Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Putting Trump on the national parks pass is probably illegal
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Monday, December 8, 2025
Department of the Interior

The Interior department’s decision to feature President Donald Trump on the 2026 America the Beautiful national parks pass is likely unlawful, according to legal experts contacted by SFGate ([link removed]) . For more than a decade, the annual pass image has been chosen through a public photography contest mandated by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act ([link removed]) , the 2004 law that created the annual pass program. By putting Trump’s portrait on multiple passes—including the standard annual pass and a veterans' pass—the administration appears to have sidestepped that requirement.

"The National Park Recreation Pass law as written by Congress is clear and mandates holding a public competition for the annual image," University of Utah natural resource law professor Robert Keiter told SFGate ([link removed]) , adding that the law "clearly precludes using the pass and our parks as a political tool." But changing the 2026 pass would require someone to challenge the Trump administration in court, and it's not clear whether that will happen.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also announced Americans will enjoy fewer free days in national parks next year ([link removed]) . Parks will not be free to enter on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Juneteenth, but Burgum added President Trump's birthday to the list of free admission days.

Hickenlooper leads on opposing Trump's BLM nominee

Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado became the first member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to announce he will oppose the nomination of Steve Pearce ([link removed]) to lead the Bureau of Land Management. In a statement, Hickenlooper cited ([link removed]) Pearce's lengthy anti-public lands record ([link removed]) as a member of Congress.


** Quick hits
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National Park Service drops free admission on MLK Day and Juneteenth, adds Trump's birthday

Associated Press ([link removed]) | NPR ([link removed]) | NBC News ([link removed]) | CNN ([link removed]) | Huffpost ([link removed]) | Independent ([link removed])

BLM's Rock Springs plan took 12 years to finish. Now the feds have to redo it in one

WyoFile ([link removed])

A land fight pits a sacred Apache tradition against a copper mine

Washington Post ([link removed])

Inside Utah's secret meeting to decide the fate of its national parks

SFGate ([link removed])

California fire chief takes job as inaugural director of U.S. Wildland Fire Service

The Hotshot Wake Up ([link removed])

Meet Steve Pearce — election denier and land sell-off advocate

E&E News ([link removed])

Program that let Colorado prisoners work with wild horses coming to an end

CBS News ([link removed])

Opinion: Keeping public lands in public hands is a Wyoming value

Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” Americans deserve a BLM director who will be a true steward of the millions of acres under the agency’s care.
Steve Pearce is NOT that person. While in Congress, he attacked environmental protections and fought to sell off public land. His nomination is proof that the Trump administration still views our public lands as assets for sale. On behalf of Colorado, I will vote NO because our public lands are NOT for sale.”

—Sen. John Hickenlooper ([link removed]'?utm_source=1500+CWP+List+Daily+Clips+and+Updates&utm_campaign=185b7dfc34-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2025_12_08_04_41&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-185b7dfc34-84302525) , Colorado


** Picture This
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@mypubliclands ([link removed])
Public Lands? (Toss toss) Absolutely fabulous! 💚💗

Dreaming of a winter adventure? Get a front-row seat to nature's stage at Alaska's White Mountains National Recreation Area where you can ski, snowshoe and snowmobile to enjoy 13 public-use cabins and 250 miles of groomed trails.

Get out, defy gravity and explore your public lands where the possibilities are unlimited!

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