Public lands news wrap-up from February


** February, in brief
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Bears Ears National Monument; Bob Wick/BLM ([link removed])


** Key news from February:
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* The Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe is calling on President Joe Biden ([link removed]) to protect more than 390,000 acres of the Tribe’s homelands located in Imperial County, California as the Kw'tsán National Monument ([link removed]) . The land within the proposed monument area is currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management and contains incredible cultural, ecological, recreational, scenic, and historic values ([link removed]) that the Tribe is asking be preserved for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.
* Utah Governor Spencer Cox and the state's top lawmakers called off ([link removed]) an agreement with the federal government to swap out 130,000 acres of land managed by the Utah Trust Lands Administration (formerly known as SITLA) that lie within Bears Ears National Monument in southeast Utah. The trade would have transferred valuable federal land and mineral resources ([link removed]) to the state in exchange for the parcels inside the monument. Utah lawmakers approved the trade ([link removed]) last May, and it was introduced in Congress. But the agreement failed to pass the U.S. House and Senate, which means it is not legally binding. Utah leaders are justifying calling off the deal by saying
([link removed]) the Interior Department's not-yet-released management plan for the monument doesn't meet their wishes.
* The Bureau of Land Management will use $41 million ([link removed]) from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for ecosystem restoration. This funding will support 74 projects in 16 states, according to the agency. ([link removed]) Half of the funding will go toward ([link removed]) BLM’s Restoration Landscapes, which will help address threats to wildlife, recreation visitors, and communities on public land. Around $6 million will go toward ([link removed]) restoring and protecting prioritized sagebrush landscapes across four states—part of the Interior Department’s new Sagebrush Keystone Initiative
([link removed]) . See more funding details here ([link removed]) .
* Arizona lawmakers filed a lawsuit ([link removed]) against President Biden over his decision to designate Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The lawmakers claim the designation is an unlawful "land grab" that exceeds the authority granted to the President by the Antiquities Act ([link removed]) . Since President Theodore Roosevelt first invoked the Antiquities Act to establish Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908, every single challenge to a president’s authority under the Antiquities Act has failed ([link removed]) in courts.
* A federal appeals court ended a nationwide ban ([link removed]) on new federal coal leases, but it's not clear that new leasing will resume any time soon. The moratorium originated during the Obama administration, was rescinded by then-Interior secretary Ryan Zinke during the Trump administration, and was reinstated by a court in 2022. A three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the 2022 ruling was moot since the Zinke order had been effectively rescinded ([link removed]) by President Biden's Interior secretary, Deb Haaland. While the mining industry called the latest ruling a victory ([link removed]) , it does not require the Biden administration to resume coal leasing. A
coalition of Tribal and environmental groups called on the Biden administration to put an end to the federal coal leasing program entirely.


** What to watch for in March:
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* Will President Biden designate or expand a national monument?
* What will the expected government funding deals mean for agency funding and public lands policy?
* Will the Wyoming legislature authorize the National Park Service to purchase the Kelly Parcel ([link removed]) ?
* Will the BLM release a Bears Ears National Monument management plan ([link removed]) ?
* Will the final draft of the BLM Oil and Gas rule ([link removed]) be released?
* What public land policies will Western states pass as they wrap up their legislative sessions?

[link removed]


** Support for conservation at an all-time high ([link removed])
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According to the 2024 Conservation in the West Poll, Western voters want conservation. And they’ll seek out candidates who want it too.

[link removed]

Kate and Aaron are joined by pollsters Lori Weigel and Dave Metz ([link removed]) to discuss the 14th Annual Colorado College State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West poll. ([link removed]) The poll surveys voters in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Colorado on their environmental views. This year, it found support for conservation of nature is higher than ever.
[link removed]

Kate and Aaron are joined by Justin Meuse ([link removed]) , Director of Government Relations for Climate and Energy at the Wilderness Society, to talk about a proposal from the Bureau of Land Management to prioritize around 22 million acres of public land for utility scale solar development across the West. They discuss why planning matters, how much solar development to actually expect if this plan proceeds, and how you can get involved.
[link removed]

Driven by high uranium prices, domestic uranium mining has resumed at three locations in the U.S. after an eight-year hiatus. Kate and Aaron are joined by Amber Reimondo ([link removed]) , Energy Director at the Grand Canyon Trust and Scott Clow, Environmental Programs Director for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, to discuss how that will impact the Grand Canyon and Tribal communities on the Colorado Plateau.
Best Reads of the Month


** "Smoking gun" documents show oil industry knew of climate danger as early as 1954
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The Guardian ([link removed])


** Nature has value—could we literally invest in it?
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New York Times ([link removed])


** BLM's dual mission to pursue solar energy development and protect landscapes
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Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed])


** Report: National monuments in the West boost local economies and ecosystems
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KUNR ([link removed])


** Mark Udall: Biden administration's commitment to public lands can unite us
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Denver Post ([link removed])


** Public universities across the West benefit from extraction on stolen land
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Grist ([link removed])


** The planet needs solar power. Can we build it without harming nature?
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New York Times ([link removed])


** Report: Nearly half of the world’s migratory species are in decline
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Farmers and Tribes reach historic Klamath River deal
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E&E News ([link removed])


** ExxonMobil is suing investors who want faster climate action
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NPR ([link removed])
Quote of the month


** “As others see the land as just land and dirt, we, the Quechan people, see the land in our DNA... We come from the air, the water, the land. It's who we are, and protecting these lands preserves our past while safeguarding our future.”
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** —Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe President Jordan Joaquin, E&E News ([link removed])
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Picture this
[link removed]


** @mypubliclands ([link removed])
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New Mexico's Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument is a picturesque landscape of rocky peaks, narrow canyons, and open ranges. A must-see location to add to your travel bucket list!

Established to protect significant prehistoric, geologic, cultural, and biological resources, the monument provides excellent opportunities for photography, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, camping, and wildlife viewing.

📸 Justina Thorsen

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