Public Lands/Wilderness / Public News Service

Wildlife crossing structures in Montana now have a dedicated funding stream after the governor signed a bill funneling marijuana tax revenue to conservation projects. (Steve Gadomski/Adobe Stock)

Friday, May 23, 2025

MT conservation groups applaud new marijuana tax revenue law

Tax revenue from marijuana sales in Montana will now support a wider variety of conservation projects, since Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed House …

NV hunters, anglers react to possible sale of western public lands

Hunters and anglers are voicing concerns regarding the possible sale of hundreds of thousands of acres in Nevada and Utah. U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei…

Monday, May 19, 2025

Congress considers the sale of public lands in UT, conservationists raise concerns

Hunters and anglers are voicing concerns about the possible sale of hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Utah and Nevada. U.S. Rep…

Among species protected under the Endangered Species Act, 99% have been saved from extinction, including the bald eagle. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado celebrates Endangered Species Day

Today is Endangered Species Day and people in Colorado and across the nation are celebrating successful efforts to save bald eagles, brown pelicans…

The peninsular bighorn sheep is federally listed as an endangered species. (Chrismr/Adobe Stock)

On Endangered Species Day, expert warns of 'destructive' federal policies

Today, on the 20th anniversary of Endangered Species Day, conservation advocates warn polices of President Donald Trump's administration are …

In New Mexico, 89% of those responding to the 2025 Colorado College poll said existing national monument designations from the last decade should be kept in place. (Randy/Adobe Stock)

NM's Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks targeted for energy development

The sale of public lands along with a rollback of protections for national monuments is back on the table now that Republicans control both houses of …

The Environmental Protection Agency said it will roll back 31 environmental rules including a scientific finding which has long been the central basis for U.S. actions against climate change. (Simon/Adobe Stock)

New dashboard shows effects of possible EPA rollbacks on TX environment

A new mapping tool from the Sierra Club showed how proposed rollbacks on coal-pollution safeguards could affect the Texas environment. The Trump …

More than 250 rare, threatened or endangered species live along the Appalachian Trail corridor. (Adobe Stock)

Ohio has ties to Appalachian Trail’s uncertain future

As the Appalachian Trail turns 100, conservation groups are sounding alarms over federal funding freezes and staff cuts. The trail runs through the …

Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., is one of 14 lawmakers on the new bipartisan Congressional Public Lands Caucus, launched last week. (Adobe Stock)

Public land sales voted down in MT Statehouse, added to federal budget bill

Correction: An earlier version of this story attributed a quote to Rep. Zinke which was made by Alex Blackmer. (5:05 p.m MST., May 12, 2025) Montana …

A hunter stands in the Minnesota Heritage Forest Project area, which is protected from heavy industrial use under a new land deal covering nine counties. (Photo courtesy of Jay Brittain)

Mighty Mississippi in MN gets extra shield thanks to land deal

The Mississippi River is the drinking water source for 20 million people and its starting point in northern Minnesota has new protections following co…

In 2024, volunteers with the Pacific Crest Trail Association worked more that 57,000 hours and maintained more than 1,100 miles of trail. (PCTA)

Access to Pacific Crest Trail threatened by federal cuts

Access to the beloved Pacific Crest Trail may soon be limited - due to a drop in federal grants and big layoffs proposed for federal public lands agen…

More than three in four Utahns polled believe current oil and gas development fees on national public lands should not be reduced. (Adobe Stock)

House panel eyes boosting oil, gas drilling; most Utahns don't agree

This week, the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee is considering overhauling Biden-era restrictions on oil and gas leasing which could affect …

Almost three in four Nevada voters polled believe current oil and gas development fees on national public lands should not be reduced. (Adobe Stock)

Poll: Nevadans oppose ramping up oil, gas development

The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources will consider reversing Biden-era restrictions on oil and gas leasing in states like Nevada on Tuesday…

In a new survey, 71% of Montanans said they believe oil and gas drilling should be restricted to areas of public land that are highly likely to contain fossil fuels. (Adobe Stock)

House Committee takes up 'drill, baby, drill' budget today

Today, the Republican budget package on the nation's energy policy gets a closer look from the House Natural Resources Committee in Congress…

According to a new poll, 93% of Wyomingites agree oil and gas development on public lands should proceed with caution, especially in relation to drinking water and wildlife habitat. (Adobe Stock)

WY poll: 81% say 'don't drill where there isn't oil or gas'

Today, the Republican budget package on the nation's energy policy gets a closer look from the House Natural Resources Committee in Congress…

Feds fast-track Wyoming energy projects through environmental permitting

The Trump administration has announced what it terms "emergency permitting" for energy projects, streamlining a sometimes yearslong process down to 28…

A recent Supreme Court ruling narrowed the scope of which U.S. bodies of water are protected under the Clean Water Act. A wetlands protection advocacy group said a proposed EPA rule would narrow the definition even further, leaving millions of acres of wetlands across the country unprotected. (Adobe Stock)

New EPA rule could put remaining IL wetlands at risk

Protected wetlands across Illinois could be at risk as the Trump administration considers changes to the Clean Water Act. The Environmental …

Indiana has four military installations: Camp Atterbury-Muscatatuck near Edinburgh, Fort Wayne Air National Guard Base, USCG Station Michigan City, and Grissom Air Reserve Base near Peru. (Adobe Stock)

IN military sites work with nonprofit to preserve land

The U.S. military and a nonprofit environmental group are seeing success in a partnership that strengthens military readiness and conserves Indiana's …

Secure Rural Schools and Communities Act funding pays for job training programs like welding and carpentry, a post-high-school counselor and a therapist, among other things in Skamania County. (EFStock/Adobe Stock)

Rural WA counties face challenges without key federal funding

By Claire Carlson and Lane Wendell Fischer for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Isobel Charle for Washington News Service for the Public News Ser…

Western Watersheds Project Executive Director Erik Molvar says a permitting change announced by the U.S. Department of the Interior this week will mean

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Feds unveil 'emergency permitting' for energy projects in MT, U.S.

This week, the Trump administration announced what it terms "emergency permitting" for energy projects, streamlining a sometimes yearslong process …

Conservation voices said when European settlers first arrived in South Dakota, 96% of the state was grassland but today only around 50% of the original native grasslands remain. (Adobe Stock)

SD grassland enthusiasts hope for a native plant rebirth

April is National Native Plant Month, an observance at the core of South Dakota's identity. People wanting to protect the state's beloved grasslands …

The Environmental Protection Agency said exemptions to clean air regulations will

Pollution exemptions granted to AR coal plants

Two coal plants in Arkansas have received an exemption from the Trump administration and will have two additional years to comply with updated clean a…

America's 63 national parks and 433 National Park Service-managed sites such as New Mexico's White Sands have been ordered to remain open, despite significant worker cuts. (nps.gov)

DOGE cuts at NM's national parks create alarm, anxiety

New Mexico's national parks generally operate year-round - but they might not operate at 100% efficiency this year due to employee firings, layoffs …

Colorado forests have not seen below-average winter temperatures in more than three decades, and four of the last five years have brought below-average precipitation. (Adobe Stock)

Drought, warmer winters make CO forests 'beetle buffet'

Warmer winters and prolonged drought have turned Colorado forests into a budworm and beetle buffet, according to a new report from Colorado State …

The Texas horned lizard currently is listed as a threatened species in Texas. It can be found from the south-central United States to northern Mexico, throughout much of Texas, Kansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. (David McGowen/Adobe Stock)

From horny toad to Guadalupe bass, Texans work to save wildlife

Wildlife conservationists are working with landowners and concerned Texans to recover at-risk species. Currently, more than 1,100 animals from …

Wolves are not expert hunters, only succeeding about 10% of the time, but their presence keeps deer and other animals from destroying too much plant life. (Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife)

Wildlife advocates decry WA wolf population decline

Wildlife advocates are alarmed by a new report from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife showing the state's wolf population fell nearly 10%…

More than 1,300 mine claims across the country are within the boundaries of units managed by the U.S. National Park Service, according to the National Park Conservation Association. (LM Swanson/Adobe Stock)

Study: 15,000 mining claims near national parks in WY, MT, ID

The number of mining claims on U.S. public lands is growing. A 27% increase since 2019 has brought the total to nearly $500,000. A new study shows …

Of the nearly half million mining claims on federal public lands across the U.S., more than 120,000 are within 30 miles of a national park or monument. (Billy Clay Myers/Adobe Stock)

Mining claim map shows encroachment on national parks, monuments

The number of mining claims on U.S. public lands is growing. A 27% increase since 2019 has brought the total to nearly a half-million. A new study …

Some two million gray wolves roamed North America in the early 1800s but today, fewer than 7,000 remain on just 10% of their historic range in the Lower 48 States. (Adobe Stock)

Colorado's Boebert targets renewed effort to remove federal wolf protections

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., has introduced a bill to remove gray wolves from the list of endangered and threatened species under the Endangered …

For 2025, 14 women's wildland firefighter boot camps were scheduled, including 12 with the U.S. Forest Service and one each with the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service. All have been canceled. (Adobe Stock)

Boot camps to fill wildland firefighter workforce shortage cut due to DEI

Wildland firefighting is a tough job and the industry has long struggled with worker retention. Training boot camps have helped bring new …

Common barriers to hiring and retaining federal wildland firefighters include low pay, mental health challenges and limited workforce diversity, according to a 2022 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. (BLM Oregon and Washington/Wikimedia Commons)

Women’s wildland firefighting boot camps axed by new DEI policies

Wildland firefighting is a tough job and the industry has long struggled with worker retention. Training boot camps have helped bring new …

According to the 2025 Conservation in the West poll, 65% of Western voters oppose giving state governments control over national public lands. That's up from 56% in 2017. (Adobe Stock)

Opponent calls MT resolution 'slap in the face' to public land owners

Months after the nation's highest court declined to hear a Utah case about ownership of public lands, a Montana House committee will debate whether …

Gregor Willms assists the Cedarburg High School team in the soil pit at Envirothon 2024. (Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association)

Competition prepares students for environmental science careers

A local event that brings students face-to-face with outdoor habitats is serving to ignite a lifelong passion in some that go on to pursue "green jobs…

A new land agreement in South Dakota expands the presence of Newton Hills State Park. Conservation voices said the surrounding wilderness is home to the only oak species native to the state, the bur oak, which is resilient to extreme hot and cold temperatures. (Photo courtesy of Conservation Fund)

Future murky for public lands, but SD has a success story

For decades to come, South Dakotans can make use of an expanded wilderness in the southeastern part of the state, as a new land deal will keep …

In 2021, more than 500 black bears perished on Pennsylvania roadways and 60 of the state's more than 1,400 elk were killed by vehicles. (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation)

Report: Reconnecting habitats protecting Pennsylvania’s native species

A new report highlighted efforts to restore Pennsylvania's wildlife habitats and called for stronger conservation to protect native species. With …

North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park offers amenities such as camping and has been one of the many sites around the United States seeing surges in visitors. But park advocates said Park Service staffing cuts under the Trump administration could undermine operations. (Adobe Stock)

'He didn't cut red tape': ND mayor echoes worry about national park layoffs

As legal fights play out, national park enthusiasts in North Dakota worry about a situation where staff reductions, carried out by the Trump …

The National Park Service makes up less than 1/15 of 1% of the federal budget but delivers a $15 boost to the nation's economy for every dollar invested. (luis sandoval/Adobe Stock)

National park layoffs affect AR economy

The seven national parks in Arkansas have not been spared from job cuts by the federal government. Nationwide, 1,700 park employees have been let go …

Chuckwalla National Monument is one of two created in mid-January by President Joe Biden, just before he left office. (Bob Wick/BLM)

Two CA national monuments in peril as feds announce plan to rescind them

Two new national monuments in California are in jeopardy after the White House announced a plan to revoke them and then appeared to retreat. On …

Court challenges warn the Trump administration's cuts to staff, funding and contracts will directly impact visitor safety, wildlife protection and wildfire prevention. (Adobe Stock)

Court challenges of recent mass firings of federal workers making headway

The Sierra Club is taking the Trump administration to court, joining a slew of legal challenges over the mass firings of federal workers. Sierra …

Yosemite National Park just announced it will resume summer campground reservations next week, after previously delaying them because of staffing concerns. (Dawn Endico/Wikimedia Commons)

Sierra Club sues DOGE over mass firings

The Sierra Club predicts big problems at national parks such as Yosemite and Sequoia this summer because the Trump administration is slashing federal …

In 2023, human-caused fires accounted for 71% of all fires across the state, on all land jurisdictions, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. (Adobe Stock)

AZ groups file lawsuits to limit effects of Elon Musk's DOGE

The Sierra Club and other partners are suing Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency over the mass firing of federal workers across mult…

The nonprofit Save the Dunes said Indiana Dunes National Park is the fifth most biologically diverse national park in the United States. (Adobe stock)

Safety at risk as budget cuts hit Indiana Dunes National Park

By Danielle Zulkosky for WISH-TV.Broadcast version by Joe Ulery for Indiana News Service reporting for the WISH-TV-Free Press Indiana-Public News Serv…

One of several major concerns expressed in a statement signed by nearly 1,000 American political scientists is the Trump administration's transferal of some federal responsibilities to people who are

'Democracy is not a business,' warns MT political scientist

Nearly 1,000 political scientists from across the U.S., including Montana, have signed a statement expressing how they feel the Trump …

As of January, the Aldo Leopold House became the first cabin rental on National Forest land in New Mexico. (fsusda.gov)

NM conservationists celebrate Aldo Leopold amid cuts to Forest Service

Amid U.S. Forest Service firings and layoffs by the Trump administration, conservationists are honoring a former employee this week considered by …

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Oregon Department of Transportation mapped out wildlife collision

Wildlife crossings would make OR highways safer, save money

New legislation would help build more wildlife crossings across Oregon highways to make roads safer for people and animals. Research shows that …

The Northern Spotted Owl has been the subject of many lawsuits impacting forest management in Oregon and Washington for decades. (gevans/Adobe Stock)

Jobs cuts at Dept. of Fish and Wildlife could harm sensitive OR species

The Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has ordered the federal government to fire 400 Department of Fish and Wildlife …

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve saw more than 1.7 million visitors in 2023, the highest attendance since the park was established in 1978. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates: WV tourism gains threatened by federal job cuts

With West Virginia's tourism industry seeing dramatic growth in recent years, conservation groups are sounding the alarm about layoffs of federal …

North Carolina's congressional score in the League of Conservation Voters' scorecard went down between 2023 and 2024. (Gerry/Adobe Stock)

Low marks for NC Congress members in 2024 conservation scorecard

North Carolina lawmakers in Congress received mixed marks in the new League of Conservation Voters scorecard. The scorecard ranks members of …

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