The American West Is Rapidly Disappearing

Posted by Jeff on May 18, 2016 @ 7:03 am in Conservation | 0 comments | Last modified: May 17, 2016

A new study by the Center for American Progress (CAP) and Conservation Science Partners (CSP) found that every 2.5 minutes, the American West loses a football field worth of natural area to human development. This project, called the Disappearing West, is the first comprehensive analysis of how much land in the West is disappearing to development, how quickly this transformation is taking place, and the driving factors behind this loss.

Many people’s view of the American West is of large, untouched landscapes and protected areas set aside by conservation leaders such as John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt. This common misconception is a routine talking point for anti-park politicians, like Rob Bishop, who are working to undercut protections on, sell off, and give away national forests, parks, monuments, and other public lands. But the truth is, until now, nobody knew the status of lands lost to development in the West.

The data further disproves statements made by the Bundys, Ken Ivory, and other land seizure proponents that land in the West is already “locked up”. According to the analysis, as of 2011, development in the West covered around 165,000 square miles of land — an area about the size of six million superstore parking lots.

Advocates for seizing and selling off public lands often argue that private landowners will be better stewards of the land. Yet the data from the analysis shows that development on private lands accounted for nearly three-fourths of all natural areas in the West that disappeared between 2001 and 2011, while public lands like national parks and wilderness areas had some of the lowest rates of development.

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