Sorry, but you are quite wrong. The federal government does indeed own it, as it does with much of the other land in the West. There was a time when this ownership required the government to make the land available to anyone who wished to use it for recreation or economic purposes including ranching, forestry, and mining. But, the government has changed their mind. They now think their job is to keep people off the land and eliminate all use. The one exception is to accommodate corrupt politicians who control their budgets.
Sorry, but IMHO unless the Constitution is amended, it states EXACTLY what the Fed. Gov’t has control...and 80% of the West isn’t one of ‘em.
We have all seen what kind of ‘stewards’ Fedzilla comes down to: out-of-control controlled burns, Super Fund sites (what once was good is now bad = taxpayer $$), porous Southern border (one of the FEW numerated powers, and they can’t get this ONE right)...
Show me the law that says the federal government owns that land.
The federal government can lease public land, and can manage public land, and can hold public land in trust. But it does not OWN public land.