The following guest commentary was submitted by Routt County Commissioner Sonja Macys.

As a Routt County Commissioner, I know this fire season presents a dangerous situation. A second straight year of below average snowfall and above average temperatures puts us on course for a dangerous fire season. 

In Routt County, regional wildfire prevention groups and state leaders are trying to address this challenge and do all we can to prevent and prepare for wildfire- not to mention recovery from last year’s harm. But the Trump administration is moving in the opposite direction.

In early April, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) announced it was closing 57 of its 77 research stations across the country, including those that study fire behavior, forecast smoke dispersal and help inform evacuation decisions. New reports show that the Trump Administration cut 19% of USFS positions in Colorado in 2025. Many of those were the ‘red carded’ Forest Service staff that are qualified to serve on firefighting efforts. This news comes as fire season fast approaches, when we need more research capacity and wildfire support staff, not less, to manage this threat.

But the research station and staff cuts are part of a larger pattern. Over the past year, our public lands have faced threats on multiple fronts, and the fight to protect them has required real, persistent effort from people in Congress who are willing to push back.

Last year, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah pushed two separate proposals to sell off public lands. The first proposed selling more than 3 million acres to help pay for tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The second called for the elimination of language prohibiting the sale of public lands in the Interior Department appropriations bill.

Fortunately, both efforts were defeated. I am grateful that Senator Hickenlooper holds a critical Senate Committee assignment on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He and other members of the Colorado delegation led the way (with support from Routt County residents) and were successful in their efforts to block this terrible policy. We should be proud that Senators Hickenlooper and Bennet have been at the front line of this fight.

Persistence matters. These fights don’t end with one vote. And the efforts by the Trump administration to weaken federal support for public lands has shown no signs of slowing. Most recently, it’s come in the form of giving former U.S. Congressman Steve Pearce the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as well as a proposed rule to rescind the Public Lands Rule, which gives BLM a framework for restoring degraded lands and protecting ecosystems.

Once again, Senators Hickenlooper and Bennet were on the front lines fighting back with Hickenlooper being one of the first Senators to announce his opposition to the Pearce nomination. He should be commended for his leadership on that. In addition to all their work to defend our public lands they are also working to secure permanent protection for key public lands in our region by passing the CORE Act and, right here in Routt County, introducing the Sarvis Creek Wilderness Completion Act. As a County Commissioner, I pay close attention to what happens in D.C., because decisions made there have a direct effect on the forests, wilderness areas, and watersheds that define life here.

What I’ve seen over the past year is that public lands are under pressure more now than ever before in my lifetime. The people pushing to sell them off and roll back protections are serious, organized, and patient. Lucky for Colorado, we have determined champions in Senators Hickenlooper and Bennet standing with us, fighting back and defending our public lands.