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


** Tribes, conservation groups join legal fight to protect Chuckwalla
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Tuesday, August 12, 2025
The Chuckwalla Mountains, BLM California via Flickr ([link removed])

In May, the pro-motorized recreation Blue Ribbon Coalition, along with a man alleging to hold a valid mining claim within Chuckwalla National Monument, filed a lawsuit challenging President Joe Biden's use of the Antiquities Act to designate the monument. The Blue Ribbon Coalition was highlighted in a Center for Western Priorities report, The National Monuments Disinformation Brigade ([link removed]) , that identifies groups that spread disinformation about national monument designations. On Monday, a coalition of several Tribes and the Native American Rights Fund f ([link removed]) iled a motion to intervene ([link removed]) in the case "to protect and defend their interests in the monument." In filing to intervene, the various
organizations pointed to their years-long efforts to identify and document the resources in need of protection and to shape the monument's boundaries.

"For years, we worked with our neighbors across southeastern California to get this monument designation," said ([link removed]) Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians Chair Joseph Mirelez. "For the Torres Martinez, the region embodies our people’s origin stories, cultural traditions, and spiritual practices. We are committed to protecting Chuckwalla."

A number of conservation groups have also filed to intervene. "Chuckwalla National Monument is beloved, broadly supported across the political spectrum, and fundamental to our shared history," said ([link removed]) Chance Wilcox, California Desert program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. "We must defend it fiercely, ensuring that future generations can connect with and cherish this extraordinary landscape."

What’s next for Utah after SCOTUS snub and Mike Lee flame-out?

What the heck is Utah up to now that it’s land grab lawsuit has been snubbed by the Supreme Court and Senator Mike Lee has made public land sell-off untouchable in Congress? In the latest episode ([link removed]) of the Center for Western Priorities podcast, The Landscape ([link removed]) , Kate and Aaron put that question to John Ruple, a Professor of Law and Stegner Center Fellow at the University of Utah, and Steve Bloch, legal director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.


** Quick hits
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Trump admin greenlights 14.5 million-ton coal expansion in Wyoming

WyoFile ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])

Burgum commits U.S. Park Police to Trump’s D.C. crackdown

E&E News ([link removed])

Tribal nations scramble to save clean energy projects as federal support vanishes

Grist ([link removed])

A gasoline spill raised alarms about Animas River impacts. The risk is small, but not gone

Colorado Sun ([link removed])

Oregon's first chemical-process gold mine proposal raises groundwater depletion, contamination concerns

OPB ([link removed])

Opinion: Trump is turning the U.S. into a doddering industrial giant

New York Times ([link removed])

Something's trampling the land in Big Bend National Park—and it's not tourists

Chron ([link removed])

Opinion: Inside the hidden plan to destroy our national parks behind clean bathrooms

More Than Just Parks ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” Ten years ago, I would have told you that National Park Service lands are untouchable. Every day, I think we're one news cycle away from losing park land.”

—Marco Paredes, former trespass livestock coordinator at Big Bend National Park, Chron ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
Friend shaped, yes. But don’t let this sweet face fool you—the American marten can be aggressive and territorial. These carnivorous mammals have short legs and curved claws that help them climb trees and chase prey, like squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits.

Photo by A. Falgoust / NPS

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