READER OPINION: There’s strong support for keeping public lands in public hands

Idaho Statesman, July 12, 2026

Public opinion in Idaho strongly opposes the sale of public lands a sentiment shared across both Democratic and Republican parties. Senate Joint Memorial 111, prepared in 2026, urges Congress to keep national public lands in public hands. It tells lawmakers to oppose selling or transferring these lands. The Memorial expresses the state’s staunch support for keeping public lands within Idaho under public ownership, emphasizing their importance to the state’s identity, economy and way of life. It highlights how these lands provide unique landscapes, opportunities for hunting and fishing protected by the Idaho Constitution, and space for exercising Second Amendment rights.

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