Keep It Public: The Land Sale That Puts Our Water at Risk
Already fired up? Good. The best thing you can do right now is call your senators and respectfully tell them why this matters. Call them today.
Don’t know who they are? Look them up here.
Want to understand what’s really going on? Keep reading.
At onWater, we build tools that make it easier for people to access the water but we know maps alone aren’t enough.
Public access to fish, paddle, and recreate depends on something deeper: the promise that public lands and waters stay in public hands.
That promise is now under an IMMEDIATE threat.
Three million acres is hard to picture, until you realize it’s nearly the size of Connecticut. Now imagine Connecticut lifted off the map, chopped into parcels, and listed on a government auction site.
These aren’t abandoned industrial sites or fringe scrublands. They’re prime slices of our shared natural infrastructure. These are the natural filters, buffers, and cooling systems that protect our rivers and lakes. They are also wild meadows, high elevation forests, critical tributaries, and essential access corridors.
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This is land that frames some of the most iconic rivers and recreation destinations in the country.
Lose the land, and we risk losing the forest canopy that cools streams, the access trails that lead to headwater creeks, and the very ground that filters the water before it ever hits a riverbed.
Hectares
of lakes at risk
Miles
of rivers at risk
Rivers
at risk
That’s the big picture. Zoom in, and you’ll find river and lake access points that have served the public for generations. Maybe it’s the pullout you’ve used for years. Maybe it’s the shady bend your kid caught their first fish at. Now imagine a FOR SALE sign standing between you and the water.
Your Waterways Will Be Affected. Even If You Don’t Know It Yet.
The true danger of this proposal is how quietly it moves. There is no map that says “your favorite trail will be sold.” No meeting that announces “this ramp you launch from every June is gone.”
But analysis of the affected parcels shows how close to home this really is.
These lands are not isolated. They are part of the recreation corridors that connect the West.
And even if a sale does not cut off a trail or access point directly, the water that flows through these parcels keeps moving. It continues downstream into the rivers, reservoirs, and communities we all rely on. Anything that happens upstream, whether it is roadbuilding, clearcutting, drilling, or grazing, ends up in the places we fish, paddle, and drink from.
washington
37,538 hectares (lakes) affected
10,677 miles of river affected
1,707 rivers in danger
Oregon
94,380 hectares (lakes) affected
30,506 miles of river affected
3,876 rivers in danger
California
262,162 hectares (lakes) affected
24,261 miles of river affected
2,859 rivers in danger
IDAHO
148,581 hectares (lakes) affected
31,930 miles of river affected
3,891 rivers in danger
Nevada
118,341 hectares (lakes) affected
16,989 miles of river affected
1,420 rivers in danger
Arizona
28,131 hectares (lakes) affected
12,728 miles of river affected
1,060 rivers in danger
New mexico
7,612 hectares (lakes) affected
9,862 miles of river affected
877 rivers in danger
Utah
479,323 hectares (lakes) affected
13,505 miles of river affected
1,310 rivers in danger
Colorado
29,923 hectares (lakes) affected
25,201 miles of river affected
2,754 rivers in danger
wyoming
55,150 hectares (lakes) affected
27,602 miles of river affected
2,222 rivers in danger
Where onWater Stands
At onWater, we didn’t build apps to show people where to fish and paddle. We built a platform to help people understand, access, and protect the waters that define their lives.
Our commitment to Fishing and Paddling Access for All is not a tagline. It’s a principle built into every layer of our platform. Whether you’re dropping a pin on a remote walk-in stretch of the Gunnison, scouting legal put-ins on the Yakima, or checking streamflows before floating the Madison, you’re engaging with tools that depend on one critical truth: those places remain public.
We’ve mapped hundreds of thousands of boat ramps, trailheads, easements, and stream gauges, and many of them are directly tied to parcels now marked for potential sale. These aren’t abstract points of interest. They’re generational touchstones. They’re where a dad taught his daughter to cast. Where friends paddle until sundown. Where a family finds solace in cold, clear water after a hard year.
We do not accept the idea that conservation and recreation are negotiable.
We do not believe that public access should be sacrificed for private speculation.
And we do not take lightly the erosion of trust that comes when public assets are traded away without transparency or accountability.
This is why onWater is speaking out. Not because it’s political. But because it’s personal.
Our business depends on these places. But more importantly, our community’s joy, safety, and legacy depend on them too. So we’re doing what we ask our users to do every day, stand up for access, for clean water, and for the right to explore the wild.
We will continue to build tools that serve this mission. But no tool is powerful enough to replace lost land and water. No map is detailed enough to recreate a place once it’s gone.
How You Can Help (In 60 Seconds or Less)
This fight is winnable. A similar land sell off provision in the House was defeated earlier this year because people raised their voices. We can do it again. Here’s how:
Step 1: Contact Your Senators
Call them and email them daily. Fill their lines with VOTE NO. If you're not sure what to say, here you go:
My name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City, State]. I’m calling to strongly oppose Senator Mike Lee’s proposal to sell off any amount of public land.
These lands are not disposable. They provide critical public access for fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation. What happens on these landscapes directly affects the rivers, lakes, and reservoirs we depend on for clean drinking water and water recreation.
This proposal puts those resources at risk for the sake of short-term profit, with no clear plan or legal process to ensure they would be used for public good. I urge you to oppose this legislation and protect public lands and waters for future generations.
Step 2: Tell Everyone
Most Americans are unaware of the actual mass of the land grab. Share maps on social media. Text them to your family. Tell random strangers on the street. This affects us all.
