The Sagebrush Rebellion was a movement in the 1970s and 1980s that sought to strip the federal government of land control powers in the western US. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act formalized the government’s role in protected lands and ended the practice of “earned” control. The rebellion involved prominent leaders and encouraged supporters to challenge the government. President Ronald Reagan negotiated a resolution. The act stipulated that most land controlled by the National Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management would never be released to state or private control. Environmental regulations protecting endangered species have reduced available land and resources. The Westerners at the center of the movement fought for greater control of local lands. The rebellion continued until Reagan’s presidency.
The Sagebrush Rebellion was an American political movement in the 1970s and early 1980s that sought to strip the federal, or national, government of land control powers in the western part of the country. Historically the federal government has owned the most land in the westernmost states, largely because these states were in most cases just territories until the mid-19th century. The people felt that local control of these lands was better than national oversight for a long time, but the rebellion didn’t become an organized entity until President Gerald R. Ford signed into law the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA ) in 19. The act formalized the government’s role in protected lands such as national parks and forests and appeared to make local control nearly impossible. It also ended a long-standing practice of “earned” control by people or entities who managed and cared for the land. The rebellion involved a number of prominent and respected leaders, and basically encouraged supporters to challenge the government and refuse to acknowledge its authority. The controversy was not resolved until President Ronald Reagan took intentional steps to hear the rebellion’s arguments and negotiated a resolution in the mid-1976s.
Ramifications of the Act
The land west of the Rocky Mountains in the United States – land comprising the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Arizona and California – was, in the nation’s early days, essentially unexplored and unclaimed. For a long time, the practice of “homesteading” has allowed families and individuals to reclaim land and become owners through work and cultivation. This practice ended with the approval of the FLPMA which, among other things, stipulated that most land formally or informally controlled by the National Forest Service (NFS) or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) would never be released or to the state or to private control.
The bill was designed on the assumption that the economic benefits would prove too attractive to local authorities and environmental concerns would be ignored in favor of quick money. While provisions were made to continue using the resources for mining, logging, grazing and ranching, the legislation also included conservation measures and severely restricted these activities.
Environmental regulations
Environmental regulations in the act that protect endangered species have reduced available land and resources. From 1977 to 1980, President Jimmy Carter set aside 37.8 million acres of federal land, previously available for commercial use, for national parks and protected reserves. These reserves have also impacted the surrounding land, cutting off irrigation and making previously productive farmland unusable.
In one respect, the dedication of this land to federal control was a good thing: it was protected and preserved for all to enjoy. For many who lived on the earth and depended on it for their livelihoods, however, the law was not always viewed so favorably. A group of powerful local leaders led an uprising, calling themselves the “Sagebrush Rebellion” in reference to the shrub-like sagebrush plants that grow prolifically in most of the affected lands.
Resistance to government control
The Westerners at the center of the movement simply felt like custodians of the federal government and fought for greater control of local lands. Many assumed that federal bureaucrats did not understand local issues and that local authorities would be better at managing resources and growing the economy. Supporters of the rebellion felt their land was being stolen from them and resented the further loss of control. Some thought that Carter, who hadn’t won a single one of the 12 western continental states in the presidential election, was punishing the entire region. Grassroots support has sprung up throughout the West with the goal of bringing federal land under state management or allowing the private sector to purchase it.
Resistance to government control of land was nothing new in Western states, and the use of land controlled by the NFS and BLM is severely restricted. In cases where land use is approved, an expensive license is often required and licensees must adhere to specific regulations and guidelines that many people find unnecessarily restrictive. Initial support for the Sagebrush Rebellion grew out of resistance to grazing fees charged to ranchers, but miners and loggers were also affected.
Calm movement
Until Ronald Reagan took office as president in 1981, the rebellion continued to resist federal authority. Reagan eased tensions by appointing James Watt, a leader of the Sagebrush Rebellion, to his cabinet as Secretary of the Interior. Although resistance to federal land authority was at its height during the late 1970s, this resentment has not fully resolved and has continued into the 21st century.
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