Arizona opinion: Arizona’s public lands are too valuable to transfer to the state

This Great Outdoors Month, families, riders, hikers, hunters, anglers, and off-roaders across Arizona are heading to the public lands that make this state feel like home. But those same lands are again being treated in some political circles as a balance-sheet problem to be shifted, sold, or handed off. That would be a costly mistake.

Arizona’s public lands aren’t just scenery; they’re economic infrastructure. They support our thriving outdoor culture, access, trail systems, wildfire readiness, tourism spending, and small businesses. At Revel Bikes, we design mountain bikes for terrain that exists only because these lands have been protected, maintained, and kept accessible. Arizona isn’t just a market for us; it’s a place we ride, return to often, and deeply value. Whether your way of enjoying Arizona’s beautiful outdoors is by hiking alongside multi-century-old saguaros or riding ATVs alongside your friends, the common thread we share is that our state’s public lands are where we go to relax, recharge, and build lifelong memories. We should be doing everything we can to keep those lands accessible and well-managed.

Outdoor recreation impact

A recent fiscal impact report makes clear that transferring federal land management to the state is not in Arizonans’ best interest. Transferring federally managed lands to Arizona would saddle our state with nearly $800 million in new annual costs and reduce its GDP by nearly $1 billion. That’s not a win for taxpayers, outdoor users, or local businesses. It’s a net loss across the board! The stat from the report that struck me most is this: federal lands already generate around $5.2 billion a year for Arizona’s economy, with outdoor recreation and related spending driving much of that impact.

As an outdoor enthusiast, I’m proud to contribute to Arizona’s economy. And for others like me, who not only enjoy the outdoors for recreation but have built a career around that passion, it is obvious that we should keep the healthy revenue stream from outdoor recreation flowing by ensuring public lands remain federally managed.

What’s at stake

When funding falls short, the impacts are immediate and visible. Trails go unmaintained, fire risk increases, access points deteriorate, and eventually, fees rise, or access is restricted altogether. We’ve seen this pattern before, and it drives outdoor enthusiasts elsewhere, taking with them the spending that supports small businesses, tourism, and local jobs.

Arizona simply lacks the funding, staffing, and infrastructure needed to manage public lands effectively. According to the fiscal impact report, if the state took over the fire mitigation and forest management of Forest Service lands, it would require an appropriation of $470 million. That alone should give lawmakers pause. Transferring responsibility would not only jeopardize wildfire response and public access but also strain budgets, weaken oversight, compromise conservation, and long-term land management.

If it’s not broken, don’t fix it

Federal public lands support more than recreation. They support an entire ecosystem of livelihoods tied to the outdoors. For companies like ours, and for the communities we serve, that stability matters.

Arizona legislators have repeatedly proposed transferring federal land management to the state, but those efforts have failed for good reason: the financial and operational burdens are simply too great. Keeping these lands in federal ownership is essential to preserving their conservation, access, and long-term stewardship. A large-scale transfer would strain state resources and jeopardize the shared responsibility that has protected these places for decades.

These lands belong to all of us. The current system may not be perfect, but it works. During Great Outdoors Month, let’s remember that the best way to celebrate Arizona’s public lands is to keep them public, accessible, and protected for the people and communities that depend on them.