** Grand Canyon National Park remains open despite growing health concerns
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Crowds gather to view the sunset from the rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park ([link removed])
Despite pleas from federal and local government leaders ([link removed]) , park service employees, and public health officials to close parks across the country, Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona remains open ([link removed]) , exposing visitors and park service employees to risk for contracting the coronavirus.
Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Raúl Grijalva, has criticized Interior Secretary David Bernhardt's decision to allow parks to remain open, stating ([link removed]) , "For someone in Secretary Bernhardt’s position, it is cavalier at best and profoundly dangerous at worst to encourage public lands visits without encouraging all visitors to avoid crowding of high-traffic areas and popular parks. He should revise his recommendations to better reflect the advice of public health experts."
Park service employees at Grand Canyon National Park are anxious ([link removed]) about the park remaining open when it is one of the most popular park service destinations and a natural place for drawing crowds. Employees and local officials ([link removed]) are wondering why the Interior Department has left the park open despite calls from park leaders and local elected officials for its closure.
Quick hits
** Trump administration loosens air quality rules that protect public health and environment amid coronavirus pandemic
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Washington Post ([link removed])
** Groups ask to extend comment period for drilling plan near Chaco Culture National Historical Park
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | Farmington Daily Times ([link removed])
** Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park remains open despite health concerns and calls for closure
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The Hill ([link removed]) | National Parks Traveler ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** Ski industry rallying support for receiving economic assistance as part of next coronavirus stimulus package
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Colorado Sun ([link removed]) | Colorado Public Radio ([link removed])
** U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service declines Endangered Species Act protections for bi-state sage-grouse
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Nevada Independent ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** At urging of industry, Trump administration includes coal in the list of power infrastructure critical for national security
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E&E News ([link removed])
** Experts warn that living and working conditions for wildland firefighters will make social distancing difficult
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KRCC ([link removed])
** Opinion: Coronavirus crisis is providing cover for bad decision making at the Interior Department
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Grand Junction Sentinel ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Any gathering is bad, and people who are being forced to work, it's really bad. If they [the National Park Service and Department of the Interior] don't take the appropriate action, then they're not serving, not only the employees, but the public."
—Kevin Dahl, Arizona's senior program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association ([link removed])
Picture this
** @ ([link removed]) BLMNational ([link removed])
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Today’s BLM #ArmchairAdventure ([link removed]) takes us to @BLMIdaho ([link removed]) 's Jim McClure-Jerry Peak Wilderness Area, where a late-season snow blankets the lower flanks of 10,015 ft Jerry Peak as viewed from the east along Sage Creek. Photo: Bob Wick, BLM
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