July, in brief

Key news from July:

• The U.S. Congress passed the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which contains a number of attacks on public lands. The Bureau of Land Management is moving forward with implementing several of the bill's provisions by proposing four final rules affecting the federal oil and gas leasing programs. These rules implement new definitions of what lands are “eligible” and “available” for leasing; require the BLM to make eligible lands “available for leasing” within 18 months of their nomination by industry; extend drilling permit terms from 3 to 4 years; and eliminate the $5 per acre nomination fee. The BLM is limiting public input by issuing all of the rules as final drafts and offering 30-day public comment periods on only two of them.

• The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s decision that temporarily blocked the mass firing of federal agency workers. The decision could result in job losses for tens of thousands of employees across the federal government, including drastic cuts at the Interior department and U.S. Forest Service. “If the Interior department or Forest Service move ahead with more indiscriminate firings during the height of summer vacations and as wildfire season gets underway, the chaos could cause irreversible damage to America's parks and public lands and the federal agencies that care for them,” said Center for Western Priorities Senior Director of Advocacy Lauren Bogard.

• President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have quietly put a Texas wealth manager with no conservation experience in charge of all national parks and wildlife refuges. Kevin Lilly is the acting assistant secretary for fish, wildlife, and parks at the Interior department—a position that oversees both the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lilly resigned from his position as the chair of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in order to join the Trump administration as a political appointee. SFGate reports that Lilly founded Avalon Advisors, the "largest privately owned wealth management firm in Texas," according to Southwestern University. The top positions overseeing national parks are, by law, jobs that require Senate confirmation. But President Trump hasn't nominated a park service director or an assistant secretary for fish parks and wildlife, allowing Lilly to run the agencies in an acting capacity under the Vacancies Reform Act.

• Ongoing wildfires near the Grand Canyon's North Rim prompted the closure and evacuation of the North Rim and destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, among other structures. The Grand Canyon Lodge was the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim and was often the first feature visitors saw when entering the park. Park officials confirmed that it had burned down in addition to many other structures, including the visitor center, gas station, a wastewater treatment plant, an administrative building, employee housing, and several historic cabins. All staff and visitors were successfully evacuated before the fire escalated. The North Rim will remain closed for the rest of the season.

• The U.S. Forest Service plans to shutter its nine regional offices over the next year, giving political appointees in Washington, DC more control over local forest management decisions. The announcement came as part of a larger reorganization of the Agriculture department, which is home to the Forest Service. While the USDA plans to force thousands of employees out of Washington and into five new regional hubs, the Forest Service, which already has nine regions, will close its regional offices. Regional forest offices often serve as a buffer between politicians and individual forest supervisors. Eliminating the regional foresters will add political pressure to the forest managers.
   

What to watch for in August:

• Will there be more layoffs across federal agencies?
• How bad will wildfires be during peak month?
• The Keep Parks Public campaign is going on tour! Find us at an event near you.
• The National Park Service's birthday is August 25!

Kate and Aaron interview author Barret Baumgart about his new book Yuck: The Birth and Death of the Weird and Wondrous Joshua Tree. Baumgart became obsessed with Joshua trees during the pandemic and ended up uncovering some interesting facts and stories about them.

Kate and Aaron talk to Steve Ellis, a 38-year veteran of both the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management and current chair of the National Association of Forest Service Retirees, about what the Trump administration is doing, and trying to do, to the Forest Service, and what that means for everything from logging to wildfires.

Donald Trump orders entry fee, less inclusion at national parks

USA Today
 

How the National Park Service is struggling with drastic funding and staffing cuts

PBS News
 

Mike Lee says selling off public lands will solve the West’s housing crisis. History says otherwise

ProPublica
 

Opinion: This is what censorship looks like in my national park

National Parks Traveler
 

They gutted public lands in the reconciliation bill—and no one’s talking about it

More Than Just Parks
 

Why Trump’s fee hike won't solve the problems in U.S. national parks

Forbes
 

A history of the Grand Canyon Lodge

NPR
 

Inside the ‘revolutionary’ new Colorado River proposal

The Land Desk | E&E News
 

Widespread backlash killed Sen. Mike Lee’s plan to sell public lands. Utah state leaders are undeterred

Salt Lake Tribune
 

How a national monument's new welcome center honors Native Americans

Associated Press

“I know things feel overwhelming right now, and it’s easy to feel powerless. But now is when your voice is needed the most. Now is when we need to reaffirm the mandate on public land protections and honor Tribal sovereignty.”

—Dana Orozco, federal organizer for Chispa Arizona, Arizona Daily Star