Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Alaska Native community sues Interior for rolling back caribou protections
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Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Teshekpuk Caribou, Northeast National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. Photo by Bob Wick (BLM) ([link removed])
Representatives of the Inupiat village of Nuiqsut on Alaska's North Slope are suing the Trump administration ([link removed]) for canceling a program that gave protections to the Teshekpuk Lake area and the caribou herd that uses it. Teshekpuk Lake is the largest lake in the Arctic region, and the surrounding area is important to its namesake caribou herd as well as migratory birds and other wild resources harvested by the region’s Indigenous people for traditional subsistence purposes.
For decades, Teshekpuk Lake and the lands adjacent to it have been protected from development to varying degrees. Now the Trump administration is seeking to open the entire area, ([link removed]) including the lake itself, to oil drilling. The lawsuit says the Trump administration's actions violate the subsistence rights ([link removed]) of the region’s Indigenous people.
“Native communities in northern Alaska have relied on subsistence uses of natural resources since their ancestors crossed the Bering Strait thousands of years ago,” the complaint says ([link removed]) . “The Iñupiat people’s physical and cultural survival depends on the continued harvest of natural resources.”
** Quick hits
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Alaska Native Community sues Interior for violating caribou protections
Alaska Beacon ([link removed])
'It's sick'—climate activist responds to Trump's use of AI-generated coal mascot
The Guardian ([link removed])
Flooding revives wetlands suffering 'ecosystem collapse' in Rocky Mountain National Park
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Analysis: Lower royalty rates for oil and gas leasing hurt taxpayers
E&E News ([link removed])
Court questions Arizona lawmakers' right to contest monument
Bloomberg Law ([link removed]) | Courthouse News ([link removed])
Survey shows 72% of Idaho voters oppose Trump's BLM nominee
Idaho Mountain Express ([link removed])
Feds delay finalizing grizzly bear plans until December
WyoFile ([link removed]) | KHOL ([link removed]) | Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])
Opinion: Colorado River Basin states are in denial of looming crisis over a century in the making
New York Times ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” As climate change plunges us deeper into the mass extinction event that we are all living through, and more of my friends and neighbors get sick and die as a direct result of the activities of the coal industry, I will continue to be haunted by Coalie’s twisted grin and uncanny eyes.”
—Junior Walk, an activist at Coal River Mountain Watch, The Guardian ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usgs ([link removed])
Wetlands are the unsung heroes of Earth’s ecosystems! 🌿💧🦆
Fun fact: Wetlands only cover about 6% of the Earth’s land surface but support 40% of all plant and animal species.
Wetlands (swamps, marshes, bogs) are some of the most productive and valuable ecosystems on Earth. As nature’s powerhouses, they:
💧 Improve water quality by filtering runoff and absorbing excess nutrients.
🛡️ Act as storm buffers, protecting coastal communities by reducing flood damage and acting as a buffer against storm surges.
🐟 Provide essential food, refuge, and nursery habitat for commercially and recreationally important species.
🚣♂️ Offer recreational opportunities like boating, hiking, hunting, fishing, kayaking, and wildlife/bird watching.
Small in size, wetlands make a huge difference for water, wildlife, and communities.
📷: A wetland area by Boulder Mountain, Utah, on a cloudy day in the fall, with autumn colors in the trees. Photo Credit: Shannon Lencioni, USGS.
#WorldWetlandsDay ([link removed]) #Wetlands ([link removed]) #WaterScience ([link removed])
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