“Energy Dominance”: Three Years of a Disastrous Policy for Wildlife and Communities
March 2020 marked a somber anniversary. Three years ago, the Trump administration announced its so-called “energy dominance” doctrine, which, as the name implies has put energy development as the priority for our public lands. Since then, the administration has tried to lease a whopping 24.5 million acres of public land—land that is meant to be […]
Eight Wildlife Wins on our Public Lands and Waters
We share the world with wildlife and we have a responsibility to ensure that it thrives into the future. But some sobering news came earlier this year, when the United Nations issued a detailed report about the global wildlife crisis: at least one million species are now at risk of extinction unless we take drastic […]
“We want to tell our own stories”: Public Lands and Indigenous Histories
For National Public Lands Day, the National Wildlife Federation talked to Len Necefer, a member of the Navajo Nation who founded NativesOutdoors, an outdoor gear company that works with indigenous artists and athletes to further their outdoor explorations. The company also serves as a digital communication platform to encourage Native Americans to connect with public […]
Energy Dominance Misses the Mark, Damages Our Wild Public Lands
This week, Acting Secretary David Bernhardt begins confirmation hearings to officially take over the top job at the Department of the Interior, the agency responsible for stewarding our country’s wild public lands. This week also marks the two year anniversary of the short-sighted policy he champions to prioritize energy development on public lands. Polar bears […]
Women in Hunting and Fishing: Artemis
Women are the fastest growing demographic in hunting and fishing. They enter the field with a deep appreciation of our heritage and a passion to care for the wildlife and habitat of which we all are a part. Artemis, named after the Greek Goddess of the hunt and wild animals, is a National Wildlife Federation […]
Utah’s Newly Protected Wild Gems
Many of our country’s best remaining wild public lands were recently protected when the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act was signed into law. Of particular personal note for me are the Utah provisions. Utah now has more than 600,000 acres of new Wilderness and more than 100 miles of new Wild […]
A Crucial Law Protects Our Most Wild Old-Growth Forest
Oregon’s Coast Range is home to what many consider the single most remote wilderness in the entire state. Located about eight miles within the dense old-growth forest which runs south from the Washington border, the Devil’s Staircase and its surrounding watershed are incredibly inaccessible. No designated trail, no route, no cell reception, no GPS, nothing. […]
Ten Big Wins For Land, Water and Wildlife
This week the President signed the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. Aptly named for the late Congressman and conservation champion John D. Dingell, Jr., this bill marks the biggest public lands package to be signed into law in decades. The bill passed with overwhelming support (85% in the House and 92% […]
Twenty Miles to Wild Arkansas
Credit: Johnny Carrol Sain Twenty miles from Little Rock, Arkansas, is the remote Flatside Wilderness area. Filled with diverse plants and animals on more than 9,507 acres, this incredible place became one of the first federally protected lands in the state of Arkansas. This protected area was recently expanded by the Flatside Wilderness Enhancement Act, […]
Four Ways to Restore the Public’s Faith in Interior
The Secretary of the Interior is a singular leader within our government—responsible for safeguarding our iconic public lands, honoring our tribal commitments, protecting our wildlife heritage, and stewarding our shared natural resources. Following two years of decisions to reduce the size of American public lands and roll back protections for threatened species, former Secretary of […]