‘Our National Parks and Lands Are Being Readied to Be Sold Off’

By Janessa Goldbeck / Op-Ed San Diego U-T / March 13, 2025

I served nearly 7 years in the U.S. Marine Corps as a combat engineer officer, leading teams in challenging environments and ensuring operational success. My job required me to anticipate threats, protect our forces and secure critical infrastructure. Now, I see a different kind of threat — one that strikes at the heart of our national identity — a direct assault on our national parks, monuments and public lands.

The federal government is laying the groundwork to sell off America’s public lands — places that belong to all of us. This isn’t speculation; it’s happening in plain sight.

First, thousands of public land managers — including veterans — have been abruptly fired. These federal employees maintained national parks, monuments and public lands. They made reservations possible, kept trails open, cleaned restrooms and provided emergency services. They managed forests, fought wildfires, and ensured Americans could hunt and fish in these protected areas.

After these layoffs, Yosemite National Park halted reservations for hundreds of campsites. The park’s only locksmith lost his job. Devils Postpile National Monument fired its only emergency medical technician ranger. At the Grand Canyon, visitors faced hours-long waits. These aren’t remote, little-known spots — millions of Americans visit our national parks and monuments every year. The impact is immediate and undeniable.

Why does this matter? Because gutting these agencies sets the stage for a sell-off. With fewer staff, public lands will become harder to manage. The federal government will then use that manufactured dysfunction as an excuse to unload these lands to the highest bidder. They will claim they are “solving” a crisis they deliberately created.

Second, the Department of the Interior is conducting a secretive review aimed at shutting down recreational access to public lands in favor of oil and gas extraction. In February, Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum issued a series of secretarial orders. Buried in them was a directive ordering staff to submit plans for eliminating federal land protections, especially in areas with high fossil fuel potential.

The deadline for these plans — Feb.18, 2025 — came and went. The public has seen nothing.

Millions of acres in California are at risk, including every national monument created via the Antiquities Act. That means places like the California Coastal National Monument, Giant Sequoia National Monument, and Carrizo Plain National Monument — lands where all Californians, regardless of wealth, can hike, camp, and fish. Places where veterans find solace after service.

Third, Congress has paved the way for a sell-off. One of its first acts this year was approving a measure that makes it easier for the federal government to liquidate public lands. This obscure rule change lets the House of Representatives transfer federal lands to states or private interests without accounting for lost revenue. In other words, they can now hand over America’s public lands at fire-sale prices.

One: mass firings. Two: plans to ramp up fossil fuel extraction. Three: Congress putting clearance stickers on our public lands. The blueprint is clear. The fight ahead is even clearer.

During his confirmation hearing, Secretary Burgum estimated the value of America’s public lands at $1 to $2 trillion. He called them a “balance sheet” asset, implying they could be sold to pay off the national debt.

Californians — veterans like me and civilians alike — should be alarmed. Our response must be swift and relentless. Contact your members of Congress. Tell them California’s parks, public lands and national monuments are not for sale. These lands belong to the American people, and we will not let them go without a fight.

Goldbeck is a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and CEO of Vet Voice Foundation. She lives in San Diego.