Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** "Sell-off Steve" supports selling America’s public lands
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Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Original photo: Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, Sherman Hogue/BLM
Former U.S. Representative Steve Pearce, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management, is an avowed advocate of selling off public lands.
In a new Westwise blog post ([link removed]) , Creative Content and Policy Manager Lilly Bock-Brownstein highlights seven occasions where Pearce has attempted to dispose of or undermine the management of America's public lands.
For example, in 2008, Pearce introduced a bill that sought to nullify eight wilderness study areas—including the Organ Mountains WSA, which is now protected as Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument—and mandate the disposal of over 60,000 acres of BLM land.
More recently, in 2016, Pearce co-sponsored the HEARD Act, which would have authorized the U.S. Interior and Agriculture departments to dispose of national public lands through sale or exchange to local governments.
Bock-Brownstein notes that Pearce's nomination is a threat to the very existence of public lands. “Confirming Pearce would put America’s public lands in the hands of someone who intends to destroy them, not steward them for future generations,” she writes ([link removed]) .
Some park rangers still haven't gotten back pay after the shutdown
As many as 100 seasonal workers at the National Park Service have not received some back pay after being furloughed during the government shutdown, according to ([link removed]) the The New York Times. The Interior department owes these workers as much as $200,000 in total. The situation is predominantly affecting seasonal workers at national parks in the Northern and Central Rockies—among the most visited ([link removed]*%20Great,visits)%20*%20Yosemite%20National%20Park%20(4%2C121%2C807%20visits)) parks in the U.S.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Look West will be taking a break for the rest of the week. We'll be back in your inbox on Monday, December 1.
** Quick hits
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Seven times 'Sell-off Steve' tried to dispose of America’s public lands
Westwise ([link removed])
Dismantling the Endangered Species Act will hurt a lot more than just wildlife
Grist ([link removed])
Opinion: How the Interior Department’s rollback turns abandoned oil wells into your problem
Colorado Newsline ([link removed])
Colorado says 'yes' to Western Slope plan for Shoshone Power Plant’s water rights
Colorado Sun ([link removed]) | CPR News ([link removed])
The shutdown is over. Parks could still feel the pain
E&E News ([link removed])
Billionaire landowner erecting 8-foot-tall fence in Colorado gets 'cease and desist' from state water officials
Colorado Sun ([link removed])
Study finds 50% drop in young American pikas in the Rockies as climate warms
KUNR ([link removed])
Opinion: Montana's public lands birthright under threat from Sell off Steve's nomination
Flathead Beacon ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” Philanthropy can't fund the national parks.”
—Jessica Cocciolone, executive director of the Shenandoah National Park Trust, E&E News ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@greatsmokynps ([link removed])
Then and Now: 1959 to 2025
In 1929, Charlie Conner hiked to a remote, unnamed crest in the Smokies to inspect damage from a recent storm. When he reached the summit, he removed his worn-out shoes to reveal a badly swollen foot. Seeing this, Horace Kephart remarked, “I’m going to get this put on a government map for you.”
Inspired by the sight of Charlie’s swollen feet and the similarities in the rugged rockface, the name “Charlies Bunion” was born.
Rising to an impressive 5,528 feet, Charlies Bunion is now a popular destination accessible via a 4-mile hike along the Appalachian Trail. 🥾
The black-and-white photo shown here was taken in 1959 by C. Carter for an exhibit at the Sugarlands Visitor Center.
Learn more about hiking to Charlies Bunion: (link to website in bio).
NPS Photo
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