Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Trump administration plans to transfer more forest management to states
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Thursday, July 17, 2025
Flathead National Forest in Montana. U.S. Forest Service ([link removed])
The Trump administration is moving to give states more control over national forests, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz said ([link removed]) at a forest policy conference on Wednesday. He pointed to a new 20-year agreement with Montana ([link removed]) that allows the state to manage 200,000 acres of national forest for logging, wildfire response, and other priorities. Schultz said the administration plans to sign up to 40 similar agreements with states and private partners.
While Forest Service partnerships with states and nonprofits are not new, they are rarely so long-term or expansive. As the agency moves to increase these partnerships, it is also shifting more of the cost burden to local governments and nonprofits. The proposed 2026 budget ([link removed]) would eliminate grant programs ([link removed]) that provide essential funding to support forest management at the state level.
The Forest Service is already eliminating support for critical services like wildfire mitigation. Last week, Schultz told a Senate committee ([link removed]) that he does not know whether the agency will deliver wildfire preparedness grants that have already been approved by Congress for at-risk communities this year.
** Quick hits
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President Trump’s latest executive orders aim to ‘make America beautiful again’
MeatEater ([link removed])
All-female ‘Forest Corps’ fills federal agency gaps for Wyoming trail projects
WyoFile ([link removed])
Utah law requires all visitors to have a hunting or fishing license to access Wildlife Management Areas
Outdoor Life ([link removed])
Why did a giant sculpture of Elon Musk’s head show up at a Utah national park?
Deseret News ([link removed])
Two national parks are being ravaged by wildfires
Outside ([link removed]) | 9News ([link removed])
Opposition to public land sale proposal flooded politicians' inboxes
Nevada Public Radio ([link removed])
Trump administration eyes California for new oil and gas drilling, including the Bay Area
San Francisco Chronicle ([link removed])
Grand Canyon blaze shows how managing a fire can go suddenly sideways
Associated Press ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” It’s not a solution, it’s just a band-aid. All of us would have been working for the Forest Service had it not been for the cuts. So there’s really no new numbers being added.”
—Monica Elliot, crew lead and program manager for nonprofit Forest Corps, WyoFile ([link removed])
** Picture This
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[link removed]
@mypubliclands ([link removed])
Happy birthday to us! 🎂
On July 16, 1946, the Bureau of Land Management was established by merging the Grazing Service and the General Land Office. Since then, we have evolved and adapted to the nation's changing needs. Today, we manage 245 million acres of public landscapes for all Americans.
We're celebrating 79 years with a fee-free day!
📷 Beaver Creek National Wild and Scenic River, Alaska; Bob Wick.
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