Resolution Requesting Legislation for the Protection and Management of Public Lands within the State of Idaho

WHEREAS, the State of Idaho retains lawful jurisdictional control over all lands within its borders unless jurisdiction is formally ceded to the United States through the Enclave Clause process (U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 17), and therefore Idaho maintains the constitutional authority to legislate for the protection of vested rights, multiple use, and the prioritization of county land use plans;

WHEREAS, the county land use plans serve as the established best management practices within each county as contemplated by Congress in requiring federal agencies to cooperate with local governments to guard against outcomes adverse to the security of the state and the overall interests of its citizens;

WHEREAS, the State of Idaho has never ceded such jurisdiction wholesale, and therefore it is constitutionally sound for the Legislature to enact laws governing land use, vested rights, public access, multiple use, public lands, and coordination with county land use plans within Idaho’s borders;

WHEREAS, Idahoans depend on access to land and resources for their livelihoods, including grazing, timber, mining, recreation, and water use;

WHEREAS, from the earliest Organic Acts governing forest reserves, Congress directed that lands be managed to secure timber supply, mineral extraction, and water flows for the people, and subsequent acts — including the Stock Raising Homestead Act of 1916 and the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 — recognized split-estate rights such as forage, water, mineral claims, access, and improvements as vested property interests and not mere federal privileges, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) expressly preserved those rights in its §701 savings clauses, confirming that no pre-existing property rights or valid uses were altered or extinguished unless Congress specifically repealed them;

WHEREAS, the management of land and resources has always been inseparable from state security and, by extension, national security, since a people who cannot feed themselves, supply their own lumber, or develop their own energy and critical minerals are left dependent on outside powers, and thus it is the duty of the State of Idaho to ensure that land policy supports food security, resource independence, economic stability, and the defense of its citizens and communities;

WHEREAS, “public lands” make up nearly two-thirds of Idaho, vast portions of each county, and most of these lands are legally designated as split estate,

WHEREAS, Idahoans are forced into a defensive posture as federal priorities swing between industrial projects such as massive wind farms or conservation lockups when one party is in power and a fire sale for development when the other is;

WHEREAS, federal mismanagement and shifting bureaucratic rules have led to catastrophic wildfires, economic harm to counties, and the erosion of beneficial use as the guiding principle of land stewardship;

WHEREAS, federal agencies have closed or restricted hundreds of thousands of miles of roads across national forest and BLM lands, systematically curtailing motorized public access, isolating communities from the very lands that sustain them, and undermining the state’s ability to ensure balanced multiple use, while also creating severe hazards by restricting local fire response access and contributing to catastrophic wildfires;

WHEREAS, the outdoor recreation and tourism economy is a cornerstone of both Blaine County and Idaho as a whole, contributing over $3.7 billion annually to the state economy, supporting approximately 37,000 jobs, and serving as the primary economic driver for many rural counties—making reliable and expansive public access to natural lands not just a quality-of-life issue, but an economic necessity;

WHEREAS, county governments and sheriffs retain jurisdiction and must be empowered to enforce county land use plans, safeguard access, and ensure that local economies are not sacrificed to unilateral Executive policies;

WHEREAS, repeated efforts by western states, including Utah, to challenge federal land ownership in the courts have been rejected, making it clear that litigation will not resolve these issues, and confirming that the true path forward lies in state legislation — for it is through lawmaking, not lawsuits, that Idaho can exercise its jurisdiction, protect vested rights, and secure the interests of its citizens;

WHEREAS, the State and its counties — as the representative bodies closest to the people directly affected — must reclaim their duty to manage through legislation for stability;

WHEREAS, Idahoans deserve solutions that address these problems directly without unintentionally weakening Idaho’s position by prioritizing one aspect of historical land management over others.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Blaine County Republican Central Committee calls upon the Idaho Legislature to exercise its retained jurisdiction and enact statutory law to:

1. Affirm and protect vested split-estate rights — including forage, water, access, and improvements — as property interests of Idaho citizens, not federal privileges;
2. Codify multiple use as the governing principle of Idaho land management, balancing economic viability, resource development, recreation, and conservation, without allowing broad conservation mandates to override productive use;
3. Require full coordination with county land use plans and recognize county governments and sheriffs as the primary enforcers of access and management decisions, establishing county land use plans as the operative best management practices;
4. Prioritize wildfire mitigation through active management, grazing, and timber harvest consistent with beneficial use and local needs; and
5. Safeguard public access to Idaho lands as an economic necessity and cultural cornerstone, while protecting vested property rights against erosion or redefinition by shifting federal policies.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Blaine County Republican Central Committee affirms statutory reform as the proper and constitutional vehicle for addressing these challenges, recognizing that litigation has failed to restore state control, and that it is through legislation that Idaho can secure its jurisdiction, protect its people, and ensure the security and prosperity of future generations.

Approved by the Blaine County Republican Central Committee on October 8, 2025.