While most Mountain Westerners favor the conservation of public lands, most of their elected officials are either openly hostile or passively wimpy. Conservation organizations need to rethink its nonprofit status to allow effective legislative and political engagement. Now.
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Malheur County Federal Land Legislation Take 4, Part 2: The Ugly, the Missing, and the Alternative
If the recommended critical tweaks are made to remove the ugly parts (grazing “rights” and further exaltation of livestock grazing in wilderness areas) of S.1890, the Senate and the House of Representatives should pass the bill and the president should sign it into law.
Read MoreMalheur County Federal Land Legislation Take 4, Part 1: The Good, the Whatever, and the Bad
With a few critical tweaks, Senator Wyden’s legislation could be a net gain for the conservation of nature for the benefit of this and future generations. Without those tweaks, the bill as drafted is an existential threat to the conservation of federal public lands and should not be enacted into law.
Read MoreBook Review: Our Common Ground: A History of America’s Public Lands
Understanding the history of public lands is useful if one is to be the best advocate for the conservation of public lands.
Read MoreRoading the Red Cliffs: Unnecessary, and Illegal to Boot
As the Trump administration was slithering out the door in mid-January, it issued decisions that would put a new 4.5-mile-long four-lane divided highway through both the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area and a particular stronghold for the imperiled Mojave desert tortoise.
Read MoreL’Affaire Malheur, Part 2: Backstory and Analysis
Coordination Schmordination
There has long been tension between short-term local interests and long-term national interests in the nation’s public lands. Understandably, but incorrectly, those living closer to federal public lands tend to feel they should have a greater say in how the nation’s public lands are managed.
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