Anti-Public Lands Movement

The anti-public lands movement is a conservative political movement based primarily in the western United States that opposes federal stewardship of publicly-owned lands and seeks for public land to be turned over to private ownership to be exploited for ranching, mining, logging and other pursuits. The movement has been known by many names since the 1970s, including the Sagebrush Rebellion, the Wise Use movement, and the country rule movement. The more moderate wing of the anti-public lands movement includes prominent business owners and officeholders in western states, but its extreme wing has been responsible for bombings and standoffs and sometimes allies itself with the “Patriot” movement.

This database provides an overview of many of the terms and individuals used by or associated with movements and groups that subscribe to and/or promote extremist or hateful ideologies.