Yesterday, the language to dispose of certain federal lands across 11 western states was committed to be removed from the Senate budget reconciliation bill, delivering a big win for sportsmen and women across the nation. Since the proposal was first made public, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) has been working tirelessly to keep public lands in public hands and defend access for sportsmen and women.

“Yesterday’s announcement that public land sales are off the table in the Senate budget reconciliation bill is a significant win for sportsmen and women and our unique system of public lands that belong to all U.S. citizens,” said Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation President and CEO Jeff Crane. “CSF is proud to work in the Nation’s Capital on behalf of hunters, anglers, trappers, and recreational shooters to ensure the future of these important traditions.”

CSF remains committed to working through the existing processes in place such as the Federal Land Policy Management Act and the Federal Lands Transaction Facilitation Act to address challenges facing local communities while ensuring sportsmen’s access is not lost in the process. Throughout this process, CSF has made it clear that we are not anti-sale or disposal of public lands in principle, if the lands in consideration do not impact sportsmen’s access or wildlife habitat, and the lands have been identified through a thoughtful, measured, and deliberate manner that includes public input through the existing processes. CSF’s concerns were rooted in the fact that reconciliation was not the vehicle for any sale or disposal.

CSF thanks Chairman Lee for his commitment to remove the land disposal language from the reconciliation bill to ensure that sportsmen’s access was not lost in this process. While this announcement is an important victory, CSF will continue its fight for sportsmen and women in Washington, D.C. and across the country in all 50 states.