Proposed Federal data tracking plan on public lands raises red flags for some

Washington, D.C. — Federal natural resource agencies are accepting public comment on a proposal to increase public land user data tracking in 40 different pilot locations across the U.S. But members of the outdoors community find some of the proposed tactics for data collection concerning.

Section 133 of the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experience (EXPLORE) Act, which President Biden signed into law on Jan. 4, 2025, mandates leaders of the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to increase data collection on how the public uses some of its federal lands and waters.

Section 133 specifically aims to “model recreation use patterns (including low-use recreation activities and dispersed recreation activities) that may not be effectively measured by existing … protocols.” It requires that pilot programs occur in at least 10 different land management units per agency, or 40 in total.

MORE COVERAGE FROM OUTDOOR NEWS:

Minnesota anglers battle ‘goofy’ spring weather to get on a solid bite this year

New Senate Farm Bill draft would ‘modernize’ the CRP

Proctor sophomore wins first-ever shoot-off to earn title at Minnesota clay target state tournament

The Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation released its proposed plan this month. In it, they suggest data collection methods that include the deployment of game cameras and sound recorders, “wi-fi or Bluetooth sensors,” and “personal GPS units.”

A few proposed projects mention using “mobile device location” and “commercially available mobility data from cell phone applications,” as well as social media location-sharing applications, satellite imagery, and vehicle location data.

To some, these methods seem Orwellian.

“Nobody goes into the woods to be surveilled,” American Hunters and Anglers CEO Land Tawney told Outdoor News. “We go to the woods to get solace. We don’t want people looking over our shoulders.”

At the time of its passing, the EXPLORE Act was heralded as a massive win for recreation management and resource conservation. Then, six weeks and one inauguration later, the Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) made significant cuts to the public lands workforce.

Lawmakers reinvigorated conversations about transferring federal public lands to states and private entities, especially lands deemed less useful to hunters, hikers, anglers, birders, or other public land users.

Now, any sort of data collection that involves determining the “usefulness” or “popularity” of a piece of public land should raise red flags, Tawney said.

“Getting survey data at points of entry is vital so we know how important these places are to the people,” he says. “But when I hear about game cameras, satellite imagery, and audio recordings, that is super invasive. The EXPLORE Act is absolutely something to celebrate, and I hope this isn’t nefarious. But we want them to back off from the Big Brother-like tactics.”

Public comments can be submitted online through the Bureau of Land Management’s NEPA register until July 29.