Friends of the Inyo Action Alert: Defend the Public Lands Rule Today
Our Public Lands are at Risk AGAIN – Act Before November 10th!
What’s Happening?
The systematic assault on America’s public lands just keeps coming! The latest attempt to privatize our public lands comes in the form of rescinding the Public Lands Rule.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has proposed rescinding the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (Public Lands Rule), a landmark policy finalized in 2024 that gave conservation equal footing with other uses on 245 million acres of public lands nationwide. Conservation has always been an essential part of the BLM’s mandate. The Public Lands Rule just clarified that conservation, access to nature, protection of cultural resources, wildlife habitat, and action on climate change are just as much of a consideration as drilling, mining, and other industrial uses in the “multiple use and sustained yield” mandate.
This rollback threatens protections for wildlife habitat, clean water, recreation, and cultural landscapes, values that define life in the Eastern Sierra and beyond.
If the Public Lands Rule is rescinded, the BLM will lose important tools that:
– Protect intact landscapes that support mule deer, pronghorn, sage-grouse, bighorn sheep, and countless other species.
– Safeguard water resources by maintaining healthy watersheds that feed the Owens River, Mono Lake, and desert springs.
– Address climate threats like wildfire, invasive species, and prolonged drought before they cause irreversible damage.
– Designate and protect Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs), places valued for cultural resources, wildlife, or unique natural features.
– Support inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge in decision-making on all aspects of public land use and management.
What’s at Stake in the Eastern Sierra?
Here in the Eastern Sierra, nearly half of the land is managed by the BLM. These landscapes are central to our way of life:
– They provide world-class recreation, from climbing in the Buttermilks to hiking in the Southern Inyo Mountains.
– They hold sacred cultural sites for Indigenous communities.
– They support local economies by drawing visitors who come to hike, climb, fish, camp, and explore the Eastern Sierra.
– They serve as critical wildlife corridors, connecting habitats across the Sierra Nevada, Great Basin, and Mojave Desert.
– Without the Public Lands Rule, these lands could be opened more widely to extraction and development, putting our clean air, water, and open spaces at risk.
What Can I Do?
The BLM is accepting public comments until November 10, 2025. Your voice is needed now more than ever.
When you comment, we encourage you to:
- Share your personal connection to public lands in the Eastern Sierra.
- Emphasize that conservation is a valid, essential use of public lands under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA).
- Highlight the importance of proactive management in the face of climate change and ongoing land health challenge.
What else can I do?
Donate to Friends of the Inyo
Please donate to help ensure Friends of the Inyo can continue to push back on attacks against public lands and the environment.
Volunteer with Friends of the Inyo
Give back to the land and help support public land managers in this difficult time. Sign up for our Volunteer email newsletter to be notified of volunteer opportunities.
Together, we can ensure that the Eastern Sierra and public lands across the West remain resilient, healthy, and accessible for generations to come.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
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