Attorney General Mayes Opposes Federal Land Grab for More Than 1.2 Million Acres of Arizona Public Land

PHOENIX – Attorney General Kris Mayes is warning Arizonans that more than one million acres of public land in Arizona are at risk of losing protections due to federal efforts to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Attorney General Mayes joined a multistate comment letter emphasizing that the U.S. Forest Service should abandon efforts that would open up approximately 45 million acres of national forests to development that would destroy recreation areas and harm local and state economies.

"Whether you're hunting, hiking, or mountain biking, enjoying our public lands is an essential part of being an Arizonan," said Attorney General Mayes. "We must not allow the federal government to strip Arizona's forests and wilderness of their protections. This is a public land grab by greedy corporate interests—and I plan to stand in the way." 

In June, the Trump administration announced its intent to repeal the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, widely known as the Roadless Rule, which has protected our national forests from unnecessary road construction and commercial logging for nearly 25 years and the U.S. Forest Service is following through on that misguided promise.

Roadless areas support more than 11,000 climbing routes and boulder problems, 1,000 whitewater paddling runs, 43,000 miles of trail, and 20,000 mountain biking trails across the country, according to The Mountaineers. Areas protected by the Roadless Rule are part of an overall network of federal and state lands providing for contiguous habitat, recreation, and ecological resources to the benefit of the whole country. 

As detailed in the letter, more than 1.2 million acres of land in Arizona is at risk, including parts of the Prescott, Tonto, Coconino, Kaibab, Apache-Sitgreaves, and Coronado National Forests. In Arizona, these landed are enjoyed by residents for hunting, hiking, running, mountain biking, ATVing, horseback riding, and more. Here are some of the specific areas Arizonans would lose accesses to: 

• Sheridan Mountain and Ash Creek in Prescott National Forest
• Canyon Lake and Saguaro Lake in Tonto National Forest
• Padre Canyon and Barbershop Canyon (East Clear Creek) in Coconino National Forest
• Escudilla Mountain, The Blue Range, Bear Wallow Wilderness Buffers, and Hells Hole and Campbell Blue in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest
• Sheridan Mountain and Ash Creek, Willis Canyon, Burro Canyon, and Coconino Rim in the Kaibab National Forest
• Portions of the Chiricahua Mountains and Mount Lemon would no longer be protected should the Roadless Rule be rescinded, as well as access to Romero Pools (within Catalina State Park) which often receives more than 360,000 visitors annually combined, in Coronado National Forest

The outdoors industry accounted for approximately $1.2 trillion in economic output in 2023, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. The industry relies on these areas, as do the communities that surround them. In Arizona, the economic impact would be stark: According to a U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation added $14 billion to Arizona's economy and represented 110,794 jobs in the state just two years ago.

Support for Arizona's public lands is bipartisan and widespread. According to a January 2025 poll:

• 97% of Arizonans agree that national parks and monuments and their natural beauty are essential to the state.
• 93% of Arizonans agree that public lands are essential for guaranteeing access to outdoor recreation in the state. 
• 91% of Arizonans agree that the government has a responsibility to protect public lands.
• 79% of voters say outdoor recreation, like hiking, fishing, and hunting, is an important part of their lives.

According to its own analysis, the U.S. Forest Service cannot even afford to maintain existing roads: In 2024, the agency reported a backlog of $6 billion in road maintenance for the passenger vehicle roads that account for less than 18% of its total road system. The agency has previously acknowledged that additional roadbuilding made little fiscal or environmental sense when it is already struggling to maintain its existing road system.

In addition to Arizona, the comment letter was issued by Washington, California, Minnesota, and New Mexico. 

A copy of the letter is available here.