** January, in brief
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Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota. Chad Fennell, Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])


** Key news from January:
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* The U.S. House of Representatives voted ([link removed]) to repeal a 20-year mining ban near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota. The vote reinvigorates plans by Twin Metals, a Chilean-owned company that intends to mine the Superior National Forest for copper and nickel, threatening the headwaters of the country's most-visited wilderness area.

* A coalition of more than 80 organizations is calling on ([link removed]) lawmakers, including U.S. Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, to oppose the nomination of Steve Pearce to be director of the Bureau of Land Management. Pearce has a history ([link removed]) of advocating for privatization and sell-off of national public lands, and he has built vast wealth in the oil and gas sector. His ethics agreement requires him to divest millions of dollars from fossil fuel and energy companies, yet some of his financial entanglements remain undisclosed ([link removed]) .

* Members of the House Natural Resources Committee and House Oversight Committee asked ([link removed]) the Interior department's inspector general to investigate whether Karen Budd-Falen, currently the third-highest ranking official at Interior, engaged in self-dealing during the first Trump administration. Government documents reveal ([link removed]) that Budd-Falen failed to disclose a $3.5 million contract her husband signed with the developer of the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada while Budd-Falen was a top official at Interior during the first Trump administration.

* The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has concluded ([link removed]) that lawmakers can use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn a Biden-era management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah—a landscape known for ([link removed]) its geological, recreational, and cultural significance. The report ([link removed]) , which was requested by U.S. Representative Celeste Maloy of Utah, paves the way for Congress to chip away at protections for the national monument, including by weakening natural resource protections that were outlined ([link removed]) in the management
plan.

* Congressional appropriators released final spending bills ([link removed]) for fiscal year 2026 for the Interior department, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Energy. The package cuts funding slightly for most Interior department agencies, but stops well short of President Donald Trump's ([link removed]) recommended cuts ([link removed]) . The National Parks Conservation Association acknowledged the package could've been worse, saying ([link removed]) , "These funding levels should keep parks open and staff on the ground as the system has been nearing a breaking point after losing
a quarter of its permanent workforce in 2025."



** What to watch for in February:
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* Will Steve Pearce ([link removed]) be confirmed as director of the BLM?
* Will Utah's members of Congress use the CRA to repeal Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument's management plan?

From the Center for Western Priorities:


** Report: From Disavowal to Delivery
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[link removed]


** The Trump administration’s rapid implementation of Project 2025 on public lands

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


** Congress is hijacking the management of national public land ([link removed])
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Unprecedented use of the Congressional Review Act is upending decades of public land planning and creating regulatory chaos

[link removed]

In this episode ([link removed]) of The Landscape, Kate and Aaron talk to Kelly Mitchell, ([link removed]) executive director of oil industry watchdog FieldNotes ([link removed]) , about what Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro’s capture by the US means for oil and gas producers here in the West. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has also been making the rounds on Fox cheering on Trump’s actions in Venezuela and calling on US companies to start drilling there, which we also touch on.

[link removed]

Aaron and Kate speak with ([link removed]) Zachary Fort, president of the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association ([link removed]) , about his opposition to Steve Pearce’s nomination to lead the Bureau of Land Management. Fort, a former Republican and gun rights advocate, explains why hunters and shooting sports enthusiasts are concerned about Pearce’s track record on public lands. He discusses Pearce’s history of sponsoring legislation to sell off national public lands, his prioritization of oil and gas interests over public access, and his divisive leadership of the New Mexico Republican Party. Fort argues that Pearce’s support for transferring public lands to private ownership threatens hunting and shooting opportunities that generations of New Mexicans have relied on.
Best Reads of the Month


** From California to Pennsylvania, the Trump administration removes history and science from national parks
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More Than Just Parks ([link removed]) | Atmos ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | NPR ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | Philadelphia Inquirer ([link removed]) | Reuters ([link removed]) | E&E News
([link removed]) | National Parks Traveler ([link removed])


** House public lands caucus fails test with Boundary Waters vote
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Public Domain ([link removed]) | Field & Stream ([link removed]) | Duluth News Tribune ([link removed]) [opinion]


** Trump is keeping coal on life support. How long can it last?
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Grist ([link removed])


** Opinion: Doug Burgum used to praise liberty. Now he's betraying it
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Heatmap ([link removed])


** Trump may give 775 acres of a national wildlife refuge to SpaceX
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New York Times ([link removed])


** DOI cracks down on stickers covering Trump's face on national park passes
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SFGate ([link removed])


** Burgum unveils cartoon mascot 'Coalie' while slashing staff and rules
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Fast Company ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Fed agency looking for wildlife refuges that ‘no longer align with the mission’
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Wyoming Public Radio ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed])


** Interior plans to open all public land to hunting and fishing—unless specifically closed by site managers
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Outdoor Life ([link removed]) | GearJunkie ([link removed])


** Tracy Stone-Manning: What I learned running the BLM
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Compact ([link removed])

Quote of the month


** “When the smoke clears, much of the architecture underpinning public-lands management will be in ruins. But in that clearing lies a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink and rebuild and design a system that is more nimble, coherent, and capable of meeting the challenges ahead.”
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** —Former Bureau of Land Management director Tracy Stone‑Manning, Compact ([link removed])
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Picture this
[link removed]

@mypubliclands ([link removed])
Get ready for one of the most thrilling events of the year! 🎉 Mark your calendar for the Iditarod Ceremonial Start in Alaska on March 7, 2026!

Every year, mushers and their dog teams kick off the Iditarod with an 11-mile journey from downtown Anchorage to BLM’s Campbell Tract. 🐾

This year's festivities are extra special as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday! Expect a day filled with fun activities, community spirit and plenty of chances to cheer on your favorite mushers and their furry companions. 🐶

📸 Bob Wick

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