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 […]
Time to Go On Offense to Protect Our Cherished Public Lands
Unlike most every other country, America has a huge backyard. The federal public lands of the western United States are the equivalent of a giant commons that everyone can enjoy. Whether you’re a New Englander sightseeing in the Grand Canyon while on vacation or a Wyoming resident fishing the backcountry of your home state, western […]
Wildlife Funding Diverted to Fight Wildfires
Just last month, fire crews rescued a group of wolf pups from the almost 200,000 acre Funny River Fire in Alaska. Firefighters found the puppies in the blaze after hearing them yipping, and they are now being cared for at the Alaska Zoo. Large wildfires can directly impact the wildlife that depend on our public lands and open spaces […]
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument: Established From the Grassroots Up
People from all backgrounds and political leanings have really put the “public” in “public lands” in New Mexico. For more than a decade, ranchers, business owners, church and civic leaders, Native Americans, sportsmen and women, wildlife advocates, hikers, campers, politicians and many others have built support from the ground up for establishing the Organ Mountains-Desert […]
Today is Kids to Parks Day!
Where I grew up, in the suburbs of New York City, we didn’t have easy access to what everyone thinks of as America’s iconic parks—getting to Yellowstone or Yosemite required a long plane ride, and we were much more likely to run into a squirrel in our backyard than a bison or an antelope. But […]
Montana supports Public Lands and Renewable Energy
Guest post by Hayley Connolly-Newman This week, Senator John Walsh signed on as co-sponsor of the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act (S. 279). This demonstrates several things to Montanans. First, Sen. Walsh supports smart development of renewable energy in our wind rich state. Montana is ranked 2nd for wind energy potential, which requires Montanans to […]
What’s Good for the Grouse is Good for the Grandeur … and Big Game Hunting
Due to its decreased numbers and status as a warranted species for Endangered Species Act listing, the greater sage grouse is no longer a popular game species. Some Western states do still offer very limited hunts on sage grouse, but in general, when it comes to hunting, it’s about the importance of sage grouse habitat for […]
New Public Lands Policies Could Mean Better On-the-Ground Practices
The National Wildlife Federation and its partners in the Sportsmen for Responsible Energy Development coalition have been urging the Interior Department to fully implement its promised reforms of oil and gas leasing on public lands since the agency announced the changes in 2010. The reforms would include more comprehensive, upfront planning – a “look-before-you-lease” approach […]
The Carbon Impact of Coal Exports
This week, NWF released an issue brief entitled “Accounting for Carbon Pollution from Coal Mining on Federal Lands” which looks at the overall carbon impact of the coal being leased and exported from public lands. In primarily western states like Wyoming and Montana, coal on public lands is leased to coal companies for mining. Increasingly, […]