Alaska's Federal Public Lands Transfer Shows How Feds Will Sell Your Off-Road and Hunting Areas

A recent Public Lands Order transferred over a million acres of public lands in Alaska along the famed Dalton Highway shows how the federal government will begin to chip away and sell off our public lands.

Photo by: EagleRider

By: Jonathon Klein

May 18, at 7:01am ET

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The Trump Administration's Department of the Interior (DOI) is, once again, doing its level best to parcel out and sell off our public lands. And this latest attack is one that shows how the DOI and the Administration will attack, piece by piece, the lands that make this country great, the lands that you and I use to off-road, hunt, fish, camp, and otherwise recreate, and sell it off to the highest bidder without public input or acknowledging that we all don't want this.

Up in Alaska, along the Dalton Highway—the mostly gravel road that can be seen in a number of motorcycling documentaries, as well as being one of the spots I desperately want to ride myself—the Department of the Interior used a Public Land Order (PLO) to remove the federal protections on the land that stradles the highway. If you're unfamiliar with the Dalton and its surrounding ecosystem, it's home to caribou, migratory birds, and some seriously pristine wilderness the likes that you just don't get outside of Alaska.

If you've ever watched any video of riders or hunters going up toward Prudhoe Bay, they're using the Dalton. Our friend Itchy Boots did the trek a spell ago.

But all that was federally protected from being developed, whether that's development through mining, business, or housing. Mostly from mining, however, as that part is rich in minerals and other materials, which is why the Trump Administration and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum also recently pushed the Ambler Road Mining Project across the finish line just down the road in Alaska, and for the benefit of a Canadian billionaire and China, as that's where the minerals will be sent. I digress.

Those protections, however, are now gone, and they've already started parceling out our public lands, as the DOI announced that it had transferred 1.4-million acres of public land to the state of Alaska. And that, folks, is now the winning playbook for the transfer and ultimate sell-off of our lands without public input, opinion, or worry about opposition.

According to the DOI's press release announcing the land transfer to Alaska, "Today, the Department of the Interior announced a major Alaska statehood land transfer to convey approximately 1.4 million acres of land along the Dalton Utility Corridor to the State of Alaska. With conveyance of these lands north of the Yukon River, the Bureau of Land Management has fulfilled more than 96% of the state’s entitlement under the Alaska Statehood Act, expanding Alaska’s opportunities for resource development, strengthening local economies, and enhancing the state’s control of its own economic destiny."

This, however, is a horseshit deal for the public, while also being worse for the surrounding environment, as well as our public lands in general.

First and foremost, federal-to-state transfers of public lands have been the end goal for many in the sell-off camp for ages. My senator, public lands enemy number one, and man voted most likely to be a henchman in high school, Mike Lee, has been pushing for the feds to transfer ownership of public lands to the states for decades now. His latest salvo was a lawsuit brought before the Supreme Court, suing the federal government over 18.5-million acres that he wanted to control and sell off to his buddies and donors. He lost after spending nearly $14 million of our taxpayer dollars, and created a taxpayer-funded ad campaign using folks like Blue Ribbon Coalition to help push the idea as a good thing.

But it's the result of a legal mechanism that forces states to sell off its state controlled land or rather, get the most return for its investment. It's a legal obligation, though, which makes it easier to just sell, and it's the reason why state public land is so limited compared to federal public lands. Moreover, once it's gone, it ain't ever coming back. So while at present the area around the Dalton, which doesn't allow for off-roading per se—I'd argue the Dalton is off-roading, as it's basically a fireroad for much of its span—this type of federal transfer could spell the doom for the areas within the rest of the country that do have off-road trails built for riders, drivers, hunters, and everyone else.

Why, because the message here is clear, and one that Secretary Burgum spells out in the press release. This isn't for recreationists. It's for developers and extraction.

"This decisive action puts Alaska at the forefront of American Energy Dominance," said Secretary Burgum, adding, "President Trump is delivering on his commitment to unleash Alaska’s vast resources—advancing the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas project, the Ambler Road, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline—to strengthen our economy, bolster national security, and drive down costs for American families."

You can't get much clearer than that.

Yet, this comes on the heels of a report saying that the recreational industry, one borne from the use of public lands, returns a whopping $1.3 trillion in revenue each and every year, with that number increasing in recent years thanks to Covid-era outdoor hobbies and activities surging in popularity. I mean, for every dollar spent just on the National Parks system, it returns $10. And that's also true for the rest of our public lands.

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But now that this transfer has been pushed through, now that the state has control over these lands, expect more attacks and transfers to occur. And if you don't think your favorite off-road holler will be affected, that your hunting grounds won't be touched, and that this is purely an Alaskan issue, think back to the "Big, Beautiful Bill" land sales fight. Think of the acreage they wanted to get sell off. Think of all that land that you and I and the entire outdoor community protected, as it was our hunting grounds, it was our off-roading spots, it was our public lands. Because that's what they're going to come for.

Please, don't let your foot up off the gas pedal on your congressional representatives. I know it may seem frustrating and difficult as they continue to ignore public comment and opinion. But don't let them get away with this. Keep fighting, keep calling, keep voicing your opinion, and maybe we'll be able to stop this before it's too late for your favorite spot.