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Hours before a congressional field hearing on renewing the Great American Outdoors Act, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a secretarial order to significantly limit the effectiveness of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), one of the cornerstones of the law that President Trump signed in 2020.
"It’s not just a policy mistake—it’s a betrayal of the values that GAOA represents," LWCF Coalition spokesperson Amy Lindholm told National Parks Traveler.
Burgum's order creates "more red tape and more restrictions" on LWCF funds, according to Ellen Montgomery of Environment America. LWCF advocates noted that the order tries to limit the rights of private property owners by giving state governors veto power over land sales for conservation.
Just before Burgum signed the LWCF order, the Keep Parks Public campaign held a community gathering in Jackson, Wyoming urging Congress to renew the other cornerstone of the Great American Outdoors Act, the Legacy Restoration Fund. Speakers at the event decried the Trump administration's firing of thousands of employees across the National Park Service, Forest Service, and other land management agencies, and urged Congress to fully fund America's parks.
“Being terminated from my wilderness ranger job with the Forest Service obviously makes the issue personal to me, but this should feel personal to everyone,” said Peggie dePasquale, a former Forest Service Ranger in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. ”These places belong to all Americans and reversing the recent staffing cuts needs to be a shared priority if we have any hope in getting boots back on ground.”
The House Natural Resources Committee will hold its field hearing on the Legacy Restoration Fund and "modernizing" parks at 10:00 am Mountain Time today inside the Jenny Lake Visitor Center at Grand Teton National Park.
Forest Service antagonist lands temp job at Interior as DOGE operative exits under ethical cloud
Secretary Burgum appointed Michael Boren as the Interior department's new acting assistant secretary for policy, management, and budget on Thursday. Boren is also awaiting Senate confirmation as the Department of Agriculture undersecretary in charge of the Forest Service.
Boren has a long history of conflict on public lands and no experience working at land management agencies. In June, the New York Times published a detailed account of Boren’s construction of an airstrip on his ranch located inside a national recreation area. At the time, Boren told the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that he was flattening the land “to eliminate gopher holes and weeds.” In 2020, the Department of Justice sought a restraining order against Boren after his helicopter flew near a Forest Service trail in what the Forest Service believed was an attempt to intimidate Forest Service employees.
Boren replaces DOGE operative Tyler Hassen, who announced he is leaving the Interior department amidst allegations that he may have owned prohibited stocks, particularly the mining company Albemarle, as he oversaw massive layoffs and buyouts across the department.
Public Domain reports that Hassen was replaced two days after Reps. Jared Huffman and Maxine Dexter sent a letter to Burgum asking for all of Hassen's financial disclosures and any ethics waivers.
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We cannot address the maintenance backlog in America’s national parks while leaders in Congress like Bruce Westerman sit silent as President Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum keep firing the very people who care for our public lands. Our message is simple: Renew the Legacy Restoration Fund that was created by the Great American Outdoors Act and rehire the rangers, land managers, and scientists who were fired and forced to quit!”
