** May, in brief
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Source: @CongMikeSimpson ([link removed])


** Key news from May:
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* After persistent bipartisan opposition ([link removed]) to an amendment that would have sold or swapped hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Utah and Nevada, House Republicans scrapped public land sales ([link removed]) from the latest version of their tax cut, energy, and border security bill. The controversial amendment ([link removed]) was backed by Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei and Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy. Former Interior secretary and congressman from Montana Ryan Zinke, who is now co-chair of the newly-formed Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus, advocated for the removal of the land sell-off language, arguing that large-scale divestment of public lands was a “red line
([link removed]) ” for him. “Clearly, selling off public lands is still a third rail for members of Congress on both sides of the aisle,” said ([link removed]) Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss.
* The Interior department announced a new policy intended to accelerate and expand oil and gas drilling on national public lands. According to an Instruction Memorandum ([link removed]) , the Bureau of Land Management will shorten its review times for parcels offered for oil and gas leasing to six months, about half ([link removed]) of what review times were during the second half of the Biden administration. An Interior department press release ([link removed]) noted that the policy changes are meant to support President Donald Trump's "energy dominance" agenda. An analysis ([link removed]) from S&P
Global Commodity Insights predicts that U.S. oil production will actually decline in 2026 due to economic factors, despite the Trump administration's attempts to use policy to force production.
* President Trump's proposed 2026 budget would gut the National Park Service (NPS), slashing $1.2 billion ([link removed]) from the agency's current $4.8 billion budget. $900 million of the cuts would come from NPS operations—a proposal that Theresa Pierno, the president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, called ([link removed]) “nothing less than an all-out assault on America's national parks.” The proposal calls for giving away an undisclosed number of the park service's 433 sites to states. According to analyses from the The National Parks Experience blog ([link removed]) , $900 million in cuts would require the complete defunding of no fewer than 339 NPS units.
* Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed an order ([link removed]) directing all 433 national park sites to post signs asking visitors to report any posted information that tells a negative story about the site or its history. According to the order, Interior agencies must identify properties that contain depictions or other information that “inappropriately disparages Americans past or living” and replace this with “content that focuses on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.” The order could impact the educational content at sites that chronicle dark moments of U.S. history, including places like ([link removed]) Amache National Historic Site in Colorado, where over 10,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated from 1942 to 1945, and Trail of Tears National
Historic Trail, which commemorates the forced relocation of the Cherokee people after Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830.


** What to watch for in June:
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* Will Trump nominate a new Bureau of Land Management director?
* Defend National Monuments + Public Lands Day of Action ([link removed]) is Saturday, June 7

From the Center for Western Priorities:


** Report: Trump Drilling Dashboard
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Legislative and administrative reforms made to the onshore oil and gas program since 2022 have brought about more effective management of national public lands and a more balanced approach to oil and gas leasing on them. The impact of these reforms is already apparent – companies no longer nominate vast tracts of land ([link removed]) for auction that they have no intention of bidding on, leasing is prioritized in areas with high potential for development and minimal conflicts with other public land resources ([link removed]) , and increased royalty and lease rates have not deterred companies from bidding on land they have legitimate interest in developing. As a result, lease sales informed by these critical updates—which we call “responsible leasing”—have generated increasingly greater per-acre bids and resulted in a significant decrease in the proportion of public lands being wastefully offered at oil
and gas lease auctions. Western voters overwhelmingly support ([link removed]) these reforms that safeguard wildlife, public lands, and drinking water, and protect taxpayers.

Read the report ([link removed])
[link removed]


** Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” is still ugly for public lands ([link removed])
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Last minute changes nixed public land sell-off and saved resource management plans, but major threats remain as the bill heads to the Senate

[link removed]


** Party Like It’s 1899 ([link removed])
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100 days in, the Trump administration is trying to take us 100 years back

[link removed]

Kate and Aaron talk to ([link removed]) Tracy Stone-Manning, former director of the Bureau of Land Management and current president of The Wilderness Society. Tracy tells us 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.

[link removed]

Kate and Aaron talk to ([link removed]) Kurt Repanshek, founder and editor of National Parks Traveler ([link removed]) , about President Donald Trump’s proposed funding cuts to the National Park System as well as how staffing cuts imposed by Elon Musk’s DOGE are affecting the Park Service.

[link removed]

Kate and Aaron speak with ([link removed]) Len Necefer, CEO & Founder of NativesOutdoors, a native owned outdoor media, apparel and consulting company. You may also know him as the man behind the Sonoran Avalanche Center Instagram account ([link removed]) .

Len talks about his latest project, a documentary film about the Colorado River basin titled The American Southwest ([link removed]) , and how he’s advocating for public lands under the second Trump administration.

Follow NativesOutdoors ([link removed]) and Fin & Fur Films ([link removed]) on Instagram for updates on the 2025 theatrical release of The American Southwest.
Best Reads of the Month


** Trump's big oily bill
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HEATED ([link removed])


** In the name of efficiency, Navajo president calls on Trump administration to preserve Bears Ears
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Utah News Dispatch ([link removed])


** Analysis: Congress' tax bill is selling out America's lands and waters
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The Land Desk ([link removed]) | Center for American Progress ([link removed])


** Opinions: Public lands are a national treasure and must not be sold
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Tracy Stone-Manning [Writers on the Range ([link removed]) ] | Drew McConville [The Hill ([link removed]) ] | Karen Meredith [Sacramento Bee ([link removed]) ]


** Former National Park Service directors warn Burgum to reverse course
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National Parks Traveler ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Opinion: This land was your land, this land was my land. Now it's for sale
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New York Times ([link removed])


** How to visit crowded (and underfunded) national parks this summer
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Outside ([link removed])


** Trump promised 'energy dominance.' Instead, energy companies are faltering
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Trump asks Congress to cut at the heart of the West
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High Country News ([link removed])


** Column: The great hijacking of 'multiple use'
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More Than Just Parks ([link removed])


**
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Quote of the month


** “Public lands are not bargaining chips. They are the backbone of our economy, our culture and our identity. Selling them off in secret to fund the wealthy is not just bad policy, it is a disgrace. The people of Nevada and all Americans deserve better.”
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** —Editorial board, Las Vegas Sun ([link removed])
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Picture this
[link removed]
@usinterior ([link removed])

Spring in @yellowstonenps ([link removed]) means bear cubs are emerging from dens with their mothers, usually in April and May. Adorable? Absolutely. But always watch from at least 100 yards away and let your zoom lens do the close-ups.

Photo by Christy Alejandra

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