Public land aficionados can breathe somewhat easier now, as Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, gave up on a bill Saturday that would have required the sale of large tracts of federal land.

His bill was deemed not eligible to be apart of the One Big Beautiful Bill last week, after he had whipped up seemingly everyone around here into a frenzy. Then his revised bill didn't look like it had the support of enough of his fellow senators, causing him to announce he was withdrawing it from the massive budget bill.   

To me, the breadth of people opposed to the bill, and in support of our public lands, was nothing short of awe inspiring. I saw a former county commission candidate encourage people to support a resolution opposed to the bill brought forward by a candidate she lost to last fall.

I’ve seen everyone from Democrats to people who support President Donald Trump and our congressional delegation on just about every issue unite in opposition.

I think it's clear: People in Park County do not agree with any way to make it easier, not to mention mandate, the sale of federal lands.

While I appreciate Lee's desire to change the bill after its initial failure — limiting it to lands within 5 miles of a population center is at least more understandable given how it's supposed to promote affordable housing — it's still a bad precedent to make. There is a process to sell certain federal land tracts, and that's fine, but mandating the sale of public lands on a large scale is just wrong and goes against the principles set down by conservationists over the years including one of our most impactful presidents, Theodore Roosevelt.

It's good to know so many people in Park County appreciate having the vast majority of the county's land be public, because federal lands truly are public lands. And while not selling National Forest Lands is better than including them, BLM lands are also popular with outdoor recreationists. A number of the spots I've hunted deer and birds in the area are on BLM lands (along with the spot I'd love to hunt antelope if I am ever lucky enough in the draw).

While the federal government has made many mistakes over the years, their ownership of so much land has enabled us here in the West, and especially in Park County, a wealth of opportunity to explore and use so much of our wild country.

And is there an affordable housing crisis in this country, felt in our communities? Certainly. Yet there are ways to alleviate that — such as taking advantage of infill opportunities within city limits and limiting regulations for developers — without selling off pieces of what makes Wyoming and the West in general such a great place to live.