Weekly News Roundup: Defending Mountain Lion Habitat and more!
Large urban development in California is diminishing mountain lion habitat. In the Santa Monica Mountains, mountain lions are being forced to cross heavily trafficked highways to navigate around their habitat. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to defend these mountain lions! By urging President Obama to use his authority to designate the San Gabriel Mountains as […]
My Public Lands Story
Guest post by Hayley Connolly-Newman On September 27th, thousands of people from across the country celebrated National Public Lands Day. In Montana, public lands enthusiasts joined rallies, volunteered on various public lands improvement projects, and took advantage of free access by spending time on public lands, whether hunting or hiking. Last month also kicked off […]
Roll Up Your Sleeves for America’s Lands
This Saturday, folks across the country will be celebrating National Public Lands Day by taking to the streets (and by streets, I mean forests, trails, mountains, lakes, streams, and rivers) to revel in America’s shared backyard. As the largest volunteer day for America’s public lands, it’s an ideal opportunity to give back. Projects range from […]
Celebrating 50 Years of American Wilderness
On September 3rd we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness Act and this week, folks in DC are continuing that celebration in the only way we know how: by asking members of Congress to continue to put this legislation to work. Wilderness designation is the pinnacle of landscape conservation; it provides […]
The Economics of Public Lands
The over 640 million acres of federal public land benefit wildlife, recreation enthusiasts, and local residents every single day. They provide wildlife habitat, drinking water, and opportunities to challenge ourselves in the outdoors. Despite these many values, some state legislatures and members of Congress think that public lands are little more than a real estate deal […]
HUNT Act Would Open Locked Public Lands
Recreating outdoors—whether you fish, hunt, hike, camp, or all of the above—is not only a ton of fun, it’s also good for you. There is considerable evidence the exercise involved with these activities, coupled with the de-stressing benefits of being in nature, promote physical and mental health. For a majority of Americans, participating in their […]
Coloradans Want Browns Canyon to be the Next National Monument
For Bill Dvorak, permanent protection for southern Colorado’s Browns Canyon has been a long time coming. Dvorak is the National Wildlife Federation’s public lands organizer in Colorado He’s also one of the best-known outfitters in the state and has been leading fishing and rafting trips down the Arkansas River since the early 1980s. Some of the […]
Smart Renewable Energy on Public Lands
Guest post by Hayley Connolly-Newman Earlier this month, the EPA issued guidelines which would reduce coal generated power in each state by 6 percent over the next 15 years. This would give states the opportunity to reduce carbon emission amounts by choosing from other types of energy such as natural gas or renewable resources to […]
Take a Stand for Public Lands
This is the time of year when I spend my weekends in the National Forest on Oregon’s north coast. I am in search of elk. Come November, Oregon’s western rifle season is a mere four days in length, which gives me 361 days to prepare. There is a calm anticipation that I feel hiking […]
Bright Future for Renewables on Public Lands
This week, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) auctioned off its first lease in a designated Solar Energy Zone. The Dry Lake project in Nevada is the first of 19 identified sites to be auctioned, and a shining symbol of the potential for renewable development on public lands. Congress can build on this momentum and give another […]