Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Interior to invest $161 million in Western landscape restoration
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Thursday, June 1, 2023
Colorado's San Luis Valley will receive $6.1 million for restoration projects. Simon Foot ([link removed]) , Flickr ([link removed])

The Biden administration announced plans ([link removed]) to direct $161 million into ecosystem restoration projects on public lands as part of President Biden’s Investing in America ([link removed]) agenda, which funds job creation in industries that boost U.S. competitiveness, rebuild infrastructure, strengthen supply chains, and help build a clean energy economy.

The Bureau of Land Management will use the funds on 21 “restoration landscapes” across 11 Western states ([link removed]) , for ecosystem restoration in the sagebrush steppe, wetland meadows, and watersheds on former industrial timberlands. These landscapes were chosen based on ecological need as well as importance to local communities.

“With today’s investment, we will be able to pass these lands to future generations in better shape than we find them today,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning ([link removed]) . “We’re thrilled to be able to put people to work to benefit wildlife habitat, clean water, and the overall health and productivity of our public lands.”


** How communities can avoid the amenity trap
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The rising demand for homes in areas with an abundance of natural beauty and recreational opportunities has led to a scarcity of affordable housing for local residents, causing these communities to become "amenity traps." A new report from Headwaters Economics ([link removed]) analyzes four major challenges that amenity traps face: housing, infrastructure, fiscal policy, and natural disasters. The report explores solutions available to local, state, and federal officials, such as implementing regulations and incentives to increase housing supply across income levels, and limiting vacation homes.
Quick hits


** Department of Interior announces $161 million for landscape restoration
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The Hill ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | Courthouse News ([link removed]) | Department of the Interior ([link removed]) [press release] | Arizona Republic ([link removed]) [Arizona] | Missoulian ([link removed]) [Montana] | Salt Lake Tribune
([link removed]) [Utah] | KTNV ([link removed]) [Nevada] | KATU ([link removed]) [Oregon] | Rexburg Standard Journal ([link removed]) [Idaho]


** Colorado’s mountain towns are being loved to death. A new roadmap can help them escape the “amenity trap”
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Headwaters Economics ([link removed]) [report] | Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** California lawmakers reintroduce Golden State wilderness package
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Three national forests in Colorado receive nearly $47 million for wildfire barriers
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Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** Opinion: Public has a chance to make difference on land management
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Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])


** Montana judge refuses to cancel first U.S. climate trial
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Bill to expand public land access for environmental justice communities introduced in Congress
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Michigan Advance ([link removed]) | Press & Guide ([link removed])


** Wyoming sues Department of Interior over deadline for delisting grizzly population
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Cap City News ([link removed]) | Big Horn Basin Media ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” There is a dawning recognition that these rural places are dealing with big city problems. Having that open-mindedness to look at big urban centers for ideas is key. How are Seattle, San Francisco, and New York dealing with these issues? My hope and one of the goals of this paper is to bring some of these urban concepts to the smaller towns and rural audience.”
—Megan Lawson, lead researcher at Headwaters Economics, Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Picture this

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** @Interior ([link removed])
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Awwww-ters! One of nature’s most social and playful creatures, river otters have big personalities and even bigger appetites. Often seen in groups, called romps, they can be observed hunting and frolicking year-round at @GrandTetonNPS ([link removed]) . Photo by Peter Mangolds

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