Everyone loves our public lands and national parks, but the Trump administration has:

All so Trump can sell off our public lands to his Big Polluter donors.

Throughout the year, activists nationwide have turned out to defend our public lands against these attacks. LCV and the Conservation Voters Movement brought together lawmakers and communities in this effort  across the country. We hiked, flew kites, made art and more, all to say: Stop the sell-off!

Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing public lands attacks, how we’ve pushed back, and how you can join us as we keep up the fight in the new year.

1. The Trump Administration is firing people who protect public lands

This year, Trump and his allies in Congress have made extreme staff and budget cuts at the National Park Service and beyond. Fewer staff and resources make our parks and public lands less safe, less clean, and less accessible for the millions of people who visit each year.

For example, Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park alone sees 4.5 million visitors every year. Statewide, Colorado’s outdoor recreation industry is worth $17.2 billion. Coloradans understand how important public lands are – for the economy, for the climate, and to protect Indigenous traditions. That’s why Coloradans overwhelmingly believe that public lands belong in public hands.

This summer, LCV kicked off an event series in Colorado, co-hosting a hike in Boulder with Conservation Colorado. Community members, advocates, local legislators, and advisors to Colorado Governor Jared Polis joined to hike through the Flatirons––one of Boulder’s most iconic and popular landscapes.

Against the backdrop of the mountains, attendees traded stories of their outdoor adventures and their love for public lands. Assistant Minority Leader Joe Neguse, the top Democrat on the House’s public lands subcommittee, spoke on the ways our public lands are under attack, and attendees were defiant in their determination to fight for these places.

Coloradans came together to protect the public lands that are a cornerstone of the state’s identity, economy, and way of life.

2. The Trump administration is slashing state and local conservation support

The Trump administration is slashing support for important state and local conservation programs. For example, they have gutted the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The fund helps states and towns establish new public lands and conservation projects. As a result, locals and tourists will have fewer protected areas to enjoy and fewer outdoor recreation opportunities.

With over 900 projects supported by the fund, Maine is one of many states that will be worse off because of these cuts. For our second stop in our event series, LCV and Maine Conservation Voters hosted an event to celebrate the state’s treasured parks. We brought together over a hundred people in South Portland’s Bug Light Park, a popular spot for picnicking, boating and fishing on the coastline of Maine’s largest city. The park preserves the rich history of its over 150-year-old lighthouse and its role as a WWII-era shipyard.

At the event, two dozen flags representing Maine’s iconic landscapes brightened the cloudy sky alongside colorful kites crafted by attendees. Local community members, state legislators, and members of Congresswoman Chellie Pingree’s staff gathered to learn more about public lands across the nation, and signed a petition to support Maine’s public lands programs.

3. The Trump administration is attacking basic environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act

The Trump Administration is weakening basic environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act. This has put hundreds of threatened and endangered wildlife species at risk.

These species are critical to the health of our ecosystems. For example, Michigan’s threatened eastern fox snake controls rodent populations. That in turn helps to maintain ecological balance, which means cleaner water and cleaner air for all of us.

In Michigan, LCV and Michigan League of Conservation Voters joined Representative Debbie Dingell in the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. Known for its waterfront parks, coastal wetland habitats, and excellent birding, the Refuge is an example of urban conservation and the value of public lands in all parts of the country. As LCV staff walked and talked with Representative Dingell along the water, she noted that the wildlife refuge is the last undeveloped land on the Detroit River.

For many Michiganders, the refuge is the only access they have to the outdoors. Across the country, the Trump administration’s attacks on public lands are taking away many people’s last accessible outdoor spaces.

4. The Trump administration is opening our national forests to corporate polluters

The Trump administration is opening our national forests to corporate polluters for more logging, and the damaging roads and construction that come with it. Not only will this reduce access to recreation, it will also increase the risk of wildfires – endangering local communities.

Oregon is home to over 15 million acres of national forests. It also has a history of large, destructive wildfires.  Unfortunately, the Trump administration is more interested in selling off land to loggers than protecting Oregonians.

To discuss these growing threats, LCV and Oregon LCV joined Representative Maxine Dexter for a press conference at the Timberline Lodge. The press conference kicked off the Congresswoman’s week-long trek around Mt. Hood to talk about the importance of protecting public lands. Against the backdrop of Oregon’s tallest peak and one of its most popular for skiing, hiking, and climbing, Representative Dexter reminded us that we all must continue pushing back against the ongoing public lands sell off.

Her speech echoed the themes of the event’s art display by local Indigenous artists Steph Littlebird and Melissa Salazar. Their art explored the importance of protecting Indigenous and community access to public lands in the face of the threat of privatizing them.

5. The Trump administration is gutting protections for national monuments

Trump and his allies in Congress are weakening protections for national monuments, and in some places, rolling them back entirely. For example, Trump recently removed protections for the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii.

Other national monuments around the country are also on the chopping block. Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument, Arizona’s newest monument, is one example. Despite the monument’s incredible landscapes, wildlife, and geological features, the Trump administration wants to open it up to drilling and mining.

In Arizona, LCV staff joined Chispa Arizona as they hosted their annual community camping trip in Grand Canyon National Park, near Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument. Over the course of several days, community members gathered under tents painted by Phoenix-based artists Jessie Yazzie and Cora Quiroz to represent Madre Tierra (Mother Earth). In between group hikes, shared campfires, and communal meals, they discussed the sacred value of our public lands, and what can be done locally and nationally to fight back.

Join us to protect public lands

Despite broad, bipartisan support for public lands, the Trump administration and their allies in Congress continue to attack them from all sides. But hope is not lost. This year, our event series brought together hundreds of people excited about public lands across the country. Our events showed that if we stick together, we can still win.

As we head into 2026, join us in the ongoing fighting for our public lands! Take 5 minutes today to:

• Send a message to tell Congress: Stop the sell off and keep public lands in public hands!
• Stay up to date on the latest threats to public lands with our tracker.