PINE, IDAHO Idaho state senator Ben Adams, who is surrounded by mountains, forests, and the South Fork of the Boise River, unveiled the proposed amendment to the Idaho Constitution on Friday. According to Adams, it would prohibit the sale of any future public lands that the state purchases from the federal government.
At a kickoff ceremony held at the Pine Cafe in Elmore County, the Nampa Republican stated, “I do know that public lands have and should always remain under the ownership of the people for their enjoyment and their benefit.” I have a completely different vision for our public lands today than the one that has been emanating from Washington, D.C.
Adams declared last week that he would present the proposed amendment to the Idaho Constitution at the opening of the January 2026 legislative session.
A two-thirds supermajority vote of the Idaho Senate and Idaho House of Representatives is required to modify the state constitution.
A simple majority of votes would be required to pass the proposed constitutional amendment in Idaho, where it would be on the ballot for the general election in November 2026.
The 2.5 million acres of state endowment land that the state now owns and can still sell are not covered by the idea.
Rather, the plan would be applicable to newly acquired public lands that the state of Idaho purchases from the federal government. According to Adams, that land would be put into a new land trust and would not be available for sale.
Adams stated that this question should be on the ballot for Idaho voters. Will Idahoans be in favor of a different course of action that preserves our public lands and keeps Idaho from going to the highest bidder? I know the solution. Let’s make it clear that our property is not for sale so loudly that they can hear it all the way back in D.C.
Adams displayed and handed out printed copies of the proposed amendment to the Idaho Constitution during Friday’s event.
He also revealed the question that, should the proposed amendment pass the Idaho Legislature, would be on voters’ ballots.
Should the State of Idaho Constitution’s Section 8, Article IX, be changed to state that certain properties awarded and purchased from the federal government must never be sold and must instead be placed in a trust to be administered for the benefit of the Idaho people?
Adams also provided the precise new wording that, should the proposed amendment be approved, would be included into the Idaho Constitution.
All other lands granted to or acquired by the state by or from the general government shall be held in a separate trust as public lands of the state, with the exception of lands granted pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, lands acquired by the exchange of lands granted pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, and lands purchased with money. For this and future generations, the trust will continue to be unbroken and unassailable. The sale of such lands is prohibited. With two-thirds of the legislature’s consent, such lands may be traded, with the exception of lands granted, traded, bought, or otherwise obtained under subsection (1) of this section. These lands may be leased by the State Board of Land Commissioners in accordance with any legal requirements. In order to prevent land impairment and to ensure that development and utilization of the land and its resources take place in a way that conserves current and future uses of the land, preserves legitimate, existing rights, and complies with state law, the State Board of Land Commissioners will manage these lands by implementing best management practices. In order to further accomplish the goals of this trust and to promote public recreation, scenic qualities, watershed quality, and wildlife habitat, the State Board of Land Commissioners will coordinate management with state agencies. The legislature will annually appropriate the funds from the permanent designated fund to support primary and secondary public education, pay local governments for payment in lieu of taxes, lower the cost of hunting, fishing, and other recreational use permits for Idaho residents, and support the operation and maintenance of such lands.
How Idaho will finance the purchase of any more public lands is not covered by the proposed amendment.
Gov. Brad Little signed an executive order mandating all state agencies, with the exception of public schools, to reduce spending by 3% for the current fiscal year 2026 budget on Friday, nearly the same time Adams revealed his public lands proposal.
A few dozen individuals assembled at the Pine Cafe to hear Adams’ suggestion.
Idaho Falls resident Doug Toomer, who founded the group Stand Up For Idaho, expressed his satisfaction with the proposed change on Friday.
According to Toomer, one of the main reasons people love and reside in Idaho is because of its public lands.
Toomer criticized the failed attempt earlier this year by U.S. Sen. Mike Lee to sell off millions of acres of public lands, including those in Idaho.
“We need to organize ourselves because we don’t want to lose everything we have so that only a select few can enjoy it,” Toomer remarked.
Adams was introduced in Pine by Braxton McCoy, a veteran from east Idaho who serves as the chairman and president of the Republican Sagebrush Institute. McCoy stated that he supports the proposed amendment.
McCoy stated that preserving public lands is a crucial step in preserving Western culture in an interview with the Idaho Capital Sun.
Without access to public lands, America just isn’t America, according to McCoy’s basic philosophy.
“Our culture, the Western cowboy culture I grew up in, simply would not exist without freedom to roam,” McCoy continued. We would be forced to play in Texas’s dilapidated arenas.
The Idaho Capital Sun was the first to publish this story.
