Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** DOGE chaos ripples across public lands
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Wednesday, March 26, 2025
The Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park, Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])
Staffing and funding chaos caused by Elon Musk's DOGE office is taking a toll on America's parks and public lands. Arches National Park is so understaffed that the park stopped issuing hiking permits for the Fiery Furnace area ([link removed]) , Axios Salt Lake City reports.
Arches normally issues around 100 permits a day for the area, but the DOGE hiring freeze and firing of around 1,000 National Park Service workers has left Arches without the seasonal workers needed to run the park. Because visitors to Fiery Furnace get lost or disoriented so frequently, they're required to go on a ranger-led tour or attend a video and briefing with a ranger before going on a self-guided hike.
"That's not something we're able to do right at the moment, given the uptick in seasonal visitation already and just how busy that front desk is, until we get some more hands," park spokesperson Karen Henker told Axios ([link removed]) .
After public outcry, the Trump administration backpedaled and announced it would hire up to 7,700 seasonal employees ([link removed]) at the Park Service, and is restoring terminated employees due to a court order ([link removed]) . But that re-hiring process is taking time, leaving parks understaffed as tourism season begins.
Elon Musk's chaos stretches across the West as well:
* DOGE announced it would vacate the headquarters and maintenance facility ([link removed]) for Arizona's Montezuma Castle and Tuzigoot National Monuments;
* At a Bureau of Land Management office in the Mountain West, employees returning to the office were told to not use video conferencing ([link removed]) to support field activities;
* A different BLM site had to ask the agency head to buy toilet paper ([link removed]) because government credit cards were capped at $1.
** Quick hits
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Resolution backing Utah's land grab gets no support in Montana legislature
Missoula Current ([link removed])
Idaho House calls for takeover of national wildlife refuge; introduces redundant wildfire bill
Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed]) | KTVB ([link removed])
Colorado study suggests proximity to oil and gas wells increases childhood leukemia risk
CPR News ([link removed])
Treating oilfield wastewater requires so much energy the industry wants to boil it on nuclear reactors
Inside Climate News ([link removed])
BLM claims Trump solar permitting pause is over, but developers haven't seen it
Heatmap ([link removed])
Opinion: Nevada's public lands must not be a casualty of housing crunch
Las Vegas Sun ([link removed])
Oregon timber sale pushed to Earth Day, protests and lawsuits follow
OPB News ([link removed])
New thermal vent grabs attention in Yellowstone
Associated Press ([link removed]) | Sacramento Bee ([link removed]) | Popular Science ([link removed]) | SFGate ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Children all the way out to 13 kilometers [8.1 miles] – if they have a lot of oil and gas development around them, are at an increased risk for childhood leukemia, with children within 5 kilometers [3.1 miles] bearing the greatest risk.”
—Lisa McKenzie, associate professor at the Colorado School of Public Health, CPR News ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@mypubliclands ([link removed])
Spring is in the air! 🌷
As the days grow longer and temperatures rise, nature begins to wake up -- bringing with it a new generation of wildlife.
One of the earliest breeders in North America is the great horned owl, a powerful and adaptable raptor that starts nesting as early as January in some regions. We play a crucial role in maintaining healthy habitats for these incredible birds. 🦉
By preserving forests, woodlands, and open spaces, we ensure that great horned owls, and countless other wildlife species, have safe places to nest and raise their young.
📸 Great horned owls and babies in a cactus nest
@ArizonaPublicLands ([link removed])
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