Conservation groups say it was a close call last week when a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contractor began clearing a site near Moab which contained dinosaur tracks believed to be 112 million years old.

A wooden boardwalk was removed from a portion of the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite and some ground cover was cleared before work was stopped.

The Center for Biological Diversity heard about the incident on social media and fired off a cease and desist letter to the BLM to halt work.

Patrick Donnelly, director of the Great Basin Center at the Center for Biological Diversity, said the federal land-management agency failed to follow its own regulations.

"The NEPA [National Environmental Policy Act] document required there to be someone on site," Donnelly explained. "There was no one on site, so it was basically just some guy with a bulldozer going out there thinking he was doing the right thing because he didn't know any better and no one told him."

The BLM issued a statement saying workers at the site were improving areas for public access following a NEPA analysis, but did not damage the artifacts.

Donnelly disagreed, saying an inspection showed a backhoe had driven over as much as 30% of the site.

Donnelly pointed out part of the problem is the BLM is understaffed and trying to rebuild after four years of Trump administration attempts to dismantle the agency.

"This would not have happened if they had a staff paleontologist," Donnelly asserted. "Not every BLM office in the country needs a staff paleontologist, but I would think the Moab field office does. There's a lot of paleontology there."

Donnelly believes the destruction of resources at the site violates several federal laws, including the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act for failing to adhere to project approval documents.

"I would say that the immediate danger sort of has passed," Donnelly noted. "I am hopeful about this. We raised a big thing about it, and I think rightfully so, but I'm hoping we can get on the right track."

Mill Canyon is one of the largest and most diverse dinosaur track sites from the Early Cretaceous period in North America. The discovery was reported to the BLM in 2009, and research began in 2010.

Federal data show health care and technology-related jobs are still in high demand but a career in clean energy is now at the top of the list, too, and Wisconsin labor leaders said opportunities are unfolding in the region.

New findings from the Climate Jobs National Resource Center list 82 Wisconsin projects tied to the clean energy transition in the pipeline, which could qualify for tax incentives and key labor standards under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Emily Pritzkow, executive director of the Wisconsin Building Trades Council, said companies behind wind, solar and similar development need to attract workers while adhering to hiring benchmarks.

"Excellent pay, flexibility," Pritzkow pointed out. "And we are rising to meet that."

Labor standards for Inflation Reduction Act projects call for apprenticeships to be offered, so new hires can learn on the job. Pritzkow stressed Wisconsin unions play a big role in carrying out the learning aspect of the hiring boom. There are challenges though, with labor groups noting not enough people are aware of job possibilities and the need for things like affordable housing if a worker has to relocate for their new career.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists wind turbine technicians and solar installers as the fastest growing occupations in the U.S. In amplifying messaging, Pritzkow emphasized they have to overcome long-held beliefs only certain other industries, such as dentistry, routinely offer stable employment.

"I think there maybe are some old ideas about what working in the trades means," Pritzkow observed. "These are not temporary jobs. These are meant to be careers."

She added clean energy projects are helping to fuel record demand for apprenticeships. Earlier this year, four major utilities operating in Wisconsin pledged to hire union workers for development spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act. The Climate Jobs National Resource Center estimates the incentives will lead to more than 42,000 union-scale jobs in Wisconsin.

A volunteer program has caught the attention of West Virginia tourism officials.

The Dolly Sods Wilderness Stewards program has been recognized with a "Spirit of West Virginia Award." The program started as a collaboration in 2021 with West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and the Monongahela National Forest.

Dave Johnston, program coordinator, said volunteers are trained to educate visitors on 'leave no trace' principles, trail cleaning and more.

"Taking inventories of campsites and things like that," Johnston explained. "We're basically serving as eyes and ears for the Forest Service for what's going on in the backcountry."

More than 100 volunteers work to preserve and maintain the more than 17,000-acre area in the Allegheny Mountains. According to the International Journal of Wilderness, more states are turning to volunteer groups to maintain trails and collect data, as dollars for the management of federal lands have decreased.

Johnston added the work is important for sustaining protected lands for future generations, noting wilderness areas are specially designated by Congress to remain as pristine as possible.

"They're the most primitive form of public lands that are set aside for people to enjoy in this country," Johnston emphasized.

According to numbers by the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, an estimated 35,000 people hike and retreat to the Dolly Sods each year.


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One of nature's hardest workers is facing extinction from repeated exposure to a dangerous pesticide.

Scientists conducting CT scans reveal neonicotinoid pesticides or "neonics" attack baby bumblebees' brain development and cause neurological damage like paralysis, shaking or death. Use of the chemical introduced in the 1900s has grown globally.

The policy and action group Environment Illinois wants the worst uses of the products banned and removed from store shelves.

Emily Kowalski, outreach and engagement manager for the group, said the chemical is an ingredient in household products and agricultural or industrial applications.

"Neonic pesticides are used on crops but also can be found in some pesticides that are used in home gardens," Kowalski explained. "And are also increasingly being found on coated-on seeds that are being used for farming."

Kowalski added the neonic-coated seeds can contain extremely high chemical concentrations. The global environmental group Greenpeace indicated fruits, nuts, and vegetables and 70% of human food crops are pollinated by bees.

Eleven states have legislation on the books that prohibits the use of dangerous bee-killing products. Illinois is not one of them. In this year's session, lawmakers discussed the "Birds and Bees Act," which would limit the use of neonic pesticides. Kowalski hopes legislators will do more.

"This is a bill that we're supporting, and we are excited to work with legislators to move it forward," Kowalski emphasized. "From the advocacy community, I know there is a lot of appetite to take action, whether it's in this upcoming legislative session, or in looking at the next few years, making sure that Illinois is the next state to protect our pollinators."

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has cited habitat loss, mites, competition from nonnative species, and diseases as contributors to a declining bee population.


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