The Trump administration isn’t giving land to states, but it is giving states more control over public lands.
Public lands
Posted inSeptember 17, 2018: The Pioneer of Ruin
Latest: County campaign promotes monuments on the chopping block
San Juan County says ‘Make it Monumental’ while asking for exemption from the Antiquities Act.
Posted inSeptember 17, 2018: The Pioneer of Ruin
Latest: Forest Service report calls for changes in wildfire management
Increases in timber sales, prescribed burns and thinning projects are needed to save life and property.
Posted inSeptember 17, 2018: The Pioneer of Ruin
Photos: Above a Western waste land
A photo collection of 67 Superfund sites shows landscapes vandalized by mines and nuclear plants.
Posted inNovember 26, 2018: Follow the fish
The country’s busiest oil and gas office has a plan for more drilling
Southern New Mexico offers a testing ground for Trump’s vision for energy dominance.
Posted inArticles
Time is running out (again) for conservation’s bank account
An important source of public lands funding is set to expire at the end of September.
Posted inAugust 31, 2018: The Big Threat to Bighorns
The beauty — and dangers — of living wild
Two new fearless memoirs deliver stories of pragmatism and boundless courage.
Posted inAugust 31, 2018: The Big Threat to Bighorns
Agricultural interests steer Colorado’s wildlife management
Sheep grazing in the state’s largest wilderness area could endanger a dwindling bighorn sheep herd.
Posted inAugust 31, 2018: The Big Threat to Bighorns
See the influences behind Colorado’s wildlife commission
A powerful governing board gives agricultural interests the loudest voice.
Posted inArticles
Zinke is letting corporations profit off our national parks
A company is cashing in on prized public lands by fleecing American taxpayers.
Posted inDecember 10, 2018: Critical Mass
The arresting quiet of a crane migration in Washington
Sandhill cranes, cattle and the surprising benefits of their coexistence in the West.
Posted inArticles
President Trump is sacrificing our public lands legacy
From reversing mitigation policies to opening our public lands to oil and gas drilling, the insults keep mounting.
Posted inOctober 29, 2018: When your neighborhood goes BOOM
Trump’s attacks on public lands could help Democrats out West
Monument reviews, wilderness access are key sticking points in the midterms.
Posted inAugust 20, 2018: Where the West is Moving - and Why
In southwestern Utah, unceasing growth means increased tension
Access to public lands has caused St. George to become one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country.
Posted inAugust 20, 2018: Where the West is Moving - and Why
Immigrants aren’t the real threat to public lands
Population growth isn’t the problem. Look to the American lifestyle and economy instead.
Posted inAugust 31, 2018: The Big Threat to Bighorns
As ethics questions swirl, Zinke knows how to work a crowd
The Interior secretary woos conservatives with logging, drilling, public access.
Posted inArticles
‘No trespassing’ laws create personal playgrounds for the wealthy
Westerners must fight for the right to roam in the age of ‘stand your ground’ laws.
Posted inArticles
Mountain bikes shouldn’t be banned from wild landscapes
Conservationists, cyclists and other wilderness visitors all value public lands.
Posted inArticles
Military jets shouldn’t shatter the peace of public lands
The piercing sounds of war training assault visitors to Olympic National Park.
Posted inArticles
Latest: EPA seeks to dismiss Gold King lawsuits
Agency says it’s already working on cleanup of old mining mess.