Public Lands
Archive
Donald Trump just reduced Bears Ears by nearly 85 percent. Here's what you're saying.
Arguments against opening the last great American wilderness to oil companies tend to get emotional, but the best argument may be the cost
A new report card ranks the Mountain West based on access, recreation, and responsible energy development
The decision to amend national monuments has roots in pro-energy, anti-conservation politics that has been simmering for 40 years
Zinke's strategic plan for the next four years shows no intention of addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our public lands
The GOP doesn't think the feds should oversee our national heritage. Here's why they're wrong.
On Friday, the President told Senator Orrin Hatch that he planned to downsize two Utah national monuments. Here's why nothing's likely to happen soon.
We raise $3 billion every year for conservation, then we go out on those public lands and help manage wildlife populations—for free
Conservationists have just a small voice in the Trump Administration. The Democratic Conservation Alliance wants to buy a bigger one.
A leaked five-year strategic plan has zero mention of “climate change” or “diversity,” marking a major pivot away from its predecessor
From Your Forests Your Future and More Than Just Parks, this animated video illustrates what national forests are and how you can get involved.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—one of our most threatened landscapes—may be opened up to drilling, and opponents are taking to Instagram to protest
The housing crisis in the Mountain West has gotten so bad that some folks are happy to rent a clean piece of pavement
The National Park Service findings, released last week, are troubling. The reality is even worse.
The longtime DOI employee says he was forced out because he spoke up about the risk climate change poses to Alaskans. We caught up with him to talk the state of the Interior, how his colleagues are faring, and what he'd say to Secretary Ryan Zinke if given the chance.
How a group of young activists changed the conversation at a public-lands conference—and where the outdoor industry goes from here
The end goal: stop the environment from getting in the way of oil and gas extraction
In honor of Public Lands Day, we picked the places we couldn't live without
When Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke's advocates for "traditional uses," what he means is industrialization
Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune on why the land is worth more than just the resources that are on it
Ryan Zinke's report to Donald Trump recommending alterations to 10 national monuments is based on a pack of falsehoods. Here we break down the worst ones.
We're starting a Facebook group where it's safe to dig deep into politics
These are the people who've been fighting for the land’s preservation for over 30 years—and might see it axed in the scratch of a pen
The new bill is part of the GOP's latest assault on public lands
We spoke with four lawyers about the four monuments most likely on Zinke’s chopping block
Over 99 percent of the people who commented on Trump's national monuments review supported the protected areas. Why did Zinke discount the public's voice?
Despite overwhelming public support for preserving public lands, the Secretary of the Interior is still recommending Trump trim "a handful" of national monuments. He just won't publicly say which ones—or by how much.
The people have spoken. In a study released Tuesday, over 99 percent of people said they support the 27 monuments up for review. President Donald Trump, are you listening?
A lot of assumptions have been made about the national-monuments review. Many of them aren't true.
The GOP's war on public lands threatens to alienate a key part of its voting base—sport hunters
A new group of movers and shakers, aptly named Artemis, could be just what we need to get more politicians to care about conservation
American cowboy or posturing Trump enforcer?
The iconic brand has long been the conscience of the outdoor industry, forsaking hefty profits to do the right thing. Now the company is going to war against the Trump administration over protections for public land in a bid to become a serious political player—which happens to be very good for sales.
Rural Appalachia is the unhealthiest place in the country by almost any metric. Steve Bowling, a 45-year-old library director in Kentucky, has a simple remedy: nature walks.
Forget the politics. Just go camping on public lands before you decide what should be done with them.
At the recent Women's Outdoor Summit for Empowerment, we talked to outdoor enthusiasts and change-makers about the future of the industry
You have through today to tell the government what you think of its plan to steal your public land
These five standout communities are working to make sure underprivileged communities have access to green spaces
This segment from the documentary follows survival expert Les Stroud, a.k.a. Survivorman, as he attempts to follow the supposed path two-year-old Keith Parkinson took from his barn into the woods where he was eventually found.
Want a good campsite? Check out those run by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
More than 396,000 people have spoken up so far about the Trump administration's desire to shrink or abolish the national monuments. Will the White House really read all of them?
Congressman Rob Bishop of Utah wants to transfer federal land to the states, gut the Endangered Species Act, and eliminate the Antiquities Act—and D.C. is starting to listen
Recently released public comments from Utah residents show an overwhelming majority—88 percent—support preserving the monument's status
After a 45-day review period, the Secretary of the Interior advised President Trump to redraw the boundary of the controversial national monument—a decision that will almost definitely be tested in court
In the 1990s, thousands of bones and bone fragments mysteriously went missing from Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa, the continental epicenter of Native American burial remains. In December 2015, a detective with the National Park Service tracked down the artifacts—and the man who stole them.
If the budget is a political document that reflects a president’s priorities, Trump’s priorities are clear—and the environment, wildlife, and the Great Outdoors don’t rank particularly high
To fully comprehend any of the news surrounding our nation's public lands, it's important to take a step back and understand what exactly people are talking about when they talk about "public lands."
A group of the country's top rock climbers traveled to Washington last week to remind Congress that public lands are valuable assets worth protecting. Here's what I had to say.
The Department of the Interior is soliciting public input on the 27 monuments Trump ordered to review. Now’s your chance to speak up about what happens to them.
The long-term impact of the president's first 100 days could destroy an industry with more jobs than oil and gas and automotive combined. Yep, you guessed it: outdoor rec.
Trump has put 21 years’ worth of monuments under question. We can’t sit idly by as public spaces that celebrate diverse American experiences are put at risk.
From the mundane (check the water in your batteries) to the brash (sell your home)
The Outdoor Industry Association tacks on another $200 billion in direct consumer spending to their 2012 estimate, but we won't get the official number until 2018
Hold your nose: we need to play dirty if we want to protect our public lands
A new initiative called Run Wild wants to give runners a platform to make their voices heard
From We Are The Arctic, this film brings to light the beauty and wilderness within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
What used to be a trickle of seemingly minor policy stories has become a weekly firehose of significant developments, all of which we're committed to covering in a clear-eyed, authoritative way
When 18-year-old Joe Keller vanished from a dude ranch in Colorado's Rio Grande National Forest, he joined the ranks of those missing on public land. No official tally exists, but their numbers are growing. And when an initial search turns up nothing, who'll keep looking?
"Birthright", a film from Trout Unlimited, shares how the threat of "transferring" public lands is much more than just an innocent exchange.
In 1960 Wallace Stegner wrote a letter to Congress illustrating the importance of wilderness.
Federal lands belong to all of us—it's time to unite to fight crooked politicians
House Bill 621 is dead, but 622 would do much to undermine protections for our most treasured public lands
A massive outcry killed a bill that would have sold off millions of acres of public lands—but don't expect that to be the last fight between the Republican Congress and the outdoor industry over their fate
Tucked away in the remote northern coast of Alaska lies the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. For some select few, this is a place of resources, mainly oil.
The careers of Reagan cabinet members Anne Gorsuch Burford, who led the EPA, and Interior Secretary James Watt ended in scandal. Though their modern counterparts act similarly, Congress and the White House don't seem to care.
Trump's order to review the national-monument designations of the past 21 years seems to be the first concrete intimation of rolling back the protections all together
Former Navy SEAL Ryan Zinke opposes the Republican land heist. He may be the best environmental hope we have in this administration.
The governor of Oklahoma—and front-runner for the Secretary of the Interior position—is aggressively pro-extraction. Uh oh.
Fresh off their acquittal in Oregon and emboldened by the election of Donald Trump, the Bundy brothers are promising more extremist takeovers across the West
If you needed one more reason to have anxiety about November 8, we found it: the outcome could have a profound impact on the fight over America’s open spaces
The Wyoming state government recently released a study weighing the pros and cons of transferring federal lands to the state. The results were unequivocal: it's a terrible idea.
Summer nights are worth staying up for at these 7 dark-sky parks