The following column was submitted by Hannah Berman, senior sustainability and philanthropy manager at Aspen Skiing Company, and Brody Leven, a professional skier and Protect Our Winters athlete.
Sure, we think a lot about snow, water, and the future of our planet — but like you, we’re also trying to support our families and build a stable future. One of us climbs and skis steep mountains in remote ranges; the other works to protect mountain ecosystems for a ski resort.
On paper, we come from different corners of the outdoor world. But we share something essential: our public lands — and the livelihoods they support.
These lands aren’t just playgrounds for outdoor enthusiasts. They’re the backbone of local economies across the country. They power small businesses, tourism, gear shops, restaurants, guide services, and resorts. They create jobs, drive revenue, and keep communities thriving. And right now, millions of acres of those lands are under threat.
We’re Brody Leven, professional skier and Protect Our Winters athlete, and Hannah Berman, senior sustainability and philanthropy manager at Aspen One. We’re raising our voices together because public lands aren’t a luxury or a backdrop. They’re the lifeblood of everything we do.
From high alpine couloirs to aspen groves, these lands give us purpose, community, and a living. If we don’t speak up now, they could be sold off for good. And while we can protect them a million times, we can only lose them once.
Buried in the current federal budget reconciliation process is a dangerous provision that would force the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to sell off up to 0.75% of public lands across 11 Western states. That’s more than 120 million acres in total. In Utah alone, nearly 2 million acres could be lost to private development — nearly 10 times the size of Utah’s beloved San Rafael Swell.
That’s an area larger than Rhode Island.
‘The Foundation of Our Livelihood’
All mountain communities rely on National Forest lands, which are quite literally the foundation of our livelihoods and quality of life. From supporting local businesses and creating jobs to enhancing mental well‑being and preserving our mountain culture, these lands are the backbone of it all.
And they’re already being hit hard. Shrinking snow seasons, intensifying drought, and longer wildfire seasons are changing the landscapes we love and rely on. Smoke from record-breaking fires now blankets Utah and Colorado for weeks at a time.
At Aspen One, winters are a month shorter than those of the 1980s due to climate change. We don’t need to imagine what losing these lands might feel like; we’re already living through the early signs.
Americans across the country and the political spectrum oppose selling public lands, including 85% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans. Even among folks concerned about the federal deficit and housing, 71% reject selling public lands to reduce the deficit, and 82% of Western voters prefer addressing housing needs within our communities.
That’s why it’s so alarming to see some lawmakers, including Senator Mike Lee of Utah, pushing to give away the very public lands that offer both climate resilience and economic opportunity. Selling them off during a budget backroom deal is not leadership; it’s blatant negligence that sets an eerie precedent for future budget shortfalls.
We know Congress needs to act boldly on climate. To do so, we cannot lose the lands that keep our communities, ecosystems, and mountain economies alive. This proposal must be kept out of reconciliation.
We’re calling on all Senators: Protect public lands. Protect our future. And to everyone reading this: we all have a role to play. Whether you ski, hike, hunt, fish, run rivers, or simply value clean air and wild places, now is the time to speak up.
Here’s how:
- Call Sen. Mike Lee and tell him to remove any public land sale provision from the budget bill.
- Talk about this with your community at the trailhead, around the dinner table.
- Support Protect Our Winters and other groups working to defend public lands and pass strong, climate-forward policies.
Because once these lands are gone, we don’t get them back.
Read the full article here