipartisan array of stakeholders, Tribal Nations and community members — with 92 percent of public comments supporting it. It recognizes what Californians already know: that conservation, clean water, access to nature and healthy ecosystems are as essential to our lives as oil and gas and mining development.
Repealing this rule puts our public lands, and the local economies that depend on access to them, at risk not just for the short term, but for the foreseeable future. It strips away the guardrails that prevent backroom deals with timber and mining companies.
For example, in November of 2024, BLM approved the Northwest California Integrated Resource Management Plan (NCIP) for public lands managed by the BLM Arcata Field Office. The plan was a collaborative effort and reflects the input of communities, local governments, Tribes and other partners.
The plan’s foundational implementation was rooted in the Public Lands Rule which, if rescinded, will shift priorities away from restoration and stewardship, including the climate resilience strategies that are vital components to managing the forested and coastal landscapes that make the region unique. Our forests overseen by BLM on the North Coast store carbon, provide refuge for wildlife under climate stress and protect watersheds essential for agriculture and communities.
The Public Lands Rule gives local BLM staff the authority to restore degraded landscapes, protect biodiversity and manage lands in a way that builds resilience to climate impacts. Repealing it would be a step backward just when the country needs bold, forward-looking land management and climate action.
This repeal is part of a broader pattern. Just days before targeting the Public Lands Rule, the government quietly issued an order making it harder for BLM to acquire land for conservation and public access. The NCIP included detailed prioritization and guidance on acquiring parcels that will help weave the fabric of landscape-level conservation in our region.
These potential acquisitions are now under threat. Bit by bit and cut by cut, the vision for bipartisan conservation progress that will help restore our watersheds and bring much needed jobs to our area is unraveling.
The Public Lands Rule reflects the will of the people, and our voices are needed again for the public record to show that we support putting conservation and the public’s access on equal footing with other uses of our public land. During the 60-day comment period, I urge you to speak out in support of the Public Lands Rule and fight for one of the many things that make this county so special.
Justin Crellin is the executive director of Friends of the Lost Coast.
This article appears in Klamath River Ecosystem Booming One Year After Dam Removal.
