Public Lands

A new report from several groups advocates for federal officials to take into consideration the interests of hunters and anglers when proposing national monument designations. Doing so, the groups argue, will help build more robust coalitions for what they say is a critical conservation tool in a context of political polarization.

The U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing in mid-June about coal leasing on federal lands.

The public comment period for the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed public lands rule closed this week, with well over 200,000 people weighing in. The Center for Western Priorities, which supports the proposal, analyzed those comments and found that an overwhelming majority of them were supportive.

The Bureau of Land Management will extend the public comment period through July 5 on a proposal to elevate conservation on its lands. The announcement follows significant pushback from conservatives, energy companies and ranchers in the Mountain West

The case came about because of an angler who was fishing on a part of the Arkansas River that ran through private property. The court dismissed the angler's claim, but the battle to define whether the state owns a riverbed could pit landowners against recreation enthusiasts in the future.

Several bills that would protect public lands and waters around the Mountain West have recently been reintroduced in Congress, and two in particular seem to have a decent shot at reaching the president's desk.

The Bureau of Land Management is proposing a new Public Lands Rule that would - among other things - clarify that "conservation is a use on par with other uses of federal public lands."

The Bureau of Land Management recently proposed an overhaul to the way it manages federal public lands that would elevate conservation as pressure on Western rangelands mounts.

Researchers have new evidence that enhancing wildlife connectivity between national parks in the West would help animals live hundreds of generations longer.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced plans last week to accelerate solar development on public lands in the Mountain West. The efforts build on the Biden administration’s goal to support more renewable energy projects.