What "Hell, No!" looks like on public lands

Jon Hare, Advocacy Director, High Country Conservation Advocates

For the people in Gunnison County who love public lands – especially the folks who

depend on public lands for their passion or income – 2025 should be remembered as an

example of just how fast things can change when a new President is elected.

Almost everything affecting public lands managed by the US Forest Service, Bureau of

Land Management, and National Park Service has been challenged as new leadership

in Washington DC pursues their desire to support industry regardless of the impacts to

the environment, recreation or agriculture.

Specifically, these high-level efforts are attempting to peel back long-standing law,

policy, and regulations, Resource Management Plans, the national Roadless Rule, and

any other space where it’s possible to sacrifice public land for short-term profit. In

addition, this President has significantly messed with Federal employees to the point

where many experienced land managers took early retirement or moved on to other

jobs.

In Gunnison County, it’s a well-known fact that the local economy is geared toward long

term sustainable ranching and recreation on public lands, as well as taking care of vital

headwaters that provide water to millions of people.

In our part of Colorado—taking care of public lands and water; taking care of the people

who work for the Forest Service, BLM, and Park Service; and making sure public land

uses are managed with a long-term perspective is imperative to support our local

businesses and way of life.

In the book, The Town That Said, ‘Hell No!’ author Paul Andersen, tells the story of how

the Crested Butte community worked for 47 years to oppose a large industrial mine just

outside of town.

2025 has provided a clear example of what “Hell, No!” looks like on public lands.

The proposal, in June, to sell off over a million acres of public lands, had all kinds of

people making all kinds of noise about their concerns and demonstrates what it takes to

successfully push back on a bad idea for our public lands.

So, what was it that connected and mobilized people with diverse interests to join

together to oppose selling public lands?

It was most likely the knowledge we all hold, that once you sell something—it’s gone. To

consider losing access or rights to any piece of our public land is not acceptable. When

a map was published that depicted public land that could potentially be sold, we saw

people across the spectrum – hunters and anglers, conservationists, local governments, overland drivers, snowmobilers, and dirt bikers – come together to express full-throated

opposition. As the coalition of people, elected officials, and organizations against a sell-

off grew—the threat to sell public lands was removed from the discussion.

Going into 2026, it will be very important for our local community to continue to have a

dialogue about the public lands that surround us—what we value, what we want to

keep, what needs to change, and how the local community can support the best

possible management for these places.

The local collaboration around public lands in Gunnison County goes way back to the

1970s. The threat of the large industrial mine near Crested Butte, the conservation of

legacy ranching operations, and the progression of the tourist economy has produced a

significant amount of local public engagement around the topic for decades.

From 2014-2024, the Gunnison Public Lands Initiative (GPLI) stakeholders did a lot of

hard work to put together a community-based recommendation for public lands in

Gunnison County. This broad group of public lands users working with our elected

officials assembled the foundation for the Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection

(GORP) Act. The proposed GORP Act would future-proof our public lands from the

biggest threats while protecting existing uses and honoring valid rights. This bi-partisan

act needs our support if it is to succeed in Congress.

Locally, we need to continue the collaborations surrounding our public lands that lead to

a unified local voice. The GPLI, the Sustainable Tourism and Outdoor Recreation

Committee, Gunnison Sage-Grouse Strategic Committee, Upper Gunnison Shared

Stewardship Council, and other venues that bring together local public lands users are

worthy of our energy and give us the best chance to take on the issues, find common

ground, and take care of these places for the long term.

Despite being unable to prevent overcrowding thus far, this area has already created

quite a few solutions on topics like threatened and endangered species, mineral

extraction, planning for wildfire, and protecting from drought. It will be our collective

approach and working together that keeps this place awesome for the long term.