Almost all of our coastal access for recreation is on public land and now Congress is threatening to sell off millions of acres of public lands that will impact the health of coastal watersheds, coastal recreation, and communities.
Newly released maps from our partners at the Outdoor Alliance show just how much coastal land is at risk.
If you’ve ever hiked, biked, strolled, climbed, paddled, or otherwise recreated in one of America's wilderness spaces, good on you – these outdoor places belong to all Americans to enjoy.
Right now, the U.S. Senate is considering provisions in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” that would force our government to sell off millions of acres of YOUR land, we need your support to take action and stop the sale!
To get the full picture of what's at stake, check out this interactive map of the scale of the sell off.
Our partners at Outdoor Alliance have created a new map revealing a stark reality: The Senate’s latest spending-and-reconciliation bill would open up 3.3 million acres of federal lands—four times the size of Rhode Island—for sale, from San Diego’s beaches to the forests of Big Sur, Tahoe headlands, and Mount Shasta watersheds, through the Oregon Coast all the way to Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, and tens of thousands of acres in coastal Alaska.
Last month, conservation activists and allies learned that some members of Congress were looking to sell federal public lands for revenue, potentially leading to their transfer or development. Thanks to the efforts of outdoor enthusiasts, these sales were initially excluded from the House reconciliation bill. Unfortunately, this victory was short-lived.
Now, the sale of federal lands is back on the table in the Senate, and their proposal poses an even greater threat. The current version of the Senate reconciliation bill mandates the sale of 2.2 million to 3.3 million acres of unprotected national forest and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands across the Western United States. These lands would be sold for "housing and associated community needs," making the threat of large-scale public land sell-offs by Congress both tangible and urgent.
For coastal communities, this isn’t an abstract policy fight—it threatens access to surf breaks, coastal trails, water recharge zones, and public beaches. Privatizing these landscapes strips away natural buffers against wildfires and sea‑level rise, and undermines the $1 trillion outdoor recreation economy, which relies on lands remaining in public hands.
The Surfrider Foundation stands firmly against this land liquidation. We demand Congress remove public-land sales from the bill, reinstate strong review and public notice, and commit to protecting—not privatizing—coastal lands. Act now: Keep these places—and our waves—public forever.
As a proud member of the Outdoor Alliance, we are joining dozens of other outdoor organizations, to stand together to collectively tell Congress that this is unacceptable.
This is our line in the sand, this is OUR land. Spread the word to your friends and neighbors across the country. Call your congressional offices and tell them that you will not tolerate this provision.