Are Our Cycling Routes and Public Lands in Danger?

By Neil Beltchenko

Associate Editor & YouTube Host

112 Posts

Are our cycling routes and public lands in danger? Last Wednesday morning, Neil woke up to some troubling news that hit close to home. In our latest video, he explores the issue and sits down with his local county commissioner to unpack the challenges facing public lands under the new administration with staffing cuts and the recently introduced Productive Public Lands Act. Watch it and learn what you can do here…

Are our cycling routes and public lands at risk? One morning last week, I woke up to a piece of news that hit close to home and spent a couple of hours worrying about it. Jeff Hurd, the GOP representative in my voting district—Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District—introduced the Productive Public Lands Act. And while the name of this piece of legislation may sound beneficial, in reality, it proposes to strip away environmental protections, responsible land stewardship, and efforts to balance land use with ecological and cultural resources. In exchange? Increased energy production and reduced public land accessibility.

As soon as I heard about it, I called Congressman Hurd’s office right away. This wasn’t my first time—more like my 15th. Let’s just say we don’t see eye to eye. I’ve been vocal about my frustration with his party’s strong-arm tactics in these first few months of the new administration. But on this particular call, for the first time, someone on his staff actually answered.

Still fired up after the call, I reached out to my friend Jonathan Houck, a Gunnison county commissioner, to get his take. I had a lot of questions, and it seemed like a good idea to put a camera in front of us, and that’s exactly what the video below is all about.

The number one way to slow the progress of a bill like the Productive Public Lands Act is to reach out to your representatives by calling or emailing them. You can find your representative here or here. Jonathan mentioned to also check in with your local trail organizations to see how you can help.

Other Threats to Public Lands (RIF)

Public lands are facing a crisis due to significant workforce reductions. A recent study by Outdoor Alliance showed that over the past month, an estimated 10 to 30 percent of staff at the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), National Park Service (NPS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have been laid off, which, as Jonathan stated in the interview above, is making it increasingly difficult for these agencies to maintain public lands and ensure safe, accessible outdoor experiences.

While public pressure has helped restore some positions, agencies are now being required to submit Reduction in Force (RIF) and reorganization plans, signaling even deeper cuts ahead. With staffing already depleted due to deferred resignations, the situation is worsening. These reductions will result in fewer maintained trails, more campground closures, and diminished recreation opportunities, impacting millions of visitors and outdoor industry jobs. Even more alarming, layoffs include emergency response teams and wildfire mitigation specialists—critical roles that help keep public lands and the people who enjoy them safe.

As cited by Outdoor Alliance, Paul Hendricks, executive director of The Conservation Alliance, added, “Our public lands are the backbone for our nation’s $1.2 trillion economy. They provide enormous benefits to businesses, employees, and communities across the country. The ongoing reduction of front line stewards to properly manage these resources will have devastating effects on nature and economies alike.”

Without sufficient staffing and resources, the quality of outdoor experiences, health of public lands, and outdoor recreation economy will all be at risk. And to make things worse, if 2025 is anything like last year, which set a record with over 331 million visits to national parks, things could get rough. It’s also a good indicator of folks using national forest land for recreation. Imagine, national forest campgrounds won’t be properly managed, toilets won’t be clean or might just be closed, trees won’t be cleared from trails and roads—the list goes on. With staffing already stretched thin and more cuts on the horizon, the our parks and forests are in for a real struggle this year. And, as Jonathan hinted, this could be a crash course for public lands on the whole—the result of which very well could be widespread land sell-offs, a catastrophic demise for many of our beloved bikepacking routes.

To help address this issue, Outdoor Alliance has created a quick-action form that allows the public to send personalized letters to their lawmakers. By reaching out to your members of Congress, you can urge them to take immediate action to protect the workforce responsible for keeping America’s public lands safe, accessible, and well-maintained.

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info…