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Scott Socha ‘completely unqualified’ to lead National Park Service
Scott Socha, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the National Park Service, is ‘completely unqualified’ for the job, said Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss in an interview with Arizona’s KJZZ.
Socha currently works for Delaware North, a hospitality company that operates hotels and snack bars at several national parks. This experience, Weiss argues, does not meet the legal requirement that the National Park Service’s director have “substantial experience and demonstrated competence in land management and natural or cultural resource conservation.”
What Socha does have experience in is profiting from exclusive concessionaire contracts in national parks. Weiss points out that this “dollars and cents” approach aligns well with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s “balance sheet” approach to national public lands. However, this approach is wildly out of step with how Americans want national parks to be managed: to protect irreplaceable wildlife habitats, recreation opportunities, cultural sites, and other values that can’t be reduced to a number on a spreadsheet.
“This is a woefully understaffed agency and there is no help on the horizon. There is no indication that Secretary Burgum plans to fully staff our parks ever again,” said Weiss. “Those cracks are going to begin to show. And that’s where having someone who has spent an entire career in the privatization business, that’s a huge concern at this moment in time.”
Quick hits A little-used maneuver could mean more drilling and mining in southern Utah’s redrock country Feds broke law approving massive Wyoming gas, oil field, court finds Nature report, killed by Trump, is released independently Colorado, enviros sue EPA over rejection of regional haze plan that would have closed coal plantsColorado Sun | Denver Gazette | E&E News
Proposed USFS plan would require continuous logging on three Montana forests Interior strips protections from Alaska’s famed Dalton Highway, opens public lands to state transfer Protesters in Flagstaff challenge uranium mining, transportation at Pinyon Plain Mine Opinion: Don’t let Congress abuse policy to give away public lands Quote of the dayUndermining Tribal collaboration undercuts trust, weakens public land management, and threatens the integrity of monuments nationwide. True leadership would strengthen government-to-government relationships, not disregard them.”
—Davina Smith-Idjesa, Navajo Nation member, Inside Climate News
Picture This @utahgeologicalsurveyPhoto of the Week: Window Blind Peak and the San Rafael River, Emery County
Photographer: Adam Hiscock
Window Blind Peak catches first light as it rises dramatically above the San Rafael River. Located near the middle of the San Rafael Swell uplift, the peak consists of Triassic- to Jurassic-age Chinle Formation, Wingate Sandstone, and Kayenta Formation capped by the Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone.
Featured image: Grand Canyon National Park
The post Scott Socha ‘completely unqualified’ to lead National Park Service appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
‘Sell-off Steve’ Pearce BLM nomination advances
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 11-9 to advance Steve Pearce, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, to the full Senate. The Pearce nomination vote was the first real test of the Senate Stewardship Caucus, formed last fall with an ostensible focus on national public land access and management policy. Of the members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee who are also members of the Stewardship Caucus, only Senator Steve Daines of Montana voted to advance the Pearce nomination. Hours after the vote, Daines announced he will not be seeking reelection in November.
“For years, Western voters have expressed their overwhelming and unwavering support for protected public lands, wildlife habitats, and recreation access, only to have their clear preferences ignored time and again by lawmakers who prioritize loyalty to the Trump administration over service to their constituents,” Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby said in a statement. “A vote for Steve Pearce is a vote to sell off and privatize our national public lands—the complete opposite of stewardship.”
Utah lawmakers introduce resolution to repeal Grand Staircase-Escalante management planOn Wednesday, Utah’s congressional delegation introduced a resolution to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This move is an attempt to significantly expand the use of the CRA, and could set a dangerous precedent that would lead to chaos in public land management across the country.
“Our national monuments belong to the American people and should not be managed in ways that are clouded by uncertainty,” said Thomas Delehanty, senior attorney at Earthjustice. “This is yet another attempt by Utah politicians to hand over our public lands to industry. Every member of Congress should reject this and any other misguided CRA attack on our public lands.”
Quick hits Trump’s high-profile oil and gas lease sale in Alaska has no takers The National Park Service saw major job losses in the last year. More changes loom How a new ‘conservation pool’ could provide a way forward for Colorado River users Wyoming nuclear power plant receives federal approval for reactor construction Meet the ten worst public lands villains of 2026 The big beautiful drill act Opinion: Montana knows the true cost of mining mistakes Opinion: Don’t desecrate Big Bend National Park with a useless border wall Quote of the dayWhy use the Congressional Review Act to avoid the hard questions? Good projects shouldn’t need political shortcuts.”
—Randy Newberg, Missoula Current
Picture This @mountrainiernpsSome of the youngest lava flows on Mount Rainier are actually under the Emmons Glacier. About 5,600 years ago the summit and the northeast slope of the mountain collapsed during an eruption, forming the Osceola Mudflow that flowed as far as Puget Sound. After the mudflow, lava eruptions about 2,200 years ago partially rebuilt the mountain’s northeast slope with the summit craters created by lava flows from 1,000 years ago. These lava flows have been covered by glaciers including the current Emmons Glacier. You can see a part of these relatively “young” lava flows breaking though the Emmons Glacier as ridges of rock in the middle of the glacier on the upper mountain. Have you noticed these lava ridges while in the Sunrise area?
NPS Photo of the Emmons Glacier with lava ridges breaking through the upper part of the middle of the glacier, 2024.
Featured image: Upper Missouri River Breaks in Montana, BLM Montana and Dakotas
The post ‘Sell-off Steve’ Pearce BLM nomination advances appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Lawsuit challenges coal mine expansion, ‘energy emergency’ used to justify it
On Tuesday, five organizations filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s approval of an expansion of the Bull Mountains coal mine in central Montana. The mine, operated by Signal Peak Energy, has been the target of lawsuits in the past for its environmental impacts, including dewatering grazing lands above and near the mine.
The lawsuit challenges the Trump administration’s reliance on “a supposed energy emergency that has no basis in reality” to allow the expansion, alleging that the administration violated the National Environmental Policy Act in doing so. According to the lawsuit, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (part of the Interior department) failed to issue a draft environmental impact statement or consider public comments as it rushed to approve the mine expansion.
The groups also point out that most of the coal mined at Bull Mountains is exported, energy production is high, and demand for coal is low—all of which undercut the Trump administration’s domestic ‘energy emergency’ rationale for the mine expansion.
“The mine has a long history involving criminal and corrupt actions, and it has devastated the ecology and ranching community of the Bull Mountains,” the lawsuit states.
Quick hits New lawsuit aims to halt expansion of a Montana coal mine and ‘energy emergency’ used to justify itInside Climate News | Daily Montanan | E&E News
Leaked files point to Trump admin’s review of American historyNational Parks Traveler | Wes Siler’s Newsletter
Utah monument could be the latest target of a law to undo public lands decisions In New Mexico, natural gas transporter goes to the mat over $47.8 million fine Legislature fails to conform Wyoming law to court’s OK of corner-crossing The West’s 32-year drought may now be aridification Opinion: We need a public lands champion to lead the BLM, not Steve Pearce Opinion: Boundary Waters a cautionary tale for Idaho Quote of the dayPearce has gone so far as to publicly criticize American conservation hero President Theodore Roosevelt for making popular ‘big ideas of big forests and big national parks.’ Pardon me, but most of us believe these big forests and national parks are what make America great.”
—Scott Christensen, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Cody Enterprise
Picture This @grandtetonnpsHave you ever been told you were burning daylight?
It’s a saying that means you’re wasting precious time.
At this time of year, the change in daylight hours is perceptible.
In Grand Teton, the length of day changes from just under 9 hours at the winter solstice to almost 15½ hours by the summer solstice.
Tomorrow alone brings about 3 more minutes of light. Over the month of March, we’ll gain 1 hour and 29 minutes of daylight.
How will you use your extra minutes?
Savor it. Don’t waste it.
Photo: NPS/Tobiason Sunrise on the Teton Range
Featured image: Bull Mountains Mine, WildEarth Guardians/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The post Lawsuit challenges coal mine expansion, ‘energy emergency’ used to justify it appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
STATEMENT on Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee vote to advance Steve Pearce’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management
DENVER—Today, the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted 11-9 to advance Steve Pearce, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, to the full Senate.
The Pearce nomination vote was the first real test of the Senate Stewardship Caucus, formed last fall with an ostensible focus on national public land access and management policy. Members of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee who are also members of the Stewardship Caucus are Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada), Steve Daines (Montana), Martin Heinrich (New Mexico), and John Hickenlooper (Colorado). Of these four, only Daines voted to advance the Pearce nomination.
The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Policy Director Rachael Hamby:
“There’s no point in joining the Senate Stewardship Caucus if you’re not going to uphold its stated values. A vote for Steve Pearce is a vote to sell off and privatize our national public lands—the complete opposite of stewardship.
“For years, Western voters have expressed their overwhelming and unwavering support for protected public lands, wildlife habitats, and recreation access, only to have their clear preferences ignored time and again by lawmakers who prioritize loyalty to the Trump administration over service to their constituents. We can only hope that other members of the Stewardship Caucus, and the rest of the Senate, listen to the West and vote for conservation of our irreplaceable public lands.”
Pearce’s nomination will be considered by the full Senate in the coming weeks, giving more senators and Senate Stewardship Caucus members an opportunity to prevent Pearce’s confirmation, including Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana, co-founder of the Stewardship Caucus along with Heinrich.
Learn more:
- ‘Political bedrock’: 16th annual Conservation in the West poll confirms bipartisan support for conservation among Western voters [Westwise]
- Why a New Mexico gun rights leader opposes Trump’s pick to lead the BLM [The Landscape]
- Seven times ‘Sell-off Steve’ tried to dispose of America’s public lands [Westwise]
- Trump’s new pick to run the BLM has a history of working to sell off public land [Westwise]
Featured image: Upper Missouri River Breaks in Montana, BLM Montana and Dakotas
The post STATEMENT on Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee vote to advance Steve Pearce’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Leaked database reveals Interior’s plans to ‘revise’ history
A leaked Interior department database reveals the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to “revise” historical facts, remove references to climate change, and more. First reported by the Washington Post and subsequently posted to two other websites, the database provides detailed information about the lengths to which the Trump administration is going to remove information that might “disparage” Americans at hundreds of national park sites.
“This data belongs to the American people, who need to know what is being done in their name,” the anonymous individuals who posted the database wrote. “Profiting from coal and oil is a lot easier if the impacts of fossil fuels are censored at sites like Muir Woods, Glacier, Acadia, and Everglades.”
The database also demonstrates the amount of time park employees have been ordered to spend on this exercise rather than on caring for the resources protected by national park sites. Bill Wade, executive director of the Association of National Park Rangers, noted that park staff “probably should’ve been doing other things most of us believe would be more important.”
The anonymous individuals who posted the database offered a warning about the Trump administration’s efforts: “Most of all, they want to turn the American people against their national parks. They want to discredit the national parks and set the stage to privatize them.”
2025 was awful for public lands. Is there hope?In the latest episode of the Center for Western Priorities podcast, The Landscape, Aaron and Kate speak with Jim Pattiz of the More Than Just Parks newsletter about public lands news after the first year of the second Trump administration, including Jim and his brother Will’s list of 70 major public-lands setbacks in 2025 and CWP’s assessment of Project 2025.
Quick hits BLM’s strategy for greater sage-grouse prompts federal lawsuit by conservation groups America’s national parks face an uncertain future as climate risks mount ‘Unprecedented’ snow drought sets up extreme wildfires for Western U.S. in 2026 Bennet, Hickenlooper call for ‘halt’ to consolidation of federal firefighting forces into U.S. Wildland Fire Service Dust from copper mine waste worries nearby residents Instead of ‘Keep Out,’ Wyoming rancher invites people to ‘come hike’ on his property Opinion: Public lands are Wyoming’s legacy. Let’s keep them that way Opinion: Senate should reject unqualified national park nominees Quote of the dayWhile the threats we face vary from outdated policies that fail to protect critical habitat to pressures from expanding development, the solution remains the same — we need to keep and steward our public lands.”
—Jared Baecker, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, WyoFile
Picture This @mountrainiernpsHappy Birthday, Mount Rainier National Park!
“To foresee the beauty of Mount Rainier one must know many things —rivers, tumbling from boulder to boulder…a tiny fawn nestling under a shrub… flower fields that stretch unending distances… glaciers grinding and tearing at the high mound of rock… All of these things are separate, but all are a part of the story of Mount Rainier.” -John Barnett, former park naturalist, 1978
On March 2, 1899, Mount Rainier National Park was established as a national park. Since time immemorial, this majestic mountain has inspired people to explore, to recreate, to connect with their heritage, and to preserve this iconic landscape. How does Mount Rainier inspire you?
NPS Photo of Mount Rainier from Pinnacle Peak Trail.
Featured image: Arches National Park
The post Leaked database reveals Interior’s plans to ‘revise’ history appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
2025 was awful for public lands. Is there hope?
In this episode of The Landscape, Aaron and Kate speak with Jim Pattiz of the More Than Just Parks newsletter about public lands news after the first year of the second Trump administration, including Jim and his brother Will’s list of 70 major public-lands setbacks in 2025 and CWP’s assessment of Project 2025.
Aaron also covers Steve Pearce’s confirmation hearing to lead the Bureau of Land Management and lawmakers’ concerns about National Park Service censorship and Freedom 250, including a judge’s order to restore Philadelphia displays about enslaved members of George Washington’s household and a leaked database of NPS materials flagged for review. Pattiz discusses short- versus long-term harms such as civil service attacks, logging mandates, land giveaways, and fast-tracked mining, and the group closes with hopes for coalition-building and rebuilding public lands governance.
News- BLM nominee Steve Pearce waffles on public land sell-off
- Corruption, censorship take center stage at Freedom 250 hearing
- Confidential database reveals which items NPS thinks may ‘disparage’ America
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Interpretive sign at Grand Canyon National Park, Wikimedia Commons
The post 2025 was awful for public lands. Is there hope? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Border wall planned through Big Bend National Park
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has revealed plans to build over 100 miles of border wall through Big Bend National Park and neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park in Texas. According to a notice published in the Federal Register, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem “has determined, pursuant to law, that it is necessary to waive certain laws, regulations, and other legal requirements” in order to expedite construction of the wall.
DHS is already making plans to award contracts for projects, and construction is expected to begin at the end of 2026. According to local officials, federal contractors have been looking for available land to build “man camps” and contacting nearby landowners about using their land for staging areas. “The steamroller seems to be moving,” said Brewster County Judge Greg Henington. “Contractors are swarming our area, asking questions about man camps and leases … there hasn’t been a whole lot of transparency.”
Local officials across the political spectrum are deeply concerned. “It’s something I never thought we would see,” said Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland. “It’ll ruin this county,” said Brewster County Sheriff Ronny Dodson. “If it’s a real wall, it will devastate us. We don’t have oil and gas, we have tourism.”
Heinrich to oppose Steve Pearce’s nomination to lead BLMSenator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced he will be voting against Steve Pearce, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management.
“Commitments to follow the law by prior nominees have proven unreliable,” said Heinrich. “And while Congressman Pearce has said that his past actions opposing national monument designations and calling for public land sell-offs are in his rearview mirror, they remain in the memory of every New Mexican who faced his opposition in order to protect the lands they cherish.”
Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado has also announced he will vote to oppose Pearce. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is scheduled to vote on Pearce’s nomination on Wednesday.
Quick hits Trump nominee to lead BLM dodges questions on whether he supports public land salesSummit Daily | Idaho Statesman
Obama protected this California landscape. Now its future is uncertain Interior NEPA rollback shifts procedures to internal handbook, raising tribal consultation concerns Federal judge clears way for luxury developers to build access road through Forest Service land Company eyes Wyoming for massive crude oil pipeline Feds approve expansion of nation’s only operational lithium mine New Mexico state agency to hold public hearing on proposed uranium mine The Colorado River is nearing collapse. It’s the Trump admin’s problem now Quote of the dayMake no mistake, the gutting of America’s bedrock environmental law by Burgum will result in costly lawsuits, more pollution, and less public participation when monied interests and extractive corporations want access to our public resources and public lands.”
—Jayson O’Neill, Save Our Parks, Tribal Business News
Picture This@usinterior
“America’s Best Idea” began 154 years ago when Yellowstone was protected as the world’s first national park.
Set aside to safeguard extraordinary landscapes, wildlife, and geologic wonders, @yellowstonenps was preserved for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.
Today, Yellowstone endures as a reminder of the value of protecting our shared natural, historical, and cultural heritage.
Photos by Jacob W. Frank / NPS
Featured image: Big Bend National Park, NPS Climate Change Response
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‘Political bedrock’: 16th annual Conservation in the West poll confirms bipartisan support for conservation among Western voters
Western voters delivered a stern rebuke to the Trump administration when it comes to public lands this month, according to the annual Conservation in the West Poll from Colorado College.
The poll, which was released on February 18 by the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project, is in its 16th year of taking the temperature of Western voters on environmental and public lands issues. This year’s poll surveyed voters across the political spectrum in eight Western states (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) on public lands, water, and energy issues.
One year into the second Trump administration, voters overwhelmingly expressed widespread concern about rollbacks of protections for national public lands, with 84 percent of Western voters describing these rollbacks as a serious problem.
Upper Big Jacks Creek, BLM Idaho
When it comes to funding and staffing cuts at the agencies that steward our national public lands, 86 percent described funding cuts as a serious problem—including 75 percent of self-identified MAGA voters. Westerners are aware of, and concerned about, the specific impacts of these cuts. Significant majorities of voters are concerned about having fewer park rangers and other staff at national parks and other public lands (83 percent) and having fewer scientists caring for fish and wildlife on national public lands (82 percent). And 91 percent of voters are especially concerned about having fewer wildland firefighters and support staff working to both fight wildfires and reduce the risk of future wildfires.
Western voters also expressed negative views about other specific policies the Trump administration has enacted or is pursuing, such as removing Clean Water Act protections from smaller streams and wetlands (77 percent negative) or rolling back Endangered Species Act protections for at-risk animals and plants (70 percent negative).
Even with affordability remaining a major concern among Westerners (85 percent describe it as a very or extremely serious problem), Western voters still don’t want to see national public lands sold for housing development, a recurring proposal from the Trump administration and from lawmakers like U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah. Voters continue to reject this concept: 76 percent of voters opposed this idea, with 57 percent strongly opposed.
Gold Butte National Monument, BLM Nevada
Another pet proposal of the Trump administration, reducing or eliminating national monument designations, has only become more unpopular over time. Back in 2017, during the first Trump administration, 80 percent of Western voters wanted to see national monuments kept in place. In 2026, this percentage increased to 91 percent of Westerners who want to see national monuments kept in place—including 92 percent of Independent voters and 87 percent of Republicans. Among MAGA supporters, support for national monuments is similarly strong and has increased over just the past year, from 81 percent in 2025 to 87 percent in 2026 who want to see national monuments kept in place.
When it comes to energy development on national public lands, a record-high percentage of Western voters—76 percent across the West, and 62 percent even in Wyoming, a top energy-producing state—would prefer to emphasize protecting clean water, air quality, and wildlife habitat, and recreation opportunities over the Trump administration’s “energy dominance” agenda.
Again, voters are aware of specific policies and reject them across the board. Proposed or implemented policies that are unpopular with majorities of voters in every state surveyed include: fast-tracking oil, gas and mining projects by reducing environmental reviews and community input (70 percent oppose); overriding resource management plans developed with community input in order to increase oil, gas, and mining (75 percent oppose); and building industrial roads in undeveloped areas for oil, gas, mining, and timber projects (65 percent oppose).
Similarly, voters are not fooled by the administration’s stubborn efforts to force a return to reliance on coal and other fuels of the past. When asked to indicate their preferred energy source to encourage in their state, a mere seven percent of Western voters ranked coal as their first or second choice. Solar was the clear preferred choice, followed by wind. Overall, 73 percent of Western voters would rather expand renewable energy development than drill and mine for more oil, gas, and coal—a significant increase from 65 percent just three years ago.
Water supplies and water quality are perennial concerns for voters, especially in the Southwest. While states that rely on the Colorado River continue to argue over hypothetical water rights on paper, 83 percent of voters in those states want to see an agreement that requires all states to reduce their water usage to support the health of the river. These voters recognize the many factors straining Western water supplies, including population growth, aging water infrastructure, oil and gas development, mining, and data centers, with 80 percent or more of voters describing each of these as threats to water quality and supply across the West.
As the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel editorial board summarized, “Residents of the American West consistently repeat a message that a few stubborn members of Congress can’t seem to accept: They love the nation’s public lands—especially the ones that have been purposely conserved to protect cherished landscapes—and they want the federal government to provide the resources that public lands require to be well-managed into the future.”
Speaking of members of Congress, 76 percent of Western voters would prefer to see their member of Congress emphasize conservation and recreation over maximizing energy production on public lands—a record high percentage over the sixteen years of the poll. And 85 percent of Western voters say public lands, water, and wildlife issues are important in deciding whether to support a candidate for public office, an increase of ten percentage points from when the same question was asked ten years ago.
A rock glacier in Glacier National Park
“At a time of growing pressure on land and water in the West, the call to action from voters is clear and bipartisan: Westerners want funding and stewardship for public lands and natural resources,” Ian Johnson, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Sustainability at Colorado College, said in a statement.
As Axios Denver pointed out in its coverage of the poll, “Conservation isn’t a niche issue—it’s political bedrock in eight Southwest and Rocky Mountain states.” Given this, the Trump administration’s unrelenting pursuit of a public lands agenda that is the opposite of what overwhelming majorities of Western voters want to see is incomprehensible. Members of Congress who are looking to keep their jobs this November would do well to align themselves with their constituents by supporting conservation and funding for our national public lands.
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Pearce waffles on public land sell-off stance
Steve Pearce, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management, offered contradictory stances on public land sell-off during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday morning.
During the hearing, Pearce alternately stood by his past words endorsing the sell-off of public lands while also acknowledging the law currently doesn’t allow it. Pearce specifically said that if confirmed, he would not seek to sell off “large swaths” of public lands. But when Senator Ron Wyden asked Pearce about his history of advocating for public land sell-off, Pearce said, “I’m not so sure that I’ve changed.”
Because of his deep history attempting to dispose of public lands by selling them to the highest bidder, veterans, hunters, and environmentalists have come out against his nomination. Across the West, 76 percent of voters oppose selling national public lands to private companies for housing, and 74 percent oppose selling them for oil and gas development.
Also during the hearing, Pearce dodged questions about the Trump administration’s energy policy, including whether Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has the power to unilaterally block or slow all renewable energy projects on public land.
“Most people would prepare for a job interview beforehand,” said Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss. “His ‘I know nothing’ routine should be a red flag to every senator. Based solely on his feigned ignorance of energy policy, Steve Pearce is unqualified to lead the Bureau of Land Management.”
Quick hits Trump’s BLM nominee waffles on public land sell-off stanceHigh Country News / Public Domain | CPR News | New York Times | Source NM | Las Cruces Sun-News | E&E News | Deseret News
Column: Why Steve Pearce is such a concerning nominee to run BLM Interior department revokes environmental regulations established to protect public lands Wyoming files resolution for control over mineral leasing on national public land. But lawmakers want more Study aims to optimize how animals cross deadly I-80 Opinion: It’s called the Bureau of Land Management, not the Bureau of Land Disposal Trump strips endangered species protections for lesser prairie chicken, the dancing, booming grouse of the Southwest Here’s what you need to know about national park reservations in 2026 Quote of the dayIn all my decades of serving the state, I’ve never received such passionate and unified messages as I have on this particular topic. Idahoans do not want their public lands sold, period, full stop.”
—U.S. Senator James Risch, KUNC
Picture This @nationalparkservice“Call Mr. Plow, that’s my name—that name again is Mr. Plow!” – Homer Simpson
Call now for a free T-shirt! (There is no T-shirt.)
But did you know the real plow kings of winter aren’t always trucks or Mr. Plow. “When the snow starts a-fallin’, There’s a bison you should be callin.” With their huge muscular humps, massive heads, and powerful necks, they swing side to side like living snowplows, clearing deep drifts to reach buried grass below. (Fun fact: Elk dig with hooves—bison bulldoze with their heads!)
So next time you’re driving in snow country and spot a bison (or an actual snowplow) ahead, remember: give it room and stay back a safe distance. They have the right of way… and several thousand pounds of momentum.
Stay warm out there!
Images: Various bison moving snow @yellowstonenps.
(Featured image: Steve Pearce at his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. U.S. Senate)
The post Pearce waffles on public land sell-off stance appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Statement on Steve Pearce’s BLM confirmation hearing
DENVER—The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today held a confirmation hearing for Steve Pearce, President Donald Trump’s nominee to run the Bureau of Land Management.
During the hearing, Pearce alternately stood by his past words endorsing the wholesale sell-off of public lands while also acknowledging the law currently doesn’t allow it. He also dodged questions about the Trump administration’s energy policy, including whether Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has the power to unilaterally block or slow all renewable energy projects on public land.
The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Deputy Director Aaron Weiss:
“Most people would prepare for a job interview beforehand. Steve Pearce claimed he wasn’t up to speed on everything from wind power to methane waste. His ‘I know nothing’ routine should be a red flag to every senator. Pearce even waffled on whether he still believes the many, many things he’s written about land sell-off, and he still has to answer huge questions about his ethical conflicts and businesses.
“Based solely on his feigned ignorance of energy policy, Steve Pearce is unqualified to lead the Bureau of Land Management. His ethics forms are woefully inadequate and leave room for massive conflicts of interest if he is confirmed.”
The full exchange with Sen. Ron Wyden regarding Pearce’s previous statements on land selloff:
Sen. Ron Wyden:
Not long ago, you said with respect to public land located in Western states, and I’m a Westerner, you said, and I quote, ‘most of it we do not even need.’ Now my question to you then is: is there too much public land in the West now, in your view?
Steve Pearce:
The statement made there was when I was represented as a legislative person, a district that was, I think, at odds with federal agencies many times because the management of those lands is sometimes not as well done as it should be. And local people pay the price.
It cost them jobs, it cost them their careers, cost them their land. And so I spoke of those frustrations, but I don’t, as I expressed to Senator Heinrich, I don’t visualize selling large swaths of land.
Wyden:
Well, let’s be clear on this. You no longer agree with the statement you made years ago that I quoted you on? Because people can change their mind, I get that, but do you continue to hold that view, or have you changed your mind about something that — we’re Westerners and we care about these kinds of things. So what’s your—
Pearce:
Senator, I’m not so sure that I’ve changed. I’m not sure that I was not speaking out of sheer frustration with an agency on behalf of the people who are being overwhelmed.
So I do not believe that we’re gonna go out and wholesale land from the federal government. That again, has been stated by the secretary and federal law says that we can’t do that from the BLM itself.
LEARN MORE- Seven times ‘Sell-Off Steve’ tried to dispose of America’s public lands
- Trump’s new pick to run the BLM has a history of working to sell off public land
- What financial entanglements is Steve Pearce hiding?
- More than 80 groups oppose Pearce Nomination for BLM director
The post Statement on Steve Pearce’s BLM confirmation hearing appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Trump’s energy claims don’t add up
On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump touted his energy dominance agenda in his State of the Union address to Congress, but the rosy picture that Trump painted of rapidly falling energy costs doesn’t match the data.
In his speech, President Trump bragged about lowering energy costs for consumers, but according to factcheck.org, the index for household energy rose 6.6% over the last 12 months. The Guardian also released a fact check following Trump’s address, noting that the president’s attacks on renewable energy are expected to increase electricity rates by up to 18% by 2035.
One of the ways Trump is seeking to bring energy costs down is by bolstering coal, but a 2023 report found that 99 percent of all U.S. coal plants (209 out of 210) are now more expensive to run than replacement by new solar, wind, or energy storage. Consumer costs have yet to see a dip from coal—in fact, the Trump administration is spending $350 million to recommission old coal plants, which is only a portion of the $625 million the administration has allocated to reinvigorate the coal industry.
Moreover, according to the latest Conservation in the West Poll results from Colorado College, a mere seven percent of Western voters ranked coal as their first or second preferred energy source.
The administration also spoke misleadingly about who is really benefitting from Trump’s energy and public lands policies. In response to President Trump’s mention of America’s upcoming 250th anniversary, Interior Secretary Burgum tweeted that Trump has “restored our nation and secured a brighter future for ALL Americans!” Yet recent reporting from the Center for American Progress shows that Trump’s public lands directives are erasing Black History and disproportionately decreasing access to nature for communities of color and those with low incomes.
Unpacking the 2026 Conservation in the West PollIn a new episode of The Landscape podcast, Aaron welcomes pollsters Lori Weigel from New Bridge Strategy and Miranda Everitt from FM3 to discuss the 16th annual Colorado College Conservation in the West Poll. The bipartisan polling team breaks down voter attitudes across eight Western states on public lands, conservation priorities, and the Trump administration’s funding cuts and policy rollbacks. The poll reveals consensus across party lines—including among MAGA voters—on protecting public lands, opposing sell-offs, and prioritizing renewable energy over fossil fuel extraction.
Quick hits Hunters and veterans are fighting Trump’s pick to oversee public lands Interior scales back environmental regulations for public lands How Trump’s big climate finding repeal could actually hurt big oil Interior official granted ethics waiver just before family’s lithium mine deal Opinions: Steve Pearce is not fit to run the BLMOutdoor Life | Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Colorado fines Chevron subsidiary $1.7 million over 2025 well blowout in Weld County The story of Ganado Mucho, a Navajo folk hero whose exhibit may be removed by Trump administration Opinion: What’s behind the push to erase Black History Quote of the dayPearce’s chapter of the BLM will ensure that our stories we share with future generations are just that—stories of a once-wild place.”
—Jennie Mans, BLM wildlands director for the Wyoming Wilderness Association, Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Picture This @usfwsSummer tanagers aren’t just flashy in their feathers, they’re also insect connoisseurs with specialized diets: bees and wasps. These scarlet-hued hotshots catch bees and wasps on the wing, then rub them against a branch to remove the stinger, before enjoying their snack.
Photo: William Radke/USFWS
The post Trump’s energy claims don’t add up appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Unpacking the 2026 Conservation in the West Poll
In this episode of The Landscape, Aaron welcomes pollsters Lori Weigel from New Bridge Strategy and Miranda Everitt from FM3 to discuss the 16th annual Colorado College Conservation in the West Poll. The bipartisan polling team breaks down voter attitudes across eight Western states on public lands, conservation priorities, and the Trump administration’s funding cuts and policy rollbacks. The poll reveals consensus across party lines—including among MAGA voters—on protecting public lands, opposing sell-offs, and prioritizing renewable energy over fossil fuel extraction.
News- Groups sue over Trump effort to ‘erase’ history, science in national parks – Washington Post
- Concessionaire Nominated To Run National Park Service – National Parks Traveler
- Water worries are top of mind for Arizonans, poll shows – Axios Phoenix
- Opinion: Senators, reject the Steve Pearce nomination – Santa Fe New Mexican
- 2026 Conservation in the West Poll – Colorado College
- Watch this episode on YouTube
- Produced and hosted by Aaron Weiss with production support from Lauren Bogard, edited by Lilly Bock-Brownstein
- Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
- Music: Purple Planet
- Featured image: David Korzillus, BLM
The post Unpacking the 2026 Conservation in the West Poll appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Documents uncover new details in Interior official’s growing ethics scandal
The U.S. Department of the Interior is withholding key ethics disclosure information about Karen Budd-Falen, a high-ranking Interior official who is under fire for her undisclosed financial ties with a massive Nevada lithium mine.
This is the latest in a growing ethics scandal involving Budd-Falen. In December 2025, Public Domain and High Country News reported that Budd-Falen was working at Interior in 2018 when her husband signed an agreement to sell water rights from their ranch, Home Ranch, to Lithium Nevada Corporation. The New York Times reported that the deal was for $3.5 million.
Now, in response to a FOIA request from the Center for Western Priorities, the Interior department has released 91 pages of ethics documents from her time working at Interior during both Trump administrations. The release redacted crucial information, including parts of her recusal memos—the documents that detail the matters she should not engage in to avoid a conflict of interest. It did, however, show that on November 5, 2018, Budd-Falen received a partial waiver to retain her financial interests in Home Ranch and other ranching operations.
The same day, Budd-Falen signed a written statement acknowledging that the waiver does not authorize her to participate in matters that have a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests involving Home Ranch. In a separate ethics recusal, she noted that her husband, Frank Falen, “does not actively manage Home Ranch, LLC.”
Less than a month later, Home Ranch, LLC struck a deal to sell water to Lithium Nevada Corp. The deal was signed by Frank Falen, who was listed in the agreement as the ranch manager.
“She had an obligation to disclose it,” said Aaron Weiss, deputy director at the Center for Western Priorities. “It appears she did not disclose it. And therefore everything else here is tainted.”
Quick hits Report: Communities of color and those with low incomes are bearing the brunt of America’s nature loss The owners want to close this Colorado coal plant. The Trump administration says no Veterans urge senators to vote ‘no’ on BLM nominee Wednesday Trump administration to remove decades-old protections from Interior Alaska land ‘I won’t sit back’: Fired Yosemite National Park ranger sues Interior department Can Colorado mute Trump’s orders to revive coal burning? A new bill will try Slavery exhibit court fight tests how America tells its founding story Opinion: Public lands teach connection to place, wildlife and each other Quote of the dayPublic lands are the American commons—a shared legacy we treasure and one we will fight to keep.”
—Walt Gasson, writer and fourth generation Wyoming native, WyoFile
Picture This @zionnpsYou can still be our vole-ntine!
Montane voles (Microtus montanus) are small rodents that inhabit regions from the western United States to southeastern Canada and Alaska. These small fuzzy critters eat grasses, tubers, bark, and sometimes insects, which helps keep habitats from becoming overgrown and promotes biodiversity. Their burrowing and trackway habits help to aerate and break up otherwise hard soils. Voles are also key species to the desert food chain: birds of prey as well as snakes, bobcats, and foxes think a vole is a tasty treat. There’s nothing like a vole from your sweet-hawk!
This vole (ZION 485) serves a higher calling than midday snack: scientific research specimen! Biological research specimens such as this one are highly important to systematics, public health and epidemiology, agriculture, defense, and more. Specimens are snapshots in time, as they allow a complete visualization of what that critter looked like at the time it was collected; this can help researchers determine how the size, coloration, and presence or absence of features like long tails or small ears have changed due to environmental stimuli. This specimen serves as a reminder of what montane voles looked like in 1934, when she was collected (check the tag!), and is evidence of the species’ presence in the park at that time.
NPS/j.Hemphill
(Featured image: Karen Budd-Falen speaks at a 2024 Western Ag and Environmental Law Conference. uacescomm, Flickr)
The post Documents uncover new details in Interior official’s growing ethics scandal appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Trump administration is erasing Black History on public lands
The Trump administration is erasing the history of Black Americans on public lands across the country, according to a new article from the Center for American Progress.
The administration has implemented a series of orders to censor or rewrite historical exhibits, particularly those targeting the history and impact of Black Americans on public lands. Examples include the administration’s rollback of fee-free days to national parks on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth, as well as President Donald Trump’s executive order to restore “truth and sanity” to national public lands by censoring any signage that paints a negative picture of American history.
A recent example includes the administration’s removal of interpretive panels outside the President’s House Site—George Washington’s former home—that tell the stories of Black Americans enslaved by Washington. The move drew widespread public backlash, and a U.S. federal judge recently ordered the panels be put back up.
“An America confident in its future does not fear its past,” the article reads. “The federal government must protect and strengthen the integrity of historical interpretation across America’s public lands and waters, restore and expand public access—including on commemorative days that honor Black history—and invest in storytelling that reflects the complexity of the American experience.”
Quick hits Trump administration reverses emissions rule that limits toxins from coal plantsAssociated Press | Montana Free Press
Environmental groups warn of dire impacts after Colorado River negotiators miss another deadline Former USFS workers: Roadless Rule doesn’t hinder management Trump administration accused of removing history and science from Mountain West parks Opinion: National monuments sustain Colorado’s local economies Colorado case challenging buffer zone around billionaire landowner’s new house wraps up Western voters remain supportive of conservation, public lands Opinion: Senate should say no to Steve Pearce at BLM Quote of the dayWhen you say roadless areas, some people think we can’t do anything in those areas. The Roadless Rule was established to limit or restrict new roads in these areas that don’t have roads. It wasn’t designed to say you can’t go hiking, you can’t do fire management activities.”
—Brian Riggers, retired Region 1 roadless coordinator and fisheries biologist, Missoula Current
Picture This @usinteriorEarly winter storms have brought vibrant blooms to landscapes across California. At Carrizo Plain National Monument, strong rainfall years can paint the Temblor Mountains in sweeping bands of color like those seen here.
If you’re planning a visit, stay on designated roads and trails to protect fragile blooms. Some areas may still be wet or impassable, so check conditions before heading out.
For additional wildflower viewing opportunities, visitors can explore the Merced River Recreation Management Area in Mariposa County, Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in Lake County, and Fort Ord National Monument in Monterey County.
Photo by Bob Wick / @mypubliclands
(Featured image: George Washington Carver bust at George Washington Carver National Monument, Missouri. National Park Service)
The post Trump administration is erasing Black History on public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Western voters oppose Trump cuts to public land agencies
Western voters are concerned about the Trump administration’s approach to public land management, and these concerns will likely influence their voting decisions in the 2026 elections, according to the 16th annual Conservation in the West Poll from the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project.
The annual bipartisan poll, which surveyed voters in eight Mountain West states, found widespread concern about rollbacks of protections for land, water, and wildlife. Key findings from the survey include:
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Eighty-five percent of respondents say issues involving public lands, waters, and wildlife are important in deciding whether to support a public official.
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Eighty-six percent of voters across party lines—including 75 percent of MAGA supporters—are concerned about recent funding cuts and reduced staffing at public land agencies.
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Seventy-six percent—the highest level in the poll’s history—prefer that their member of Congress place more emphasis on conservation and recreation on public lands over maximizing energy production.
“At a time of growing pressure on land and water in the West, the call to action from voters is clear and bipartisan: Westerners want funding and stewardship for public lands and natural resources,” said Ian Johnson, Director of Strategic Initiatives & Sustainability at Colorado College.
Maintaining protections for public lands remains a priority for Western voters. Ninety-one percent believe that existing national monument designations should be kept in place. Even amid economic pressures, 76 percent of voters oppose selling public lands for housing, and 74 percent oppose selling them for private oil, gas, and mining development.
You can read the full poll results and look back at previous years at the Colorado College State of the Rockies website.
Quick hits Poll: Western voters are worried about budget cuts, legal rollbacks on public landsE&E News | Re:Public | Arizona Republic | KUNM | Grand Junction Daily Sentinel | Colorado Newsline
NPS drops reservation system at Yosemite, Arches, and GlacierE&E News | Salt Lake Tribune | WFXR | KSL | National Parks Traveler | Moab Sun News
Wyoming senators vote to defend public lands from large federal selloffsCowboy State Daily | Jackson Hole News & Guide
Lake Powell forecast to reach critical lows, threatening hydropower generation Opinion: A Utah monument comes under attack—again Trump admin dynamites national park site as part of immigration crackdown Indian Affairs regional employees have more work and fewer people to do it, watchdog reports Colorado’s ski resorts face an existential threat — and growing call for climate action Quote of the dayThis is a bad precedent that will inhibit the ability of the National Park Service to prevent excessive visitation and will harm the very places the agency is mandated to protect. If the Administration doesn’t begin to take the care of our parks seriously, we run the risk of squandering America’s greatest treasures.”
—Emily Thompson of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks on eliminating the reservation system at three national parks
Picture This @yellowstonenpsYou hate to hear someone exclaim, “You are what you eat,” while you toss a bag of frozen tots into your air fryer—but I’ve never developed a flaky, perfectly golden crust after eating them, so it seems to be okay.
Bohemian waxwings don’t have that excuse, though. During the nonbreeding season, they feed almost exclusively on fruit. The red, waxy tips on their wings and the yellow bands on their tail feathers come from carotenoid pigments found in that fruit—pigments the birds can’t directly synthesize. The number and size of those waxy droplets increase with age.
Pretty cool, right? But I’ve got to go…air fryer timer just went off.
Featured photo: Stevens Arch in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, John Fowler
The post Western voters oppose Trump cuts to public land agencies appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Coalition sues the Trump administration for attempts to erase history
A group of conservation and historical organizations is suing the Trump administration over Interior department policies that erase history and science from America’s national parks.
The lawsuit filed yesterday lists Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting National Park Service Director Jessica Bowron as defendants. It asks the court to declare that Burgum’s order calling for the review or removal of information or signage at national parks that “disparages Americans past and living” is illegal. Under the order, parks and historical sites across the country have altered or removed content related to racism, slavery, sexism, and LGTBQ+ rights, Indigenous history, climate change, and “other core elements of the American experience,” according to the lawsuit.
“We the people deserve and demand a national park system that tells true stories of Black communities, Indigenous tribes, and countless other fascinating chapters of our history,” said Alan Spears of the National Parks Conservation Association. “As Americans, we deserve national parks that tell stories of our country’s triumphs and heartbreaks alike. We can handle the truth.”
A separate lawsuit also filed yesterday argues that the Interior department’s decision to remove the Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City violated a federal law that allows national parks and monuments to fly flags that provide historical context.
Quick hits New lawsuits argue the Trump administration is erasing historyNational Parks Traveler | Associated Press | Politico | Reuters | The Hill | Washington Post
Analysis: Why privatizing public land won’t solve the housing crisis Pacific Crest Trail hikers banned from border wall under new rules New Mexico’s public lands protections weakened by Project 2025 Opinion: Why Nevada’s public lands, and our senators’ votes, matter now Trump’s EPA decided climate change doesn’t endanger public health. Evidence says otherwise A land dispute in Colorado’s San Luis Valley pits a billionaire’s request for a 233-acre privacy buffer against local grazing rights A new bipartisan geothermal bill Is about to heat up the house Quote of the dayNational parks are not propaganda tools nor should they be used for partisan purposes. They exist to preserve and interpret the full American story, not just the parts that make some politicians comfortable. Erasing history doesn’t make it go away, it just makes it more likely to repeat itself. And harkens back to some very dark and dangerous times in world history.”
—Emily Thompson, Executive Director of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
Picture This @carlsbadcavernsnpsA new study has revealed an extraordinary variety of baryte and celestine speleothems in Lechuguilla Cave. These include stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, coralloids, wall crusts, floor crystals, snow, frostwork, and pool crystals. The baryte speleothems are typically made up of pure baryte, whereas celestine is found in the most diverse assemblages of minerals recorded in the cave. This includes the first record of the extremely rare cave mineral strontianite in Lechuguilla Cave. Radiometric dating demonstrates that many of the speleothems started forming during the Pleistocene and are still growing today. The study was led by Max Wisshak @speleophoto (Senckenberg Institute, Germany) and is based on observations and samples from two recent mineralogical expeditions into the cave.
Wisshak M, Birkenstock J, Schröder-Ritzrau A, Frank N, Barton HA & DuChene HR (2026): Exceptional variety of baryte-celestine-series speleothems in Lechuguilla Cave (New Mexico, USA). International Journal of Speleology, 55: ijs2585.
Photos by Max Wisshak
Featured photo: An interpretive sign about Indigenous history at Grand Canyon National Park, Wikimedia Commons
The post Coalition sues the Trump administration for attempts to erase history appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Teddy Roosevelt’s descendants call on Congress to protect public lands
In a letter directed at senators, President Theodore Roosevelt’s relatives spoke up in opposition to a proposed copper mine upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, proclaiming that President Roosevelt would be “appalled” by the project. The family warns that overturning the 20-year mining ban via a Congressional Review Act resolution would set a dangerous precedent that threatens public land protections across the nation.
The letter points out that conservation was once a pillar of the Republican platform, and critiques the party’s retreat from the environmental legacy of Roosevelt, who protected around 230 million acres of public lands during his presidency. “T.R. was active in preserving our greatest wilderness terrain on both the East and West coasts — it became one of the greatest enduring legacies of his life,” the letter states. “It is now time for all of you to get in the arena with him.”
The letter was signed by Roosevelt’s great-grandsons Ted IV, Tweed, and Mark, and his great-great-grandson Kermit III.
Judge orders restoration of Philadelphia slavery exhibitsA federal judge has ordered Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to restore displays discussing slavery at a National Park Service site in Philadelphia where George Washington lived as president. The exhibit, which details the lives of nine enslaved people, was removed last month as part of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14253, “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” In a ruling yesterday, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe stated that an agency “cannot arbitrarily decide what is true, based on its own whims or the whims of the new leadership” and ruled that the exhibit’s removal violated a long-standing agreement requiring that the federal government consult with the city before making any changes to the site.
Quick hits A highway through tortoise habitat? What the Northern Corridor’s revival means for southern Utah Judge orders slavery exhibit to be restored after Trump administration removalWashington Post | Politico | CBS News | The Guardian | Los Angeles Times | New York Times | CNN
Feds to move ahead with Colorado River plans after states don’t reach dealNew York Times | Colorado Politics | The Land Desk | Fox13 | KNAU | Aspen Times | AZPM | Colorado Sun
Trump nominates hospitality executive to lead National Park ServiceKUNC | More Than Just Parks | Newsweek | Deseret News
Tribes grant the Colorado River legal personhood. Can this help save it? Editorial: Public land management requires a thoughtful steward, not a bulldozer Former National Park Service director reflects on layoffs, deep cuts Arizonans in Congress make latest push to make Chiricahua National Monument a national park Quote of the dayAs if the Ministry of Truth in George Orwell’s 1984 now existed, with its motto ‘Ignorance is Strength,’ this Court is now asked to determine whether the federal government has the power it claims — to dissemble and disassemble historical truths when it has some domain over historical facts. It does not.”
—US District Judge Cynthia Rufe, ruling on the removal of a slavery exhibit at a National Park Service site, CNN
Picture This @yosemitenpsHappy Valentine’s Day from Yosemite National Park! We’ll never take you for granite.❤️
Can you spot the heart on the face of El Capitan? This shape was likely formed from either one very large rockfall or, more likely, several smaller ones that carved the heart over time. The point of the heart is formed by two intersecting rock fractures called joints. The curving arches that form the rounded parts of the heart are potentially a result of rocks falling away from beneath.
We think that’s pretty rock solid!
Featured photo: President Theodore Roosevelt at Yosemite National Park in 1903. National Park Service
The post Teddy Roosevelt’s descendants call on Congress to protect public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Trump’s NPS nominee met with skepticism, hostility
Early reaction to President Trump’s nominee to run the National Park Service ranged from skepticism to outright hostility. Statements from conservation groups noted that hospitality executive Scott Socha would take charge of an agency that has been heavily damaged by the Trump administration over the last year.
Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, said that NPCA was ready to work with Socha, but “he must put the Park Service’s mission first, stand up for park staff, fill critical vacancies and halt attacks on our nation’s history.”
Jayson O’Neill, spokesperson for the Save Our Parks campaign, noted that Socha “has zero experience in public service or conservation,” and that Socha has “made a career out of extracting maximum profit from our national parks, not protecting them.”
Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss highlighted Socha’s connections to the first Trump administration, when his company, Delaware North, was suing the Park Service for $51 million, claiming it owned trademarks on the names of historic park lodges, including “Ahwahnee” and even “Yosemite National Park” itself. During that time, Socha attended a meeting with then-Interior Ryan Zinke that was set up by corrupt congressman Chris Collins, who was under investigation for insider trading. Collins ended up in prison, while the Interior department ultimately paid Delaware North more than $3 million to restore the names of the lodges at Yosemite.
What gutting the Council on Environmental Quality means for public landsIn the latest episode of CWP’s podcast, The Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by Professor John Ruple, a public lands law expert at the University of Utah and former attorney at the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), to discuss the Trump administration’s dismantling of the CEQ’s authority over NEPA regulations. He breaks down what the Trump administration means when it claims to have ended NEPA’s “regulatory reign of terror” and why removing uniform environmental review standards creates chaos for public lands. Listen now on Apple Podcasts or watch the episode on YouTube.
Quick hits Indigenous history and science purged from Glacier National Park Trump blew up a cornerstone of climate regulation—industry may regret itHeated | Associated Press | The Daily | New York Times | Vox | Grist | Reuters | Politico | The Guardian | Washington Post | BBC
Sen. Schiff launches Senate probe into Freedom 250 group selling access to TrumpABC News | USA Today | The Hill
Meet the anti-democratic zealots presiding over Trump’s makeover of U.S. history Doug Burgum, the regime toady of our time Burgum’s new coal mascot tells a story about what it’s like to work under the Trump administration Trump administration backs Daines’s attempt to strip wilderness protection in Montana The Forest Service wants to ‘streamline’ public land management by giving you less opportunity to comment Quote of the dayThere’s always somebody who doesn’t get the memo. Such as folks who have yet to learn that Utah is a state where public-lands tourism is key to the economy. What’s really sad is that among those who have not received, or understood, this information are the members of our congressional delegation.”
—Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board
Picture ThisAre you interested in hiking Angels Landing anytime in 2026? Then you need to apply for a permit lottery!
Seasonal applications for spring hikes will open Friday, February 13th and will close at 11:59pm on Wednesday, February 25th.
For more information, important dates for the rest of the year, and the link to apply, visit go.nps.gov/AngelsLanding
Featured image: Scott Socha testifies before Congress in May 2021. Senate Energy and Natural Resources CommitteeThe post Trump’s NPS nominee met with skepticism, hostility appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What gutting the Council on Environmental Quality means for public lands
In this episode, Kate and Aaron are joined by Professor John Ruple, a public lands law expert at the University of Utah and former attorney at the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), to discuss the Trump administration’s dismantling of the CEQ’s authority over NEPA regulations. He breaks down what the Trump administration means when it claims to have ended NEPA’s “regulatory reign of terror” and why removing uniform environmental review standards creates chaos for public lands.
News- For $1 Million, Donors to U.S.A. Birthday Group Offered Access to Trump – New York Times
- Potential conflicts over celebrating America’s 250th anniversary spill out in congressional hearing – Associated Press
- Concessionaire Nominated To Run National Park Service – National Parks Traveler
- Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger, edited by Lilly Bock-Brownstein
- Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
- Music: Purple Planet
- Featured image: David Korzillus, BLM
The post What gutting the Council on Environmental Quality means for public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Statement on nomination of Scott Socha to lead National Park Service
DENVER—President Donald Trump has nominated Scott Socha, a long-time executive at park concessionaire Delaware North, as the director of the National Park Service.
Socha has a history with the Trump administration going back to 2017, when he attended a meeting with then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke that was organized by Congressman Chris Collins of New York, who at the time was under investigation for insider trading. (Collins was later sentenced to 26 months in prison.)
At the time, Delaware North was suing the National Park Service for $51 million in a contract dispute over trademarks that Delaware North had filed during its time as the concessionaire at Yosemite National Park. Those trademarks included the names of iconic lodges and camps that pre-dated Delaware North, including “Ahwahnee,” “Yosemite Lodge,” and “Yosemite National Park” itself.
The Center for Western Priorities released the following statement from Deputy Director Aaron Weiss:
“Scott Socha was all in on the Trump administration’s park privatization efforts last time around, even sitting at the table with the Interior secretary and a corrupt congressman. Now President Trump and Secretary Burgum want to give him another bite at the apple, taking over an agency that has been decimated by DOGE and is under increasing pressure to whitewash and rewrite American history. Senators must approach this nomination with the utmost skepticism given Scott Socha’s history and the current state of our national parks.”
“Our public lands belong to all Americans, not the concessionaires who try to trademark and cash in on the names of our nation’s crown jewels.”
What we know so far:
- In May 2017, Socha, in his role as the president of Delaware North’s parks and resorts division, attended a meeting in Secretary Ryan Zinke’s office with Delaware North CEO Jerry Jacobs, Jr., Congressman Chris Collins, and Zinke’s top staff.
- Documents obtained by the Center for Western Priorities show that Collins’s office spent weeks badgering Zinke’s staff for the meeting, trying to place Jacobs on Zinke’s nascent “Made in America” Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee.
- At the time, Delaware North was suing the National Park Service, asserting that its trademarks at Yosemite National Park were worth $51 million.
- In November, Zinke named Jacobs to the recreation advisory committee.
- In July 2018, Socha attended the first meeting of the advisory committee along with Jacobs and Zinke.
- In July 2019, the Interior department settled the lawsuit with Delaware North, paying the company $3.8 million in taxpayer funds to restore the names of the historic lodges at Yosemite.
Featured image: The Ahwanee Hotel at Yosemite National Park, which was the subject of a trademark dispute after Delaware North lost its concessionaire license in 2016. Photo: Wayne Hsieh, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The post Statement on nomination of Scott Socha to lead National Park Service appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
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