Proposed public land sale includes beloved Lake Tahoe sites
Map provided by Wilderness Society that details South Shore Lake Tahoe properties possibly for sale.” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.carsonnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot-304-1.png.webp?fit=300%2C170&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/www.carsonnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Screenshot-304-1.png.webp?fit=780%2C441&ssl=1″ />
Over 250 million acres of public lands could be eligible for sale if the President’s budget reconciliation package, something he has called the “big, beautiful bill,” is passed.
A map and analysis were created by The Wilderness Society using source data from BLM, USFS, USGS, NPS, and SENR reconciliation bill text (Senate Energy and Natural Resources) as of June 16, 2025. See the interactive map of all Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) public lands that are part of the bill.
The map includes Kiva Beach, much of Fallen Leaf Lake, Tallac Historic Site, and even ski resorts who lease land from USFS, including Alpine Meadows, Heavenly Valley, as well as other treasured acreage through the Sierra and beyond.
On Tuesday, Congresswoman Dina Titus of Nevada was part of a panel discussion with the Sierra Club Toiyabe Division, Great Basin Water Network, Intertribal Council of Nevada, and Nevada Outdoor Business Coalition.
The House of Representatives version of the bill had public land sales to fund tax cuts removed after public outcry, but it is back in the Senate version. Of the 250 million acres that could be sold to private parties, 33.5 million acres are in Nevada. 10.1 million acres in California.
The mandates of the bill call for the sale of .5 -.75 percent of each BLM and USFS land across 11 western states, or about 3.3 million acres. It opens up 250 million acres for “developers to pick from,” to get to the 3.3 million acres, according to Oliva Tanager of the Sierra Club. The bill fast-tracks the land sales at a fast pace.
According to the Sierra Club and Dina Titus’s office, the maps and budget bill are changing almost daily.
Nevada has the largest percentage of BLM/USFS land in the country, with Alaska having the most acreage.
Selling off of private lands in the West would harm endangered species, increase fire risk, and cause impacts to water, air, and the environment, along with stress on infrastructure, according to the panel.
“We are seeing public lands being attacked from several different directions,” said Titus. She said, “President Trump has proposed deep, deep cuts to what he calls excessive designations under the Antiquities Act of 1906.” She said he wants to roll back national monuments for mineral and oil extractions and development, and sell off public lands.”
“Keep the pressure on and don’t give up,” said Titus, referring to the public being able to communicate with their congress members and other methods of involvement.
A large amount of the land in question is within Congressman Kevin Kiley’s district, which includes North and South Lake Tahoe, as well as Death Valley and the Sierra Nevada. He made comments on the floor of the House three weeks ago with the last version of the bill, saying Congress needs to leave public land management to local governments, stating communities must be willing partners in any plans and decisions on land in their jurisdiction.
“Policies need to benefit the people we represent,” said Kiley. “Oppose any plan that would supersede the will of our local communities.”
Many of small businesses that exist around public lands could be impacted by sales, said Mandi Elliot of the Nevada Outdoor Business Coalition. Less public land to use, less need for services.
“It is not just conservation, it is a profitable industry that is being threatened. People love spending time outdoors.”
Kiley said over 500,000 Californians’ jobs are centered around public lands and recreation.
It is unknown how the bill would affect master plans and zoning. The panel suggested local governments start asking that of their congressional leaders.
The bill’s process for selling off lands would proceed at a breakneck speed, requiring the nomination of tracts within 30 days, followed by every 60 days until the mandatory multi-million-acre goal is met, all without hearings, debate, or opportunities for public input.
Out of the loop would be sovereign Tribal Nations with the bill. It fails to give sovereign Tribal Nations the right of first refusal to bid on lands, even for areas that are a part of their traditional homelands or contain sacred sites.
The BLM has been able to sell some southern Nevada land through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA), and funds derived from land sales is split between the State of Nevada General Education Fund (5 percent), the Southern Nevada Water Authority (10 percent), and a special account available to the Secretary of the Interior for: Lake Tahoe Restoration Projects. Environmentally Sensitive Land Acquisitions, Capital Improvements, Conservation Initiatives, Parks, Trails, and Natural Areas, Multi-Species Habitat Conservation Plan. Eastern Nevada Landscape Restoration Project, Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Wildfire Prevention. If the budget in Washington passes, SNPLMA fund would go away.
The issue is popular; people generally don’t want their public lands sold off. There is a grassroots effort to voice opinions to their government representatives.
Show up at local levels, like city councils and boards of supervisors/commissioners, call their Senators through the Sierra Club at 855-980-5638, and send photos/videos of recreating on public lands through June 25 with the message, “Public land is NOT for sale” to Olivia Tanager at olivia.tanager@sierraclub.org. They will create a compilation and send it to Washington to show how unpopular the proposal in the Senate is.
Learn more about the bill and find the data here.
The below maps show USFS property in green, BML land in gold. They represent the large list of lands that could be available for sale should the budget bill pass in the Senate.
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