Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Public lands, wildlife agencies look to volunteers to fill gaps
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Monday, August 11, 2025
Scientists conduct wetland monitoring on the Flathead National Forest in Montana, Forest Service Northern Region via Flickr ([link removed])

As the Trump administration and Congress are pushing through drastic cuts to national public land management agencies, volunteers and local businesses across the West have been filling in the gaps. But agency staff and volunteers alike agree that it's not a sustainable long-term solution. With limited experience and expertise, and without the authority to do things like issue permits or enforce laws, there's only so much volunteers can do.

"Volunteers are valuable, but they’re no substitute for agency personnel," Josh Hicks, director of conservation campaigns for The Wilderness Society, told High Country News ([link removed]) . Even with volunteer support, projects still need agency staff to organize and direct volunteer work. "They don’t have the staff in many areas to do the monitoring to get volunteers plugged in," Hicks said ([link removed]) . "It’s an absolute mess out there."

Keep Parks Public campaign launches this Wednesday in Denver

The Trump administration is cutting funding for our most cherished places, removing vital public lands workers, and trying to sell off Americans’ public lands to pay for tax cuts for billionaires—all at the expense of public access. We're launching the Keep Parks Public ([link removed]) campaign with a road trip across the West to highlight attacks on our public lands and fight back. We’ll be hosting on-the-ground events and inviting local leaders, public lands advocates, former federal employees, and others to share their perspective and examples of how communities are being impacted and how members of the public can support efforts to protect public lands. Join us for the kick-off event ([link removed]) this Wednesday, August 13th in Denver, or check the tour schedule ([link removed]) for an event near you. You can also follow the campaign on Instagram ([link removed]) .


** Quick hits
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After defeating a senator’s plan to sell public land, a unified coalition of Colorado advocates keeps up the fight

Colorado Sun ([link removed])

Leading county supremacy advocate now a high-ranking Interior official

Southern Poverty Law Center ([link removed])

Idaho state legislator to propose constitutional amendment protecting public lands

Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed])

Stock growers will join corner-crossing pleadings in Supreme Court

WyoFile ([link removed])

Jaguar spotted in southern Arizona, stoking concern over border wall

Arizona Daily Star ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])

Conservation groups ask BLM to reverse approval of drilling near Ash Meadows

Nevada Current ([link removed])

‘Erasure of years of work’: Outcry as Trump admin moves to open Arctic reserve to oil and gas drilling

The Guardian ([link removed])

'Major milestone': Rare animal reintroduced to California national park

SFGATE ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” It’s where I healed when I came back from deploying overseas. It’s wide-open and you can be all alone. On public lands every man is a king, and it is the only place in the world you can do that. It’s because it belongs to you, and it belongs to all of us.”

—Idaho State Senator Ben Adams, Idaho Capital Sun ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
Pikas are built differently.

These alpine fluffballs don’t mess around. While other animals hibernate, pikas spend summer racing to stash wildflowers and grasses into “haypiles” to survive the winter.

Photo by Heather Plotkin

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