SANTA FE, N.M. - The Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Study Area near Taos has another chance of being upgraded to a full-fledged federal wilderness area. A U.S. Senate subcommittee is holding a hearing this week on the "Columbine-Hondo Wilderness Act." It would add protections that would ensure that generations to come would be able to hunt, fish, camp and hike in the area.

Max Trujillo with the New Mexico Wildlife Federation said there appears to be broad political support for the idea.

"It should go through the Senate pretty easily; there should be bipartisan support in the committee. It should pass pretty easily," Trujillo said.

Earlier attempts to protect the area haven't made it through Congress, but Trujillo predicted that, this time, the bill will get House approval if the Senate passes it. Columbine-Hondo is known for world-class fishing and hiking trails that reach 12,000 feet in elevation.

Trujillo, who calls himself an avid hunter, called the 45,000-acre Columbine-Hondo a sportsman's paradise.

"Everything from bighorn sheep, elk, deer, turkey, blue grouse is up in there," he said. "So, there's a lot of game species."

The area is also a significant clean-water source for the central Rio Grande Corridor of New Mexico. It supplies water to two of the larger Rio Grande tributaries: the Red River and the Rio Hondo.




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MCCALL, Idaho -- After the rejection of a developer's proposed land swap near Payette Lake, a coalition of groups wants the state to do the opposite.

The coalition United Payette submitted a proposal today to conserve more than 5,000 acres of endowment lands near the lake. The plan has support from Valley County, the nearby city of McCall and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.

Jonathan Oppenheimer, external relations director of the Idaho Conservation League, said the surrounding community wanted to come up with a better solution than development.

"Together we've been working to develop this plan over the last several months," Oppenheimer explained. "And [we] are hopeful that it will be well received and looking forward to working with the Department of Lands and the Land Board to see the project implemented and ultimately to see the lands around Payette Lake protected as public lands for future generations."

More than 1,200 people have signed a petition supporting the proposal. Trident asked the Idaho Board of Land Commissioners to rescind the Department of Lands' decision and hold a contested case hearing, but the board unanimously rejected their requests this week.

The Department of Lands said Trident undervalued the land around the lake. The agency is constitutionally required to maximize returns on endowment lands, which generate money for public schools and other beneficiaries.

Oppenheimer pointed out many community and regional stakeholders were concerned about the privatization of thousands of acres around Payette Lake.

"Resulting in development along the lakeshore and limiting public access on what are now state endowment lands that have been managed for decades for public use and accessibility to the lake, as well as for timber harvests and for other public purposes," Oppenheimer outlined.

Oppenheimer described what United Payette has in mind for the area.

"We are looking at some elements here that could include conservation and recreation leases on some of these lands, potential conservation easements," Oppenheimer noted.

Trident had paused its lawsuit against the state, pending the outcome of the hearing. It's back on. The developers argue the state overvalued the land, calling their proposals' rejection "capricious" and "arbitrary" or an "abuse of discretion" and alleging bias among a member of the Department of Lands' staff.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Admission to any state park in Nevada is free this coming Saturday, as part of the first Nevada Public Lands Week - with a series of online and in-person events showcasing Nevada's natural heritage.

The events are listed online at 'NevadaPublicLandsDay.com.'

Will Pregman, communications director for the Institute for a Progressive Nevada, said public lands are the backbone of the outdoor economy, which generates $12.5 billion in economic activity every year.

"The outdoor recreation industry supports tens of thousands of jobs," said Pregman. "So it's both an economic incentive and an environmental incentive to protect these lands and make sure that they're preserved for generations to come."

On Tuesday night, the topic of an interactive town hall is the need to use funds from the American Rescue Plan on conservation projects, given the record-breaking heat, raging wildfires and a water shortage at Lake Mead.

And on Saturday, groups are hosting a trash pick-up at Mountain's Edge Regional Park in Las Vegas.

Gov. Steve Sisolak recently signed an executive order to prioritize wildlife corridors, and the Legislature passed a resolution supporting the Biden administration's goal of preserving 30% of the country's land by the year 2030.

Pregman said everyday Nevadans play a big part as well.

"These things are valuable and will continue to be preserved," said Pregman, "as long as there are people out there who know about it, and understand it and care about it."

Native American tribes and conservation groups are also pressing for the creation of a national monument at Spirit Mountain outside of Laughlin, known as Avi Kwa Ame.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The National Association of State Foresters was formed in 1920, with its first meeting in Harrisburg amid an increase in large wildfires throughout the country. One hundred and one years later, it met back in Pennsylvania to learn best practices to help fight forest-health issues similar to what they saw a century ago.

Because of the pandemic, last year's conference went virtual. State foresters just wrapped up their 2021 in-person meeting in Pittsburgh with the last 100 years on their mind.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the state battled many wildfires, reducing the extent of once common tree species. State forester Ellen Shultzabarger said the lessons of the past can help inform the future of how we maintain forests.

"So we were talking about forest health 100 years ago," said Shultzabarger. "Forests and these pests and these issues don't just stay within boundaries, and it's extremely important for us to work with our neighboring states and with our partners to really be effective in having good forest management moving forward."

Forests cover nearly 60% of Pennsylvania. The state recently released its once-a-decade Forest Action Plan that assessed forest conditions and long-term sustainability goals.

Connecticut State Forester Chris Martin said the collaboration between state foresters is critical for preparing for extreme weather events as they become more common.

Martin said foresters in the Northeast learned from those in the South about their Urban Forestry Strike Teams, which deploy arborists to evaluate trees hit by storms to help FEMA make decisions on whether damaged trees need to be removed or will recover on their own.

"That's a huge benefit financially to FEMA," said Martin. "Because when you take a tree down, it's far more expensive than if you have to take a couple limbs off and to make it safe and let the tree respond healthily. That's been something that's been working in southern states for several years, one of my takeaways that I wanna see happen in the Northeast."

Among the policy decisions made at the conference include the approval of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, to protect forests from threatening invasive species.