Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Trump administration takes aim at wildlife refuges
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Monday, January 5, 2026
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico; Source: Kristina Lauer/sharetheexperience.org ([link removed])
The Trump administration has ordered ([link removed]) a comprehensive review of all 573 wildlife refuges and 71 fish hatcheries managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Critics say issuing the directive just before Christmas with initial reports due today ([link removed]) , January 5, constitutes a deliberate attempt to bypass ([link removed]) public scrutiny around an effort to justify dismantling the country's refuge system. The order was posted on a USFWS website but was not announced ([link removed]) to the press.
The order ([link removed]) specifically calls for the identification of “refuges or hatcheries established for a purpose that no longer aligns with the mission” of the agency and for “opportunities to achieve efficiencies in the areas of governance, oversight, and span of control”—language that experts say is a blueprint ([link removed]) for public land sell-offs and more layoffs. The USFWS has already lost ([link removed]) at least 18 percent of its staff under the second Trump administration.
“Anyone who has spent time in the corporate world knows that when leadership begins talking about 'achieving efficiencies,' it can only mean one thing: it’s time to start polishing your resume because layoffs are undoubtedly coming,” public lands reporter Christopher Keyes writes in Re:Public. ([link removed]) Meanwhile, a former federal employee told columnist Wes Siler ([link removed]) , “this very likely seems like coded language for identifying refuges and hatcheries to eliminate.”
The final review, due February 15, will include ([link removed]) a “detailed narrative of the results of their review,” and a “list of actionable recommendations with associated necessary actions required for implementation.”
Top official's spouse profited from permit issued by Interior
Senior Interior Department official Karen Budd-Falen failed to disclose ([link removed]) that her husband received a $3.5 million water-rights contract in 2018 from the developer of the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada, according to records obtained by the New York Times ([link removed]) . The deal was inked during the first Trump administration, while Budd-Falen was the deputy solicitor responsible for wildlife. She returned to the agency last year and is now the associate deputy secretary, the third highest-ranking position at Interior. Federal ethics rules require disclosure of such potential conflicts, but Budd-Falen did not list the contract ([link removed]) in her filings.
** Quick hits
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Wolves, long feared and reviled, may actually be lifesavers
Washington Post ([link removed])
Everything the Trump administration did to America’s public lands in 2025
More Than Just Parks ([link removed])
Conservation groups voice opposition to Fulcher federal public lands letter
Idaho State Journal ([link removed])
Opinion: Trump’s BLM nominee threatens Arizona’s public lands
Arizona Mirror ([link removed])
Trump may give 775 acres of a federal wildlife refuge to SpaceX
New York Times ([link removed])
Montana lawmakers seek to strip protections for 100,000 acres of potential wilderness
Montana Public Radio ([link removed])
Opinion: Congressional Review Act enables lawmakers to meddle in public lands
Missoula Current ([link removed])
Texas and Florida look to increase funding for parks and public land
New York Times ([link removed]) | Environment America ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” We’re in uncharted territory now. The safeguards failed faster than anyone expected. Institutions that were supposed to absorb stress and hold the line collapsed under pressure. What remains is fragile, contested, and under constant assault.”
—Jim Pattiz, More Than Just Parks ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@greatsanddunesnps ([link removed])
Each year, Great Sand Dunes employees can submit photos to be considered for the park's next annual pass, with the winner chosen by employee vote. We are highlighting these submissions over several weeks to help share a ranger's view of the park. This post's photos were taken by Ranger Jason.
NPS photos/Jason Saiz
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