Sagebrush Rebellion

In 1981 James G. Watt, one of the leaders, became Secretary of the Interior in the Presidency of Ronald Reagan, and worked to roll back federal environmental policies.

The RARE process developed significant opposition from both environmental groups and public lands users and was challenged in federal court.

[5] The results of RARE I were nullified by the courts for lack of uniform criteria for evaluation of lands and other procedural problems.

These "rebels" urged that instead of designating more federal wilderness protection, some or much of the land should be granted to states or private parties.

Congress also made huge land grants to various railroads working to complete a transcontinental rail system.

By the early 20th century, the federal government held significant portions of most western states that had simply not been claimed for any use.

Conservationists prevailed upon President Theodore Roosevelt to set aside lands for forest conservation and for special scientific or natural history interest.

The US Department of the Interior held millions of acres in the western states, with Arizona and New Mexico joining the union by 1913.

Various bills intended to transfer federal public lands to western states had been proposed after 1932, all of which failed to garner much attention, let alone action.

On July 4, 1980, proponents of the Sagebrush Rebellion carved a road into an area in Grand County that was proposed to be designated as wilderness.

[13] The election of Ronald Reagan as president put a friend to the Sagebrush Rebels in the White House; James G. Watt, and his appointees slowed or stopped wilderness designation legislation.