Land and Liberty: What’s Really Behind These Federal Land Bills

by Sean M. Pond

There’s a pattern forming in Western Colorado, and it should concern anyone who believes in local control, open access to public land, and the freedom to live, work, and build a life in rural America.

It starts quietly, usually with a bill that claims to “protect” land. They’ll call it conservation. They’ll say it safeguards wildlife, supports recreation, or honors local heritage. But what these bills actually do is expand federal control, limit access, and take decision making out of the hands of local communities.

And the person leading that effort right now isn’t a Democrat. It’s Republican Congressman Jeff Hurd.

Let me walk you through what’s really happening.

The Dolores River National Conservation Area has been floating around for years. It was originally introduced by Rep. Lauren Boebert to balance protections for motorized access, grazing rights, and water rights, while cutting out more extreme environmental restrictions. That version stalled in committee.

But after Jeff Hurd won Colorado’s Third District, everything changed. Jeff Hurd pulled that bill out of committee, giving Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper the opportunity to reintroduce it in the Senate with fewer protections. It’s now moving again, covering roughly 70 miles of the Dolores River corridor across Dolores, Montezuma, and San Miguel counties. It withdraws the area from public domain open to mining and mineral leasing, and sets up a federal management regime that could lead to locked gates, restricted grazing, and bans on future oil and gas activity.

Then came the GORP Act, the Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Actz which Jeff Hurd also co sponsored. This sweeping legislation affects over 730,000 acres across Gunnison, Hinsdale, Saguache, Ouray, Delta, and Pitkin counties. Among other things, it transfers 18,529 acres of Pinecrest Ranch, owned by the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe from fee status into federal trust for the tribe. That means it’s no longer public domain and, critically, the county will lose property tax revenue on that land. GORP creates nine Special Management Areas, eight Wildlife Conservation Areas, a Research Area, blocks new oil and gas leases on more than 70,000 acres, and restricts access on another 49,000. It also layers in critical mineral and mining restrictions in direct opposition to President Trump’s Energy First agenda.

These designations don’t just limit energy, they also choke off grazing, timber harvesting, motorized recreation, critical mineral extraction, and other traditional multi use access that rural communities depend on: hunting, fishing, ranching, mining, off road use, and more.

Supporters of GORP say it “balances use,” but that “balance” means only foot traffic, camping in limited areas, and strict federal oversight. For those of us who live, work, and recreate here, who ranch, ride, hunt, mine, and harvest, this is a seismic shift in who controls our land. And Jeff Hurd is the one carrying it forward.

Now Hurd has introduced another bill, H.R. 2316, the Wetlands Conservation and Access Improvement Act, touted as “bipartisan” only because he’s partnering with Democrats. It doesn’t create new regulations on the surface. What it does is extend federal authority over wetland and habitat projects all the way through 2033, using Pittman/Robertson funds without any new Congressional oversight.

They’ll say this bill is about preserving and protecting wild land and waterfowl habitat. And it is. It can be. But it comes with strings attached.

The problem is, every time the federal government says “conservation,” they’re taking land from you. They call it habitat, but it’s really about control, permanent easements, water restrictions, limits on grazing and development. Local ranchers, sportsmen, and counties lose their voice once that land is tied up in federal programs and long term contracts with outside groups.

Anytime we can keep the federal government out of our land, we’re winning. And anytime we let them in under the name of conservation, we’re giving up freedom we won’t get back.

We’ve been fighting Senator Michael Bennet and Senator John Hickenlooper for years. Their alliance with environmental activist groups is no secret. But now they’ve got a new partner. Jeff Hurd.

Jeff Hurd pulled the Dolores River NCA bill out of committee. Jeff Hurd co sponsored the GORP Act. Jeff Hurd is now working with Democrats to pass a wetlands bill that locks in federal land, mining, and water control through 2033. He didn’t inherit this. He’s pushing it. And no matter how he spins it, that’s not leadership, it’s surrender.

He’s not just compromising. He’s negotiating with your land and your liberty.

When you add up the Dolores River NCA, the GORP Act, and the Wetlands bill, you see the bigger threat: hundreds of thousands of acres encased in federal control. Grazing shutdowns. Mining bans. Energy blocks. Road closures. Travel limits. And water rights tapped deeper into federal oversight.

I’m an avid hunter, I love open land and open spaces, and I believe the people who live here, the ranchers, the sportsmen, the families who’ve called this region home for generations are the best stewards of the land. We don’t need Washington instructing us on how to manage the land we already protect ourselves with hard work and respect.

Land and liberty are inseparable. That isn’t just a slogan, it’s truth. When you can’t access your land, use your land, or work your land without asking for permission, that land isn’t just off limits, it’s lost. And once they take control, they’ll never hand it back.

This is moving fast, and most folks don’t see it coming. I will fight with everything I have to keep our land free and our communities empowered, especially when even critical mineral and mining projects get locked away in the process.

Because when the land changes hands, liberty dies right along with it. And I’m not letting that happen on my watch.

And one last thing:

The very first time I met Jeff Hurd, he wasn’t in office yet. It was at the Naturita Gymnasium, during the very first HALT the Dolores Monument meeting. That’s where I met him, alongside several other candidates stepping forward for the first time. He introduced himself, shook my hand, and told me he was running for Congress in Colorado’s Third District.

I looked him in the eye and told him, “I wish you luck, but if you win, I want you to know I’ll always hold you accountable on public lands.”

So, Jeff, if you’re reading this, sir, I’m not your enemy. I’m just fulfilling my promise. I told you I’d hold you accountable. I did then. I am now. And I always will. You’ve got my number. Call me if you want to talk. But I’m not going to sit silent.