** Explore America's National Trails System
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Thursday, November 18, 2021
Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, California. Photo by Bob Wick, BLM (retired) ([link removed])

Yesterday was National Hiking Day ([link removed]) , an excellent reminder to appreciate the value of America's National Trails System. ([link removed]) The system encompasses more than 88,000 miles ([link removed]) , and is divided into National Scenic Trails, National Historic Trails, and National Recreation Trails.

For more than 50 years ([link removed]) , America’s National Trail system has protected our natural and cultural heritage and provided access for people to spend time outdoors. From the Pacific Crest Trail to a neighborhood bikeway, trails are cornerstones of Western communities and local economies.

National Trail designations help land managers acquire land to connect these iconic pathways and ensure the public can have greater access. These trails provide a range of benefits ([link removed]) , boosting economies, improving physical and mental health, and connecting communities. These landscapes also face a range of threats, from overcrowding to development. You can make a difference by using, volunteering, and supporting your local trails.

You can also explore the history and benefits of the many types of trails by checking out this interactive storymap ([link removed]) and listening to stories from people who enjoy using the different trails in the system and volunteer to maintain them. The storymap is part of the Center for Western Priorities' Road to 30: Postcards ([link removed]) campaign, a multimedia series telling the stories of everyday Americans and the places they want to conserve for future generations. You can watch the trailer ([link removed]) for the series, and visit www.RoadTo30.org/postcards ([link removed]) to learn more.


** Oil companies bid on 1.7 million acres—an area larger than Delaware
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The Biden administration offered more than 80 million acres ([link removed]) for offshore drilling to oil companies in yesterday's lease sale. ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, and others purchased the rights to drill on some 1.7 million acres ([link removed]) —an area larger than the state of Delaware. Center for Western Priorities Policy Director Jesse-Prentice-Dunn said in response to the sale ([link removed]) , “After President Biden and Secretary Haaland traveled to Glasgow to assert America’s leadership on climate, they have now released a carbon bomb in the Gulf of Mexico. Right now, companies are still producing oil offshore on leases granted in the 1940’s. That means the impacts of this lease sale will be measured
not in years, but in generations."
Quick hits


** National parks to get more green transit options
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Associated Press ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Resident grizzly bear family gets busted in Missoula
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Missoulian ([link removed])


** Prison inmates are helping fight Colorado wildfires
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Colorado Public Radio ([link removed])


** Signs of hope for California's monarch butterfly migration
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Explore America's National Trails System
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Center for Western Priorities ([link removed])


** Oil companies bid on 1.7 million acres—an area larger than Delaware
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HuffPost ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed]) | Washington Post ([link removed]) | CNBC ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | NPR ([link removed])


** Rep. Gosar removed from House Natural Resources Committee for video espousing violence
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Editorial: Protect Chaco now and in the future
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Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])
Quote of the day
For tribal nations, having a voice as the federal government manages public lands—places where tribes have deep roots—is a sign of respect that is long overdue. In many cases, these lands have significance not just to tribes and the United States, but to the world. Chaco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site."
—Santa Fe New Mexican Editorial Board ([link removed])
Picture this


** @USFWSRefuges ([link removed])
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Central New Mexico is a major sandhill crane migration route. Thousands of the birds winter at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge through mid-February. The refuge is celebrating them this week with a virtual Crane Fiesta 2021: [link removed] ([link removed]) Photo: Jessie Jobs/@USFWS ([link removed])

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