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


** Utah conservation leaders join campaign to Keep Parks Public
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Friday, August 22, 2025
Keep Parks Public event at Fisher Brewing in Salt Lake City, CWP photo.

Leaders from Utah conservation groups and the Center for Western Priorities called on the Trump administration ([link removed]) , Congress, and Utah politicians to stop the attacks and attempts to defund and privatize America’s parks and public lands.

At a live taping of The Landscape podcast ([link removed]) , the Keep Parks Public ([link removed]) tour highlighted the ongoing threats to Utah’s public lands. In Utah, federal staffing and funding cuts have negatively impacted ([link removed]) both national parks and national forests. Park visitors face closures, long lines, and degraded services. Forests risk reduced wildfire readiness and deteriorating infrastructure, all while gateway communities like Moab brace for economic fallout.

These attacks on our public lands are likely to get worse, as President Trump’s proposed 2026 budget would cut National Park Service funding by 36 percent, or $1.2 billion, and U.S. Forest Service funding by 35 percent, or $1.6 billion. These cuts would lead to a 30 percent drop in National Park Service staff and a 40 percent drop in Forest Service staff, according to the Center for American Progress ([link removed]) . Hollowing out the agencies that manage national public lands helps bolster Utah officials’ argument that the federal government cannot adequately manage public lands, making it easier for the state to take control of public lands—which would ultimately lead to a loss of access to public lands across the state.

“Whether it's attempts to sell off public lands, open them up to more extractive development, or hamstring the efforts of the federal agencies that manage these remarkable places, the intent is clear: dismantling a core part of Utah and the American West’s identity, economy, and way of life,” said Scott Braden ([link removed]) , executive director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

The Keep Parks Public tour wraps up in Grand Junction, Colorado ([link removed]) tonight with another live taping of The Landscape podcast!


** Quick hits
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Cows, hikers, and mountain bikers coexist at this California national monument

Smithsonian Magazine ([link removed])

One of the world’s tallest trees is burning. Why can’t firefighters put it out?

Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | People ([link removed])

Congressional budget bill ends public land payments to counties

Center for American Progress ([link removed])

What is the legacy of Yellowstone wolves 30 years after their reintroduction?

NPR ([link removed])

When federal cuts threatened trails, these groups stepped up

Outside ([link removed])

As fires rage on Colorado’s Western Slope, some worry about the region’s radioactive history

Colorado Sun ([link removed])

Montana forestry experts push back against consolidation

Missoula Current ([link removed])

Public lands coalition warns of effects from federal cuts in Arizona

Axios Phoenix ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” America’s public lands are under attack from every angle, thanks to anti-public lands members of Congress and the Trump administration. Even as a public lands expert and conservation advocate, it’s hard to keep track of the onslaught of destructive policies, funding cuts, and firings threatening the very existence of our public lands right now.”

—Kate Groetzinger, communications manager at the Center for Western Priorities ([link removed])


** Picture This
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[link removed]

@saguaronationalpark ([link removed])
Debuting colors of orange and green are so in right now, just ask the barrel cactus! Mid-to-late August is the time to go see a variety of barrel cactus species blooming, which can be found in screaming colors of orange, yellow, pink, and red. If you decide to seek out these showy desert flowers, make sure you are ready for it by:

❤️‍🔥 Checking the weather! Summer monsoon storms can build quickly, and conditions may be treacherous. You may need to come in with the rain.
❤️‍🔥 Beat the Heat! Our desert adapted plants and animals may tolerate it, but when temperatures are above 100, you should finish your hike before 10:00 am.
❤️‍🔥 Staying on designated trails! The desert landscape can quickly look like a labyrinth, and it is easy to get lost. Staying on trail will prevent you from being exiled.

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