Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Busy Memorial Day weekend will be a test for public lands under Trump
------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, May 23, 2025
Forest Service Ranger in the White River National Forest in Colorado, the nation's busiest national forest. Source: USFS Rocky Mtns, Flickr. ([link removed])
The Trump administration's damaging impacts to public lands may not be obvious as Americans kick off summer travel plans this Memorial Day weekend, but former National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service officials warn it's a facade ([link removed]) and only a matter of time before visitors start seeing the cracks as rangers scramble to keep up following widespread layoffs ([link removed]) , retirements, and buyouts at land management agencies.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump and his administration have fired thousands of Park Service and Forest Service employees ([link removed]) , implemented a hiring freeze, and delayed the planned hiring of seasonal workers critical to staffing visitor centers, maintaining trails, and cleaning toilets. At the same time, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has ordered ([link removed]) park managers to keep open campgrounds, visitor centers, and toilets.
2024 was the busiest year for park visitation in history with 332 million visitors, yet staffing levels were already 20 percent below what they were in 2010 ([link removed]) . Cara McGary, a former park ranger who owns a guiding service near Yellowstone, said ([link removed]) , "We have a legacy of people in the federal government giving more than 100%. They are already a rubber band that's pretty stretched thin. And we're about to push them further."
Scott Fitzwilliams, the former supervisor of the White River National Forest in Colorado who left his job in February during one of the first round of cuts, said ([link removed]) , "Man, the richest country in the world ought to be able to fund at a basic level the public lands everyone has access to." Fitzwilliams emphasized that even if impacts to public lands aren't felt this weekend, they're surely coming. "It's going to be mid-to late-summer before people begin to see it, but it's going to be pretty profound," he predicted ([link removed]) . "We may get one (toilet) pump for the year. It's going to get ugly."
Tracy Stone-Manning on the biggest threats to public lands right now
In the latest episode of The Landscape podcast, Kate and Aaron talk to Tracy Stone-Manning ([link removed]) , former director of the Bureau of Land Management and current president of The Wilderness Society. Tracy shares what it was like to inherit an agency that was decimated by the first Trump administration and what she’s worried about this time around—but also, what’s giving her hope for America’s public lands. Kate and Aaron also cover the news that a provision to sell off hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in Utah and Nevada has been stripped from the budget reconciliation package.
** Quick hits
------------------------------------------------------------
House budget bill drops sales of public land, but still harmful to parks, wildlife, and access
National Parks Traveler ([link removed]) | Utah News Dispatch ([link removed]) | KUER ([link removed]) | Reno Gazette-Journal ([link removed]) | Bike Mag ([link removed]) | Backpacker ([link removed])
Hunters and hikers lose access to public lands in border military zone
KOB4 News ([link removed])
Ex-officials warn of chaos for Trump's plan to merge wildland firefighting into one agency
Associated Press ([link removed])
Busy Memorial Day weekend will be a test for public lands under Trump
USA Today ([link removed])
Column: House advances budget bill dismantling public land protections, but stops short of sell-off
Public Domain ([link removed])
New app connects hikers with the organizations that steward their favorite trails
Backpacker ([link removed])
Conservative billionaire pitches massive gas plant to power data centers
Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
Opinion: Now's the time to fight for your public lands
Deseret News ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
------------------------------------------------------------
” To tell New Mexicans that they will now be arrested for hiking and hunting on the land they have forged their identities on is deeply insulting and un-American.”
—New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, KOB4 News ([link removed])
** Picture This
------------------------------------------------------------
@usinterior ([link removed])
The desert is a masterclass in adaptation. With blistering heat, scarce water, and relentless sun, it may seem inhospitable, yet hundreds of plant and animal species have evolved remarkable ways to survive and thrive.
Joshua trees are uniquely adapted to thrive in the arid, extreme conditions of the high desert. Their life begins with the rare germination of a seed, often sheltered by the protective shade of a neighboring shrub. Growth is slow, after an initial spurt, they typically grow just ½ inch to 3 inches per year. The tallest Joshua trees in the park reach over 40 feet, and while their average lifespan is estimated at around 150 years, some may be much older.
Photo by Emily Hassell / @joshuatreenps ([link removed])
============================================================
** Website ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** TikTok ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
Copyright © 2025 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.
Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
