** Trump admin opens protected Arctic land to development
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Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Teshekpuk Caribou roam in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska | Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])

Yesterday, Trump's Interior Department opened millions of additional acres to drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve ([link removed]) in Alaska. The decision to allow extraction from an additional 18.6 million acres ([link removed]) , an area about the size of West Virginia, comes just two weeks before President Trump is set to leave office. The new plan allows oil development on about 80 percent of the reserve and is one of the Trump administration's largest efforts (by acreage) to expand oil and gas drilling.

The decision to expand extraction scales back protected areas designed to be off-limits to development ([link removed]) and has the potential to impact wildlife and Native Alaskans who hunt caribou for food. The plan would allow leasing in the vast Teshepuk Lake, the largest lake in Arctic Alaska. The lake is an ecologically sensitive area that is a crucial breeding ground for migratory birds and caribou. The region has been recognized as valuable habitat ([link removed]) for polar bears, and the move will exacerbate climate change in the region through the burning of additional fossil fuels.

The new management plan faced substantial public opposition, including from the closest community to oil development in the area, which experiences negative public health impacts and threatened food security and cultural practices ([link removed]) due to climate change and existing development. The National Petroleum Reserve Management Plan is a continuation of the Trump administration's pattern of cutting the public out of public lands and ignoring public input. ([link removed])


** Ranchers whose case sparked standoff may get grazing rights
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On New Year's Eve the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) proposed awarding grazing allotments ([link removed]) to the Hammond family in Oregon, a ranching family whose members have been convicted of arson for setting fire to public land. Their conviction triggered the infamous right-wing extremist takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. In returning grazing rights to the family, the BLM cited the family's "past proper use of rangeland resources." ([link removed])
Quick hits


** EPA finalizes rule to limit science behind public health safeguards
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Trump administration appeals ruling barring Pendley from BLM post
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Diversifying the Forest Service through the eyes of the first African American woman forest supervisor
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Earth Island Journal ([link removed])


** What does 2021 bring for Colorado's public lands following a crowded 2020? What to watch on energy, recreation, and drought
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Daily Sentinel ([link removed]) | Denver Post ([link removed]) (crowding) ([link removed])


** Opinion: Biden needs to act to protect endangered species from extinction
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Denver Post ([link removed])


** What's ahead for Wyoming coal: potential for a small comeback but long-term decline likely
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Casper Star-Tribune ([link removed])


** As pandemic drives people outdoors, trash and graffiti build up in Zion National Park
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Deseret News ([link removed])


** From discovery to decline: A scientist’s long fight for Colorado's Gunnison sage-grouse
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Denver Post ([link removed])
Quote of the day
The new administration should start by committing to a national strategy to address the extinction crisis. That should include the goal of protecting 30% of lands and waters in the United States by 2030. These efforts will not only save species by protecting habitat, but will also safeguard our life-sustaining air and water, and allow green spaces to absorb greenhouse gases and slow the climate crisis."

—Bonnie Rice, Sierra Club Endangered Species Campaign Representative, Denver Post ([link removed])
Picture this


** @Interior ([link removed])
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Winter is an excellent time to watch for America’s national symbol. Look for bald eagles soaring overhead or perching majestically in the trees. Pic at Lake Coeur d' Alene of an eagle after a recent meal courtesy of Jake Ryan #Idaho ([link removed])

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