Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Nominee’s withdrawal leaves Bureau of Reclamation leaderless during Colorado River negotiations
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Monday, September 29, 2025
Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River in Arizona, Charles Wang/Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])
In June, President Donald Trump nominated Ted Cooke to lead the Bureau of Reclamation, the federal agency that manages the Colorado River. But Cooke’s nomination was withdrawn abruptly before a Senate confirmation hearing, due to “inconsistencies” in his background check. In an interview with Colorado Politics ([link removed]) , Cooke called the decision “feckless” and politically motivated.
“It was a made-up thing to embarrass you to make you go away quietly,” Cooke said ([link removed]) . “The real issue is Upper Basin politicians lobbied by their constituents that they don’t want an Arizonan making decisions on the Colorado River.”
The timing is disastrous for the Bureau of Reclamation to be without leadership: the seven Colorado River Basin states have until November 11 to agree on a new Colorado River management plan to replace the 2007 guidelines that expire in 2026. Negotiations are currently stalled as both the Upper and Lower River Basin states rejected the Bureau of Reclamation's proposed alternatives.
Former national park superintendents urge Trump administration to close parks in case of shutdown
Forty former superintendents sent a letter ([link removed]) to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Friday arguing that national park units should be closed in the case of a government shutdown. The letter argues that the decision to keep parks open during previous shutdowns resulted in vandalism, destroyed wildlife habitat, and safety risks for visitors.
“We don’t leave museums open without curators, or airports without air traffic controllers and we should not leave our National Parks open without NPS employees,” said Emily Thompson ([link removed]) , the executive director of the Coalition to Protect America National Parks.
** Quick hits
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Former national park superintendents urge Trump administration to close parks in case of shutdown
Associated Press ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | San Francisco Chronicle ([link removed]) | Los Angeles Times ([link removed]) | Outside ([link removed]) | Deseret News ([link removed]) | National Parks Traveler
([link removed])
Trump administration plans mass cuts to National Park Service, public land agencies
Wes Siler's Newsletter ([link removed])
BLM signals it may reopen Utah off-highway vehicle trails
E&E News ([link removed]) | KSL ([link removed])
Judge says federal workers' firing was illegal, but it's too late now
NPR ([link removed])
‘Wild for Good’ report highlights Colorado public lands under threat
Denver Post ([link removed]) | Rocky Mountain Community Radio ([link removed])
Trump administration plans to close unknown number of U.S. Forest Service offices in Alaska
Alaska Beacon ([link removed])
Trump rollback of rule for public lands—including 13,000 square miles in Colorado—would reduce conservation role
Denver Post ([link removed])
Trump is setting the national parks up to fail
The Atlantic ([link removed]) | MSN ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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”
Part of what we do is making sure that our kids will be able to experience the same thing, that we’re protecting these places responsibly for the next generation. We are losing the ability to do that.”
—Anonymous park ranger, The Atlantic ([link removed])
** Picture This
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[link removed]
@usinterior ([link removed])
Larch madness! In @ncascadesnps ([link removed]) , western larch and subalpine larch transform the mountains each fall. These unusual conifers are deciduous, which means they have needles like evergreens but turn bright gold and drop them each autumn.
From late September into mid October, larches glow against a backdrop of rugged peaks and clear waters. Their golden light marks the final blaze of fall before snow and winter quiet settle over the high country.
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