Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Californians call on Biden to protect four landscapes
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Wednesday, January 3, 2024
View of the San Gabriel Mountains from Huntington Beach. Jonathan Cook-Fisher, Flickr ([link removed])
From the soaring mountains of Yosemite to the stark desert landscape of Joshua Tree National Park, California already boasts some of the most impressive and ecologically-diverse national parks and monuments in the country.
But there are a number of important natural landscapes in the state that lack protection, and Californians are calling on President Joe Biden ([link removed]) to remedy this by protecting over 970,000 acres of federal land in the state using his power under the Antiquities Act.
These areas include the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument ([link removed]) , comprised of 660,000 acres of federal land next to Joshua Tree National Park; the proposed San Gabriel Mountains National Monument expansion ([link removed]) , which would enlarge the existing monument by 109,000 acres near the City of Los Angeles; the proposed Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument expansion ([link removed]) , which would protect 13,753 acres including Molok Luyuk, or Condor Ridge; and the proposed Medicine Lake Highlands National Monument ([link removed]) , which would encompass 200,000 acres near Mt. Shasta.
From the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board ([link removed]) to California's representatives in Congress, calls for President Biden to protect these areas are growing. "Biden... now has the chance to enhance his environmental legacy by conserving more land during his first term than any president in recent decades and protecting these treasures of California while he still can," the Editorial Board wrot in a piece urging the President to act ([link removed]) .
Look West is back!
You'll find more quick hits below than usual in order to capture all of the news that came out during this newsletter's break and to help you get caught up after the holidays.
** Quick hits
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Snow shortages are plaguing the West’s mountains
New York Times ([link removed]) | KUNC ([link removed])
New Mexico loses millions in federal dollars meant for outdoor recreation projects
Source NM ([link removed])
Mining-reform efforts continue heading into 2024
Elko Daily Free Press ([link removed]) | Westwise ([link removed])
Officials propose historic agreement to permanently include Tribes in Colorado River matters
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Oil production—and profits—are soaring. But it's not enough for fossil fuel executives
The New Republic ([link removed])
Tribes organize ‘First Indigenous Sovereign Habitat Tribal Conservation District’ from Bering Sea to Interior Alaska
Alaska Public Media ([link removed])
Nevada Tribal leader says coalitions, not lawsuits, will protect sacred sites from mining
Associated Press ([link removed])
Off-road groups challenge BLM travel management plan for southeastern Utah
St. George News ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | Land Desk ([link removed])
$4.9 million set aside for wildlife, plant studies ahead of solar, wind projects on public lands
KLAS ([link removed])
During COVID-19, Americans rushed to see their public lands, and continue to do so
KJZZ ([link removed])
Haaland on the Endangered Species Act's 50th birthday
NPR ([link removed])
Take a sonic ‘field trip’ to Gates of the Arctic National Park
Washington Post ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Even record profits can’t please some people, apparently. With production predicted to break new records in 2024, next year stands to be a good one for the U.S. oil and gas industry, whether executives can admit it or not.”
—Kate Aronoff, The New Republic ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@yellowstonenps ([link removed])
And finally, our favorite photo from 2023: It’s not common to see aurora this far south, and especially not overhead. But this spring, we had a few solar storms that lit up the sky over the entire park, including over Canary Spring in the Mammoth Hot Springs area.
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