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An updated analysis from the Center for Western Priorities finds that not every Western state is living up to its conservation legacy. Oregon in particular has a proud conservation tradition, yet a dysfunctional Congress is blocking the largest conservation opportunity in the West.
The report, Conservation Gridlock, is an annual update to a 2022 analysis that looked at the acres of national public land protected over the last 20 years in eight Western states. This year’s update finds that in the last decade, Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming have conserved far less land than other Western states. In fact, the three leading states—California, Utah, and Nevada—have protected 14 times more acres of public land than the three bottom states.
"While we’ve seen great progress in many states under the Biden administration, it’s disappointing to see conservation at a standstill in states where the voters overwhelmingly support protecting public lands," Center for Western Priorities Policy and Design Associate Lilly Bock-Brownstein said in a statement. "Voters want these iconic Western landscapes to be protected from mining, drilling, and other impacts."
Talking public lands extremism with Betsy Gaines Quammen
In the latest episode of the Center for Western Priorities podcast, The Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by author Betsy Gaines Quammen to talk about public lands and extremism. Betsy has written two books about extremism in the West. Her first, American Zion, looks at the connection between Mormonism and extremism. Her second book, True West, which came out last year, digs into the myths that define the West.
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Legislation to protect Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands has been languishing in Congress for a decade. It’s time for elected leaders to work with President Biden to take action to protect this massive and remote landscape for future generations.”
