South Tufa for sale? Proposed public lands sell-off threatens Mono Basin, Eastern Sierra, and the West
South Tufa, the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area, Lundy Canyon, Lee Vining Canyon, Tioga Pass, and many treasured Eastern Sierra locations will be eligible for public land disposal and sale if the United States Senate’s version of the budget reconciliation bill is voted into law.
Huge swaths of the scenic Mono Basin, which is largely public land, will be eligible for sale if that happens. We urge you to take immediate action to call Mono Lake’s Congressional Representative Kevin Kiley and tell him to keep the public lands sell-off out of the budget bill.
The current proposal advanced by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) mandates that up to 3.25 million acres of public lands be sold. This means that the equivalent of 4+ Yosemite National Parks in total acreage will be taken out of public ownership, including a buffet of public lands throughout the Eastern Sierra. The proposal outlines that there will be no public process in determining which lands are disposed of, or to whom. Most of the West (except for federal lands in Montana, which were specifically excluded) is available for sale consideration in this massive public lands disposal.
The current map of USFS and BLM lands eligible for sale includes South Tufa and large sections of the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area that surrounds Mono Lake, Lundy Canyon, Saddlebag Lake, portions of Tioga Lake, Tioga Pass, Walker Lake, much of the June Lake Loop, the Bodie Hills—the list goes on. You can see a map of currently proposed federal lands for sale here.
If signed into law the sell-off process would begin within 30 days. While “housing” is an identified criteria for the bidding process, there is no strict definition of what that means and for whom. In addition, Tribal interests are not identified in the first right of refusal in the bidding process.
An earlier public lands disposal effort that focused on Nevada and Utah was stripped out of the House of Representatives version of the budget bill, but the current Senate proposal is far worse for public lands and opens a door into a backroom disposal process that takes the public out of public lands. Once this process begins, it could become a convenient gateway for the federal government to return to the land disposal process again and again until millions of more acres of public land are taken away and disposed of forever.
To help protect your favorite places in the Mono Basin and Eastern Sierra, please call Mono Lake’s Congressional Representative Kevin Kiley to voice your opposition to this short-sighted disposal of our public lands legacy. Make your call today —Senate Republicans are aiming to pass their version of the budget bill by the July Fourth holiday.
Take action
Call Mono Lake’s Congressional Representative Kevin Kiley
- Washington DC Office: (202) 225-2523
- Rocklin, CA Office: (916) 724-2574
- Toll Free: 1 (888) 406-3855
When you call
Make your comment person–what motivated you to speak up on behalf of these places today?
Use specific talking points in your message such as:
- I am asking you to reject any proposal that sells public lands as part of the budget package. I am specifically concerned about the public land in the Mono Lake Basin and the Eastern Sierra. Given the large amounts of public land in your district and its value to the local economy and environment this provision must be stripped from the final package.
- The bill in the Senate shockingly offers up Congressionally protected areas for sale notably the nation’s first Scenic Area designated in the Mono Basin, and the neighboring Scenic Area in the Alabama Hills. Mono Lake is visited by hundreds of thousands of people, key to the local recreation economy, and an ecological resource of international significance. Mono Basin lands must remain under public ownership.
- The public lands in District 3 are especially valuable, and selling off this land is irreversible. I value public land for all—for fellow Californians, Americans, and the visitors from around the globe who visit these areas specifically for access to these public lands, and who support the local tourism-based economy, livelihoods, and communities.
- The bill’s provisions would gut protections for and access to public lands, weaken environmental safeguards that protect the air and water we all share, and threaten the local economy, without clear provisions for local input.
- These provisions will not make a substantial change in the government’s budget. I am asking you to oppose these provisions and instead work for a balanced, transparent approach that keeps public lands public, protects community input, and preserves these valued places for future generations.
- This is a direct attack on District 3; I am asking you to push back hard against any Senate attempts to sell off the public lands that belong to all of us.
Call checklist
- State your name, email address, and phone number (these elements are essential for your comment to be tallied)
- State your personal connection to Mono Lake
- Ask Representative Kiley to keep the public lands sell-off out of the budget bill for the specific reasons of your choice
- If you are a resident in California’s 3rd congressional district, be sure to mention that and state your street address.
- If you are not a constituent, explain how you spend time and your personal resources in order to visit these public lands.
Additional resources and letter-writing efforts:
- Friends of the Inyo – Help Us Tell Congress to Keep Public Lands in Public Hands AGAIN!
- The Wilderness Socity – Tell your senators to kill the current reconciliation bill
- Outdoor Alliance – Tell Congress: Don’t Sell Off or Gut Protections for Public Lands
- Sierra Nevada Alliance – Contact your Representative to Protect Our Public Lands
Photos courtesy of John Dittli, Forrest Galt, and Robb Hirsch.