The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is looking to open access on public lands for more recreation opportunities.
Last year, President Trump signed the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act. A part of the act requires the BLM to publish a priority list of land access issues that will be addressed.
Joel Webster, the senior director of western programs at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said the BLM is asking the public to tell them which landlocked public lands should be a priority to open up.
"They're able to now through this public process to get on the BLM website, to their ePlanning website and actually help the BLM identify which of these parcels they should be prioritizing for future acquisition projects," said Webster.
A study by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership identified more than three million acres of landlocked public lands. Webster said this is a great opportunity for the public to voice their opinions on which parcel should be a priority.
"So, hopefully the agency can see them [public land] as a high priority for working cooperatively with landowners and other folks to make these lands accessible to the public," he said.
The public can submit suggestions until the end of this month. The agency will have a list of priority lands by the beginning of March.
Have a question about this story? Contact the reporter, Kamila Kudelska, at kkudelsk@uwyo.edu.