** March, in brief
------------------------------------------------------------
Suburban sprawl near Las Vegas, Nevada. John Krzesinski, Flickr ([link removed])


** Key news from March:
------------------------------------------------------------
* The Trump administration identified ([link removed]) 625 square miles (400,000 acres) of national public land across the West for possible sale, ostensibly to address the housing shortage. According to ([link removed]) Jon Raby, the acting director of the Bureau of Land Management, the administration is considering selling lands as far as 10 miles away from cities and towns with as few as 5,000 residents. A radius that large is a recipe for sprawl, highways, and trophy homes near national parks, not affordable housing, explained ([link removed]) Aaron Weiss of the Center for Western Priorities. The announcement came a week after the departments of Interior and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a
plan to work together to identify public land ([link removed]) that could be used to develop housing.

* President Donald Trump signed an executive order ([link removed]) directing federal agencies to find ways to bypass endangered species protections and other environmental regulations to increase timber production across 280 million acres of national forests and other public lands. Trump also called to convene a committee nicknamed the “God Squad ([link removed]) ” that can override the Endangered Species Act so that development or other projects can proceed even if they might result in an extinction of a species.

* A federal judge ordered ([link removed]) federal agencies to rehire tens of thousands of probationary employees who were fired by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The judge found the termination of probationary federal employees illegal because the Office of Personnel Management had no authority ([link removed]) to order it. The ruling ordered federal departments including Interior and the Forest Service to immediately offer all fired probationary employees their jobs back, but it does not guarantee all workers will have their jobs back permanently. Federal agencies are reportedly finalizing their “reduction in force” plans ([link removed]) , and still have the authority to
implement those plans as long as they follow the correct procedures.

* President Trump may be planning to eliminate Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands national monuments in California, according to reporting from the Washington Post ([link removed]) and the New York Times ([link removed]) . Both monuments were designated in January by President Joe Biden at the request of Native American Tribes. Due to an apparent miscommunication, the announcement was originally included in a White House fact sheet released late at night, then subsequently removed the following day. As of now, the monuments stand. “It’s telling that the president made this announcement in the middle of the night, in hopes that Americans might not notice,” said Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss in a statement
([link removed]) .

* President Trump signed an executive order ([link removed]) to prioritize mining on national public lands. While mining has long been one of the many uses of public lands, and while some minerals are important in advancing the transition to clean energy, Trump’s executive order abandons the multiple use principles required by Congress for the management of these lands. Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Rachael Hamby warns ([link removed]) that if Interior Secretary Doug Burgum successfully implements the order, it will drastically reduce access to public lands and create giant toxic messes ([link removed]) for taxpayers to clean up .


** What to watch for in April:
------------------------------------------------------------
* The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold ([link removed]) a confirmation hearing for Kathleen Sgamma on April 10.
* Admission to national parks will be free on April 19 in celebration of N ([link removed]) ational Park Week ([link removed]) .
* Earth Day is April 22.
* Will the Trump administration roll back protections for national monuments?
* Will more federal employees be fired ([link removed]) ?


** From the Center for Western Priorities:
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]


** Why is the BLM still holding lease sales in Nevada? ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
BLM director nominee Kathleen Sgamma once stated “the oil industry’s actual interest in Nevada is very small”

[link removed]


** What Trump and Burgum’s sell-out to mining companies means for national public lands ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Prioritizing mining will reduce access to public lands for outdoor recreation, degrade and destroy wildlife habitats, and create toxic messes for taxpayers to clean up

[link removed]

Kate and Aaron take a break ([link removed]) from bad news to talk about what nature does to your brain. They speak to author Florence Williams ([link removed]) about her book, The Nature Fix ([link removed]) , which came out in 2017 but is just as relevant today. Her book looks at the science behind why nature makes us feel happier, healthier, and more connected to humanity. Qualities we could all probably use a bit more of these days.
[link removed]

Kate and Aaron are joined by ([link removed]) Jimmy Tobias, a public lands reporter and contributor to the Public Domain substack ([link removed]) , and Jacob Malcom, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Environmental Management at the Interior Department, to talk about Elon Musk’s attacks on the Interior Department and its employees. Jimmy has been covering changes inside Interior since President Donald Trump took office, and Jacob chose to leave his job ([link removed]) at the Interior Department last month in response to the mass firings and changes implemented by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Best Reads of the Month


** Protesters flood national parks to express outrage over job cuts
------------------------------------------------------------

New York Times ([link removed]) | 9News ([link removed]) | BBC ([link removed]) | NBC ([link removed]) | Bozeman Daily Chronicle ([link removed]) | Moab Times-Independent ([link removed]) | KDVR ([link removed]) | San Francisco Chronicle
([link removed]) | Arizona Republic ([link removed]) | CBS Colorado ([link removed]) | Good Morning America ([link removed])


** Podcast: How DOGE cuts may affect your summer vacation
------------------------------------------------------------

The Assignment ([link removed])


** Trump officials try to hide record park visitation
------------------------------------------------------------

New York Times ([link removed]) | Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** Corner-crossing is now legal in six Western states. The ruling could have ripple effect across the country
------------------------------------------------------------

NBC Montana ([link removed]) | WyoFile ([link removed]) | Colorado Sun ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | Spokesman-Review ([link removed])


** Opinion: The places that hold our nation’s stories are not for sale
------------------------------------------------------------

Tucson Sentinel ([link removed])


** What old trees can teach us about modern wildfires
------------------------------------------------------------

Washington Post ([link removed])


** Fired public land employees tell their stories
------------------------------------------------------------

Field & Stream ([link removed])


** Rep. Raúl Grijalva remembered as 'powerful advocate' at Tucson funeral
------------------------------------------------------------

Arizona Daily Star ([link removed]) | Arizona Republic ([link removed]) | AZPM ([link removed]) | KJZZ ([link removed]) | Tucson Sentinel ([link removed])


** Butterflies in the US are disappearing at a ‘catastrophic’ rate
------------------------------------------------------------

Washington Post ([link removed])


** Trump wants to build homes on national public land. Here's what that would look like
------------------------------------------------------------

Wall Street Journal ([link removed])
Quote of the month


** “He was unwavering in his work to protect air, land and water, and to protect tribal communities. He set a constructive tone for contentious hearings. He pointed out hypocrisy when he saw it. He led things in the right way and set up the ladder for others to climb, always in the name of those who can’t stand up for themselves.”
------------------------------------------------------------


** —Former U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on the late Representative Raúl Grijalva, Arizona Daily Star ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Picture this
[link removed]


** @usinterior ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------

A crescent moon sets over the snow-covered peaks of @glaciernps ([link removed]) , casting a serene glow on the landscape.

Have a great Sunday!

Photo by Autumn Schrock

Alt Text: A snow-capped mountain reflects in a partially frozen lake at sunset, with a crescent moon hanging above the peaks.

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Copyright © 2025 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.

Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])