** June, in brief
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Utah Senator Mike Lee. Source: @SenMikeLee ([link removed])


** Key news from June:
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* Utah Senator Mike Lee withdrew his controversial provision to sell public lands for development following widespread backlash from communities ([link removed]) , hunters ([link removed]) , ranchers ([link removed]) , and members ([link removed]) of his own party. His original proposal to sell up to 3.2 million acres of Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service land to private developers was flagged ([link removed]) for violating Senate rules, and all his subsequent attempt
([link removed]) s ([link removed]) to sell public lands faced insurmountable opposition ([link removed]) . “The Trump administration and anti-public lands lawmakers should take note,” said ([link removed]) Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala. “Clearly, selling off public lands is opposed by the vast majority of voters across the political spectrum and across the country.”
* The Trump administration announced plans ([link removed]) to repeal the 2001 Roadless Rule, which protects nearly 60 million acres of designated roadless areas of National Forest System lands from logging and ecosystem destruction. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins framed ([link removed]) the announcement as a way to preserve forests from devastating wildfires and to sustain the health of forests and grasslands, even though fire ecologists have said ([link removed]) that logging does not prevent wildfires.
* President Donald Trump signed an executive order ([link removed]) requiring a consolidation of several wildland firefighting programs, despite warnings ([link removed]) from former federal officials that it could be costly and increase the risk of catastrophic wildfires heading into peak season. Firefighting efforts are currently split among five agencies and two cabinet departments—Interior and Agriculture. The order aims to centralize these efforts, which would require shifting thousands of personnel from the Forest Service to this new agency with wildfire season already underway. “This executive order is nothing more than a performative gesture that will cause chaos just as wildfire risk is ramping up in the West,” said
([link removed]) Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss.
* The U.S. Department of Justice released an opinion ([link removed]) arguing that presidents have the power to undo national monuments under the 1906 Antiquities Act, going against an almost 100-year-old interpretation of the bedrock conservation law. The White House specifically asked ([link removed]) the office to examine whether President Donald Trump could revoke former President Joe Biden's proclamations creating Chuckwalla ([link removed]) and Sáttítla Highlands ([link removed]) national monuments in California, both of which were protected at the request of Native American Tribes. Lanora Pettit,
the opinion's author, wrote ([link removed]) , “We think that the President can, and we should.” This position is a strong departure from a 1938 Justice Department opinion, which found that presidential monument designations are irrevocable and unchangeable.


** What to watch for in July:
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* Will Trump nominate a new BLM director?

From the Center for Western Priorities:


** Report: Western Oil and Gas Spills Report 2024
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[link removed]
Each year, the Center for Western Priorities analyzes oil and gas spills data collected by Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming—the West’s top oil and gas-producing states. This year’s report ([link removed]) found there were at least 2,709 drilling-related spills in 2024 in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming (combined). These spills contained at least 7 million gallons of crude oil and other hazardous liquids.
Read the report ([link removed])
[link removed]


** Lawmakers are quietly trying to hand over millions of acres of public land to oil and gas companies ([link removed])
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The oil and gas industry will be able to lock up over 200 million acres of public lands under current Senate budget bill

[link removed]

Kate and Aaron talk to ([link removed]) writer, photographer, and adventurer Josh Jackson about his new book, The Enduring Wild ([link removed]) , which beautifully captures the variety and vastness of California’s public lands—with a particular focus on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Josh is also the man behind the @forgottenlandsproject ([link removed]) Instagram account, which he uses to share photos and stories of “forgotten” BLM lands in California, and soon, Nevada. Kate and Aaron also break down the public land sell-off and Roadless Rule repeal news.

[link removed]

Kate and Aaron talk to ([link removed]) experts at the National Parks Conservation Association about illegal mining inside of Mojave National Preserve and a recent uptick in mining claims on public lands, including those near national parks.

[link removed]

Trump’s Department of Justice released an opinion stating that the Antiquities Act gives presidents the power to shrink or eliminate national monuments at will. But what does that mean, for example, if Trump tries to undo Chuckwalla National Monument or shrink Bears Ears? Will this DOJ opinion stand up in court? We put those questions and more ([link removed]) to John Leshy, professor at UC Law and former Solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior under President Clinton.
Best Reads of the Month


** National park visitors slam Burgum instead of reporting 'negative' signage
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SFGate ([link removed])


** Column: Mike Lee flails as his public land sale triggers firestorm
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Public Domain ([link removed])


** Opinion: As Antiquities Act turns 119, Tribal nations face new threats on sacred sites
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Native News Online ([link removed])


** Trump administration says it will move to allow mining near Boundary Waters, after Congress pulls back
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MPR News ([link removed]) | Duluth News Tribune ([link removed])


** US Forest Service chief asks wildfire employees who took voluntary resignation to ‘come back’
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Vail Daily ([link removed])


** Trump is freeing up public lands for Big Oil. It doesn’t want them
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New Republic ([link removed])


** Congress could sell off public land in Colorado: Here's what's on the chopping block
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9NEWS ([link removed])


** Historic land deal ends controversial mining fight near Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | Florida Phoenix ([link removed]) | Atlanta Journal-Constitution ([link removed]) | WABE ([link removed])


** Public land sale a ‘frontal assault on Tribal treaty rights’
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High Country News ([link removed])


** Rinella: Will Trump keep public lands in public hands?
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The Free Press ([link removed])


**
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Quote of the month


** “If we [preserve public lands], we’ll be able to bequeath the legacy of democratically held land to our great-grandchildren from a generation that loves them and wants them to enjoy what is rightfully theirs.”
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** —Rod Miller, lifetime Wyoming resident, WyoFile ([link removed])
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Picture this
[link removed]
@yellowstonenps ([link removed])

"I'm a mommy."
"... Mommy? Mamacita?"
"No, I'm a mommy."
"A mom of what? A dog?"

One elk calf, actually. Cow (female) elk might appear very docile and sweet with their babies, but don't let that fool you! Cow elk are much more aggressive toward people during calving season and may run toward you or kick, even if unprovoked. If you are hoping to watch elk during your upcoming visit, stay alert and give them space. It's your responsibility to maintain a safe viewing distance of at least 25 yards (23 meters), or the length of two full-sized buses, from these protective mamas!

Photo: A cow elk with her newborn calf in Mammoth Hot Springs.

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