The Landscape: Recent Episodes
Center for Western Priorities
News, interviews, and history with newsmakers and environmental advocates, focused on parks and public lands across the American West. Produced by the Center for Western Priorities, formerly known as Go West, Young Podcast.
Recorded live at Nuckolls Brewing in Santa Fe as part of CWP’s Keep Parks Public campaign, Kate interviews four experts about the current stakes for New Mexico’s public lands. Charlotte Overby (Conservation Lands Foundation), Keegan King (Native Land Institute), Andrew Black (National Wildlife Federation/Earthkeepers 360), and Elaine Leslie (Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks) discuss the importance of defending New Mexico’s land, water, and wildlife from the current threats coming out of the Trump administration. Thank you to Nuckolls Brewing, REI Santa Fe, and New Mexico Wild for joining us at this event!
Come see us at our next live show in Tucson!
News* Tribes decry two-week comment period tied to BLM proposal to strip Chaco protections — Santa Fe New Mexican * Before-And-After Maps Show How Trump Is Slashing Utah National Monuments — Newsweek * Interior Department Planning More Changes To National Park Service Staffing — Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks * Lujan Grisham, Stansbury support 10,000-acre Sandia land transfer as Heinrich, NMWF oppose — Rio Rancho Observer
Resources* Keep Parks Public Tour — RSVP to Tucson! * REI Cooperative Action Fund * New Mexico Wild * Conservation Lands Foundation * Native Land Institute * National Wildlife Federation * Earth Keepers 360 * Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks * Center for Western Priorities Road to 30 Postcard: Caja Del Rio * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: CWP photo
The post LIVE from Santa Fe: Defending New Mexico’s public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to Heather Hansman about her new book, Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America’s Love for the Wild. Plus, mining companies are staking an unprecedented number of claims in New Mexico. And we’re going on tour! Come see us in Santa Fe and Tucson.
News* By the #s: More mining claims filed in New Mexico in last 4 years than previous century – Source NM
Resources* Keep Parks Public Tour — RSVP to Santa Fe and Tucson! * Buy Fierce Country * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: CWP photo
The post Wild women with author Heather Hansman appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Forum of Fargo-Moorhead columnist Mike McFeely joins Aaron and Kate to trace Doug Burgum’s path from software tycoon to “opportunist” politician. McFeely outlines how Burgum abandoned his once-moderate image to become a die-hard Trump loyalist as Interior Secretary, all while chasing his future political ambitions and defending indefensible policies.
In the news: On Monday, Trump slashed Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante by about 90% each (3 million acres total). SUWA’s Scott Braden joins the pod to explain the unlawful basis for the cuts, the elimination of the Bears Ears Commission, Tribal exclusion, and plans to challenge the reductions in court.
News* Day of Action on Monday, July 20th * Trump Sharply Cuts the Size of Two National Monuments in Utah — New York Times * How President Trump and Utah leaders lied and misled on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase — Center for Western Priorities * McFeely: Doug Burgum’s very bad day — Forum of Fargo-Moorhead
Resources* Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) * Mike McFeely’s column in Forum of Fargo-Moorhead * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Burgum hearing ENR Apr 29
The post Who is Doug Burgum, really? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron talks with Tracy Stone-Manning, president of The Wilderness Society, former director of the Bureau of Land Management, and three-time guest on The Landscape, about how to rebuild federal land agencies after years of political disruption and why the current moment may be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rethink public lands law from the ground up. They discuss the Forest Service reorganization, the lessons Tracy learned rebuilding BLM after the first Trump administration’s failed relocation, the new Ground Shift initiative, and why aging laws like the 1872 Mining Act are long overdue for an overhaul.
In the news: Aaron covers the ongoing fiasco at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, where a rushed, no-bid repainting job has devolved into peeling paint, algae, and an administration blaming phantom vandals. He also covers the tragic deaths of three federal wildland firefighters along the Colorado-Utah border and the questions it raises about whether staffing cuts are putting our fire crews in danger.
News* A bumpy beginning for the Great American State Fair — Washington Post * The blue paint is peeling off the Reflecting Pool. Trump says vandals targeted it. — Washington Post * 3 firefighters killed in Western wildfire were trying to shield themselves from flames — Associated Press * Federal wildland firefighters report increased burnout, low morale — Federal News Network
Resources* Ground Shift * The Wilderness Society * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: King Range National Conservation Area. BLM Instagram
The post Tracy Stone-Manning on the future of public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to Jayson O’Neill, a longtime public lands watchdog and Montanan who previously led the Western Values Project and now heads up a campaign called Save Our Parks. Jayson explains how the Trump administration is using the National Park Service to funnel money into Trump’s vanity projects in DC, as well as how President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum subverted America250, an organization chartered by Congress to celebrate America’s upcoming 250th birthday.
News* National Park Entrance Fees Are Funding Trump’s D.C. Projects – New York Times * Americans’ national parks passes will pay for Trump’s July 4 plans, documents show – Washington Post * Mike Lee’s fast-track attempt to scrap this national monument’s management plan has failed – Salt Lake Tribune * Judge orders Trump administration to restore signs changed at national parks – CNN
Resources* Save Our Parks website * Analysis: Reporting signs that “disparage” American history – CWP * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Photo of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool filled with algae; Source: Ali Khan/Wikimedia
The post How Trump and Burgum hijacked the Park Service and America’s birthday party appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Dr. Steve Feldgus, an independent consultant who served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the Interior Department under President Biden. Dr. Feldgus talks about how to improve mine permitting in the US, a topic he worked on while at Interior.
News* Falling behind: Forest Service fuel treatment gap puts communities at risk – Center for Western Priorities * Americans’ national parks passes will pay for Trump’s July 4 plans, documents show – Washington Post * Wyoming’s ‘Path of the Pronghorn’ is a signature away from protections fought over for a quarter century – WyoFile
Resources* Red Tape is a Red Herring: Deregulation Will Not Speed Critical Mineral Development * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Construction equipment at a bentonite mine on BLM land near Greybull, Wyoming; Source: Photo by Gretchen Hurley, Geologist, BLM Cody Field Office
The post A former Interior department official explains what’s wrong with mining on public land appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Floodlight News reporter Evan Simon joins Aaron and Kate to break down a controversial Forest Service land swap in Montana’s Crazy Mountains that quietly gave Yellowstone Club — a private club for billionaires — near-exclusive access to what should be public land, and how Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s involvement in the club raises serious questions.
In the news this week: House Natural Resources Committee members put Doug Burgum through a brutal hearing, calling him out on everything from his anti-renewables talking points to Trump’s DC vanity projects and gutted public lands budget.
News* Interior Secretary Doug Burgum grilled over proposed $1 billion national park budget cut — SFGATE * Huffman: Burgum misled Congress on triumphal arch — E&E News * Interior Secretary Claims Ignorance of Trump’s July 4 “Vanity Projects” — Mother Jones
Resources* Trump officials, billionaires and the quiet reshaping of America’s public lands — Floodlight News * We Went in Search of a Hidden Billionaire’s Club Reshaping Public Lands — Floodlight News * Follow our new Instagram account @burgumblunders * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Loco Mountain in Crazy Mountains, Mike Cline
The post How a private billionaires’ club took over the Crazy Mountains appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this special episode of The Landscape, the entire Center for Western Priorities team joins us for an interview with Jennifer Rokala, CWP’s outgoing executive director, to celebrate her 11 years leading the organization. Jen reflects on key victories throughout her tenure at CWP, the organization’s evolution as a communications-driven conservation hub, and her advice for Aaron as he steps into the role of executive director.
Plus, the team talks about the best food in the West. Here are the restaurants mentioned during this episode:
- Hot Tomato Pizza – Fruita, Colorado
- Bin 707 – Grand Junction, Colorado
- Eegee’s – Tucson, Arizona
- Taco Party – Grand Junction, Colorado
- Rome Station – Rome, Oregon
- BirdHouse – Page, Arizona
News* Emails Show How Interior Dept Delivered New Drilling Permits for Burgum’s Billionaire Ally — Public Domain * Shared ground: Coalition forms to promote affordable housing on public lands — Deseret News * Solar ranch aims to prove grazing cattle under the panels is a farmland win-win — Los Angeles Times
Resources* Housing and conservation experts agree: Public lands can’t solve the housing crisis. Here’s what can — Center for Western Priorities via Substack * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Center for Western Priorities team
The post Jennifer Rokala on 11 years fighting for public lands at CWP appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In the second part of our series on the borderlands, Aaron and Lilly are joined by Bob Krumenaker, former superintendent of Big Bend National Park and current chair of Keep Big Bend Wild. They discuss the proposal for a border wall through one of America’s national treasures, the bipartisan coalition rallying to stop it, and what’s at stake for the park, communities, and local economy. Plus, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum struggles to defend a 38% cut to the National Park Service maintenance budget while making a $10 billion request for D.C.-based projects.
News* Fact Check: Burgum claims $10 billion Trump slush fund request is for NPS deferred maintenance only — Center for Western Priorities * Senate ENR committee tussles with Burgum over permitting — E&E News * Trump used Park Service to funnel millions to ballroom construction firm — New York Times * President’s Budget Proposal Slashes National Park Service Funding Amid Ongoing Attacks on National Parks — National Parks Conservation Association * Border wall map disappears from government website — Big Bend Sentinel * Land acquisition expands popular Jeffco park adjacent to Red Rocks — Denver Post
Resources* Borderlands part 1: The threats to public lands at the border * Keep Big Bend Wild * Mission Creep: How Trump is using the border to militarize our public lands — Westwise blog * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: U.S.-Mexico border within Big Bend National Park, NPS photo
The post Borderlands part 2: The fight against a border wall at Big Bend appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In the first installment of a two-part series on the borderlands, Aaron and Lilly are joined by Laiken Jordahl, National Public Lands Advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, to discuss his work protecting public lands along the U.S.-Mexico border. Laiken shares a boots-on-the-ground perspective on what makes these places special and how border wall construction is actively impacting our public lands.Plus, Kate returns to the pod! She and Aaron cover updates for BLM and National Park Service nominees, the withdrawal of the public lands rule, and more.News* Pearce on a list of candidates Senate hopes to confirm soon — E&E News * Trump Just Withdrew Scott Socha to Lead the National Park Service — SFGate * White House completes review of BLM public lands rule — E&E News * Trump used Park Service to funnel millions to ballroom construction firm — New York Times * President’s Budget Proposal Slashes National Park Service Funding Amid Ongoing Attacks on National Parks — National Parks Conservation Association * Border wall map disappears from government website — Big Bend Sentinel
Resources* Find Laiken Jordahl on X, Bluesky, Threads, TikTok, and Instagram * Center for Biological Diversity * No Big Bend Wall * Mission Creep: How Trump is using the border to militarize our public lands — Westwise blog * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Kate Groetzinger, Lauren Bogard, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: San Rafael Valley border wall construction. Russ McSpadden, Center for Biological Diversity
The post Borderlands part 1: The threats to public lands at the border appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Producers Lauren Bogard and Lilly Bock-Brownstein are joined by Timothy Ingalsbee of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE). Timothy explains why the Trump administration’s rushed reorganization of federal firefighting is so risky, what it means for the firefighters already heading into a dangerous season short-staffed, and why he sees the whole effort as less like reform and more like sabotage.
In the news this week, the Senate voted to open the Boundary Waters to copper mining, and emails show Secretary Doug Burgum secretly helped craft talking points for Senator Mike Lee’s land sell-off bill. Plus, some big news from Aaron and the CWP team!
News* Senate Votes to Allow Mining Near Minnesota Wilderness — New York Times * Trump’s Interior Dept. Crafted Talking Points For Mike Lee’s Public Land Sell-Off Scheme — Public Domain * Leadership shuffle at Western conservation group — E&E News
Resources* Timothy Ingalsbee: Fire Consolidation as Creative Destruction? Trump’s Proposed U.S. Wildland Fire Service * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Steve Segin, USFWS
The post The dangerous rush to consolidate America’s wildfire response appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this week’s episode, Aaron is joined by guest co-host Lauren Bogard for a conversation with Jonathon Klein, editor-in-chief of RideApart, an online news source for the motorized vehicle community. Jonathon makes the case that the OHV and powersports community has more at stake in the public lands fight than many of its members realize. He argues that the current moment is a rare opportunity for outdoor recreation communities to unite.
Also this week: The Trump administration moves to relocate the Forest Service to Salt Lake City and the “God squad” votes to strip Endangered Species Act protections to prioritize Gulf of Mexico oil drilling. Plus, good news?!
News* US Forest Service to move headquarters from Washington DC to Salt Lake City — The Guardian * In Sweeping ESA Rollback, Doug Burgum and Pete Hegseth Play God — Public Domain * BLM: About 3,000 acres immediately open to public after Dominguez-Escalante add-on — Grand Junction Daily Sentinel * This ‘fairyland’ bog is a beacon for winter birders – and a sponge for the climate — WBUR * Historic Front Range ranch near Continental Divide to be preserved as state wildlife habitat — Denver Post
Resources* Jonathon Klein: The Mojave’s Off-Road Trail Closure Isn’t What The Blue Ribbon Coalition Wants You to Believe It Is * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Nick Taylor, Flickr
The post What the off-road community stands to lose on public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron is joined by Alan Spears from the National Parks Conservation Association to discuss his recent testimony before Congress about the Trump administration’s efforts to erase difficult histories from national parks and historic sites. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, Alan makes the case that telling the full story of our past is patriotic. He warns about the consequences of sanitizing history and explains why telling complex stories strengthens our democracy.
Plus, new documents reveal Interior official Karen Budd-Falen may be violating ethics agreements by working on grazing policy despite her family’s extensive ranching operations on public lands.
News* This Top Interior Official Is Working On Grazing Policy — An Issue She Was Disqualified From — Public Domain * National parks employees say SFGATE has been blacklisted by the Interior Department — SFGATE * Historic Front Range ranch near Continental Divide to be preserved as state wildlife habitat — Denver Post
Resources* Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Lauren Bogard, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: President’s House Site at Independence National Historic Site in Philadelphia, National Park Service
The post America’s 250th anniversary and why history matters in our parks appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this episode, Aaron and Kate are joined by Jesse Chakrin, Executive Director of the Fund for People in Parks. They discuss how his organization supports smaller, overlooked national park sites across the West through philanthropy and partnerships. From multilingual signage to junior ranger programs in American Samoa, Jesse shares how they’re making parks more accessible and welcoming while navigating an increasingly challenging political environment.
Plus, oil prices top $100 a barrel as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum becomes the “Where’s Waldo” of the Trump administration.
News* Trump’s energy ‘tiger team’ struggles to find its roar with Iran – Politico * Trump official rips Americans who care about public land: ‘Financially illiterate’ – Raw Story * ‘Sell-off Steve’ Pearce BLM nomination advances – Center for Western Priorities
Resources* The Fund for People in Parks * Watch this episode on YouTube
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Kate Groetzinger, Lauren Bogard, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Honouliuli National Historic Site, National Park Service
The post Why America’s lesser known national parks matter now more than ever appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this episode of The Landscape, Aaron and Kate speak with Jim Pattiz of the More Than Just Parks newsletter about public lands news after the first year of the second Trump administration, including Jim and his brother Will’s list of 70 major public-lands setbacks in 2025 and CWP’s assessment of Project 2025.
Aaron also covers Steve Pearce’s confirmation hearing to lead the Bureau of Land Management and lawmakers’ concerns about National Park Service censorship and Freedom 250, including a judge’s order to restore Philadelphia displays about enslaved members of George Washington’s household and a leaked database of NPS materials flagged for review. Pattiz discusses short- versus long-term harms such as civil service attacks, logging mandates, land giveaways, and fast-tracked mining, and the group closes with hopes for coalition-building and rebuilding public lands governance.
News* BLM nominee Steve Pearce waffles on public land sell-off * Corruption, censorship take center stage at Freedom 250 hearing * Confidential database reveals which items NPS thinks may ‘disparage’ America
Produced by Aaron Weiss, Kate Groetzinger, and Lilly Bock-Brownstein
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Interpretive sign at Grand Canyon National Park, Wikimedia Commons
The post 2025 was awful for public lands. Is there hope? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this episode of The Landscape, Aaron welcomes pollsters Lori Weigel from New Bridge Strategy and Miranda Everitt from FM3 to discuss the 16th annual Colorado College Conservation in the West Poll. The bipartisan polling team breaks down voter attitudes across eight Western states on public lands, conservation priorities, and the Trump administration’s funding cuts and policy rollbacks. The poll reveals consensus across party lines—including among MAGA voters—on protecting public lands, opposing sell-offs, and prioritizing renewable energy over fossil fuel extraction.
News* Groups sue over Trump effort to ‘erase’ history, science in national parks – Washington Post * Concessionaire Nominated To Run National Park Service – National Parks Traveler * Water worries are top of mind for Arizonans, poll shows – Axios Phoenix * Opinion: Senators, reject the Steve Pearce nomination – Santa Fe New Mexican
Resources* 2026 Conservation in the West Poll – Colorado College * Watch this episode on YouTube
Credits* Produced and hosted by Aaron Weiss with production support from Lauren Bogard, edited by Lilly Bock-Brownstein * Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org * Music: Purple Planet * Featured image: David Korzillus, BLM
The post Unpacking the 2026 Conservation in the West Poll appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this episode, Kate and Aaron are joined by Professor John Ruple, a public lands law expert at the University of Utah and former attorney at the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), to discuss the Trump administration’s dismantling of the CEQ’s authority over NEPA regulations. He breaks down what the Trump administration means when it claims to have ended NEPA’s “regulatory reign of terror” and why removing uniform environmental review standards creates chaos for public lands.
News* For $1 Million, Donors to U.S.A. Birthday Group Offered Access to Trump – New York Times * Potential conflicts over celebrating America’s 250th anniversary spill out in congressional hearing – Associated Press * Concessionaire Nominated To Run National Park Service – National Parks Traveler
Resources* Watch this episode on YouTube
Credits* Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger, edited by Lilly Bock-Brownstein * Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org * Music: Purple Planet * Featured image: David Korzillus, BLM
The post What gutting the Council on Environmental Quality means for public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this episode, Kate and Aaron discuss how Congress is using the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn public land management plans, creating chaos and uncertainty for federal lands. Steve Bloch from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance explains that the CRA, originally designed to review agency rules, is now being weaponized to repeal resource management plans and even national monument plans like the one in place for Grand Staircase-Escalante, despite these never being treated as “rules” before.
News* Trump admin’s approval of Northern Corridor sparks new lawsuit – Salt Lake Tribune * NPS removes slavery exhibit in Trump admin crackdown on ‘negative’ history – E&E News * Tri-State says no thanks to federal orders to keep Craig coal power plant open – Colorado Sun
Resources* Watch this episode on YouTube
Credits* Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger * Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org * Music: Purple Planet * Featured image: Grand Staircase-Escalante, John Fowler
The post Weaponizing the Congressional Review Act against America’s public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate speak with Zachary Fort, president of the New Mexico Shooting Sports Association, 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.
News* House Public Lands Caucus Fails Test With Boundary Waters Vote – Public Domain * House Dems Demand Probe Into Top Interior Official, Citing Public Domain’s Reporting – Public Domain * Congress passes environmental funding without Trump’s deep cuts – High Country News
Resources* Watch this episode on YouTube
Credits* Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger * Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org * Music: Purple Planet * Featured image: Congressman Steve Pearce of New Mexico speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland; Source: Flickr/Gage Skidmore
The post Why a New Mexico gun rights leader opposes Trump’s pick to lead the BLM appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to Kelly Mitchell, executive director of oil industry watchdog FieldNotes, 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.
News* The Trump Administration Approved a Big Lithium Mine. A Top Official’s Husband Profited. – New York Times * Takeaways from Congress’ latest spending package – E&E News
Resources* Watch this episode on YouTube
Credits* Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger * Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org * Music: Purple Planet * Featured image: Natural gas drilling equipment on the Pinedale Anticline, WY. Source: Richard Waite, World Resources Institute
The post Will Maduro’s capture lead to an American oil rift? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this episode of The Landscape, Aaron and Lauren ask veteran wildland firefighter Bobbie Scopa about the state of America’s wildfire response. Bobbie, who is a retired firefighter with the organization Grassroots Wildland Firefighters, shares insights from her five-decade career, exploring how recent federal layoffs and policy changes are impacting fire mitigation, hazardous fuels reduction, and the morale of those on the front lines. This episode delves into the complexities of forest management, the challenges of interagency coordination, and the dedication of those who protect our public lands.
News* Mike Lee reverses course on controversial national park proposal, but conservation groups say concerns still remain – Salt Lake Tribune * USDA lost more than 20,000 employees this year, internal watchdog finds – E&E News * Mexican wolves are rebounding, but are they ready for delisting? – High Country News
Resources* Watch this episode on YouTube
Credits* Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger * Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org * Music: Purple Planet * Featured image: NPS photo by Brady Richards
The post Burnout and bravery: Fighting fire on America’s public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this episode of The Landscape, Aaron and Sterling talk to Cody Perry, a filmmaker and founder of Rig to Flip, and Professor Mark Squillace, an expert in public lands and environmental law at the University of Colorado, about the ongoing battle to change Colorado’s restrictive stream access laws. The conversation centers around Perry’s documentary “Common Waters,” which follows Prof. Squillace’s efforts to change the law by attempting to get himself arrested.
News* Public Land Advocates Warn Senate Amendment Could Greenlight Sale of National Parks – Flathead Beacon
Resources* Watch “Common Waters” preview * Salida screening Jan 29 * Colorado Stream Access Coalition website * Video episode on YouTube
Credits* Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger * Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org * Music: Purple Planet * Featured image: Screenshot from Common Waters preview; Source: Rig to Flip
The post Common waters: Inside the fight for stream access in Colorado appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
On this episode of the Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by filmmaker Annie Ersinghaus, rancher Don Schreiber, and Gail Evans, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, to talk about the impact poorly regulated oil and gas extraction has on New Mexico’s environment. Gail and Don appear in Annie’s new film, The Land of Sacrifice: The Burden of New Mexico’s Oil and Gas Extraction.
News* Hundreds of Joshua trees were scorched during the shutdown – Los Angeles Times * Wealthy Ranchers Profit from Public Lands. Taxpayers Pick up the Tab – High Country News/Propublica * Sheep Creek mine public meeting draws comments, concerns in Hamilton – KPAX News
Resources Watch The Land of Sacrifice: The Burden of New Mexico’s Oil and Gas Extraction*
Credits* Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger * Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org * Music: Purple Planet * Featured image: Permian Basin oil and gas development; SkyTruth/Fickr
The post The dirty truth about oil and gas drilling in New Mexico appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this episode of The Landscape, Aaron and Kate discuss the Trump administration’s plan to roll back oil and gas bonding rates designed to protect American taxpayers from the cleanup costs of abandoned wells. The episode features insights from David Jenkins, president of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship. His group recently released a report finding the Trump’s roll back could saddle taxpayers with over $750 billion in potential financial liabilities.
News* Conservation Leaders Unite to Oppose Steve Pearce BLM Nomination – Sierra Magazine * Congress Broke Public Lands. It’s About To Create Legal Chaos – Wes Siler’s Newsletter * Statement: Senate hearing on multiple use of America’s public lands – CWP
Resources* Unplugged: The High Cost of Bonding Reform Rollbacks – Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship * Take action * Watch the full video episode on YouTube
Credits* Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger * Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org * Music: Purple Planet * Featured image: Pumpjack located in the Carlsbad Field Office; Source: BLM New Mexico
The post Trump bonding rates could cost taxpayers billions appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Join us on The Landscape as we dive into the resurgence of uranium mining in the American West. Hosts Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger speak with Land Desk author and public lands expert Jonathan Thompson about whether the current uranium hype signifies a boom or a bubble. We explore the history of uranium production, the complications of mining on public lands, and the environmental and economic implications of revival efforts. Additionally, we discuss recently fast-tracked mining permits under the Trump administration and the future of small modular reactors as potential power sources.
News* Conservation Groups Blast Trump’s Latest Choice to Head Up the Bureau of Land Management – Inside Climate News * When the federal shutdown closed this national park, rangers took to the classroom – Los Angeles Times
Resources* + The Land Desk newsletter + Watch the full video episode on YouTube
Credits* Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss and Kate Groetzinger * Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org * Music: Purple Planet * Featured image: Abandoned uranium mine near Moab; Matt Affolter/Wikimedia Commons
The post Uranium boom or bubble? Exploring the future of uranium mining in the West appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron talks to Rep. Jared Huffman, ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, about the government shutdown, whether Adelita Grijalva will ever get sworn in, and what he tells people who ask what’s bringing him hope in this dark time.
- Produced & hosted by Aaron Weiss (Kate’s back next week)
- Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
- Music: Purple Planet
- Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
The post What the shutdown means for public lands w/ Rep. Jared Huffman appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
This Saturday is National Public Lands Day, and in honor of that, we’re bringing you a special behind the scenes episode about our Keep Parks Public tour featuring the team here at CWP. As many listeners or Look West subscribers may know, the CWP team embarked on a 10-day journey that took us from Denver to Las Cruces, Tucson, Flagstaff, Moab, Salt Lake City, Grand Junction, and Jackson Hole over the past month and a half.
The main goal of the Keep Parks Public tour was to highlight the impacts President Trump’s staffing and funding cuts are having on public lands across the West. But we ended up covering a lot more than that. We talked to local political and business leaders, conservation advocates, former park rangers and superintendents, and public land lovers at every stop on our trip— and the message from everyone was clear: public lands are not ok. Nor are the people who care for them.
We’re going to share what we learned on the tour and play some of the best quotes from our live events. Then we’ll close out by reading you some of the 150+ comments folks have submitted through our Keep Parks Public website answering the question: Why do public lands matter to you?
News* After defeating plan to sell public land, coalition of Colorado advocates keeps up the fight – Colorado Sun * “Keep Parks Public” tour stops in Tucson to push back against national park cuts – KGUN * What Was Learned From the Latest Fight Over Public Lands? – Outside * 109th anniversary of National Park Service comes amid big proposed cuts, uncertainty about the future of public lands – Rocky Mountain Community Radio * ‘Keep Parks Public’ tour concludes in Grand Junction – KREX * After national parks hearing, MAGA forces continue public land assault, greens say – WyoFile
Resources* + Tell us: Why do public lands matter to YOU? + Keep Parks Public Instagram
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: CWP photo at Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in Las Cruces, NM
The post How people across the West are fighting to protect public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to former Montana gubernatorial candidate, public lands hunter, and Substack author Ryan Busse about how billionaires are cutting off access to the outdoors in Montana and a whole lot more. We also briefly touch on the news that the Trump administration is repealing the Public Lands Rule and give an update on the Roadless Rule repeal comment period.
News* Trump Moves to Scrap Biden Rule That Protected Public Lands – New York Times * Billionaires To Gate 1700 Acres and Bulldoze Historic Orchard On Flathead Lake – Montana Dispatch
Resources* How to comment on the planned roadless rule rollback – High Country News * The Outdoor Minimalist Podcast
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Custer Galllatin National Forest; Source: USFS
The post Ryan Busse on how billionaires are locking up land in Montana appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate hosts a live episode in Grand Junction on CWP’s Keep Parks Public tour! Guests discuss the importance of keeping our parks and monuments staffed and funded.
Guests: Ken Mabery, former superintendent of Colorado National Monument, Cole Hanson, Grand Valley Outdoor Recreation Coalition board member and Gear Junction co-owner, Jessy Nuckolls, public lands advocate and Western Colorado Alliance member, and Tracy Coppola, with the National Parks Conservation Association.
Resources* + Keep Parks Public: Tell us why you love public lands and want them protected + Follow @keepparkspublic on Instagram + Email us at podcast@westernpriorities.org + Episode transcript (to come)
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Keep Parks Public Grand Junction event on 8/22/2025; CWP photo
The post LIVE in Grand Junction: Public land advocates take Trump attacks personally appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate hosts a live episode in Salt Lake City on CWP’s Keep Parks Public tour! Guests: Erika Pollard, National Parks Conservation Association; Davina Smith, Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and Grand Staircase Escalante Partners; Scott Braden, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance; Doug Tolman, Save Our Canyons.
Resources* + Keep Parks Public: Tell us why you love public lands and want them protected + Follow @keepparkspublic on Instagram + Email us at podcast@westernpriorities.org + Episode transcript
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Keep Parks Public Salt Lake City event on 8/21/2025; Photo by Ken Kraus
The post LIVE: Utah conservation all-stars on how to Keep Parks Public appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron hosts a live episode in Denver, kicking off CWP’s Keep Parks Public tour. Scott Fitzwilliams, former supervisor of the White River National Forest in Colorado, Kelly Nordini, CEO of Conservation Colorado, and Kara Matsumoto, public lands director at the Conservation Lands Foundation, join us to discuss threats to Colorado’s public lands posed by the Trump administration and Congress—as well as what YOU can do to fight back.
News* We’re going on tour! Join us for live podcast tapings in Salt Lake City and Grand Junction.
Resources* Tell us why you love public lands and want them protected * Follow @keepparkspublic on Instagram * Email us at podcast@westernpriorities.org * Episode transcript
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Keep Parks Public Denver event on 8/13/25; CWP photo
The post LIVE: Colorado’s public lands are under attack. Keep Parks Public tour highlights threats and ways to fight back appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What the heck is Utah up to now that it’s land grab lawsuit has been snubbed by the Supreme Court and Senator Mike Lee has made public land sell-off untouchable in Congress? Kate and Aaron put that question to John Ruple, a Professor of Law and Stegner Center Fellow at the University of Utah, and Steve Bloch, legal director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
News* We’re going on tour! Join us for live podcast tapings in Denver, Salt Lake City, and Grand Junction – Keep Parks Public * Texas buys land for new state parks that will be developed using $1 billion voter-approved fund – Texas Tribune * Judge dismisses case aimed at stopping Utah from reviving its public land lawsuit – Utah News Dispatch
Resources* Public lands are not “enclaves” and other errors in the report to Utah’s Legislative Commission on Federalism – S.J. Quinney College of Law * American Lands Council filing in support of Utah’s land grab lawsuit * Tell us why you love public lands and want them protected! – Keep Parks Public * Follow @keepparkspublic on Instagram * Email us at podcast@westernpriorities.org
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Red rock formations on the Cedar Creek Canyon Road in Utah; Source: Murray Foubister/Wikimedia Commons
The post What’s next for Utah after SCOTUS snub and Mike Lee flame out? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
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.
News* Trump admin to ink deals with states for forest management – E&E News * The Forest Service Claims It’s Fully Staffed for a Worsening Fire Season. Data Shows Thousands of Unfilled Jobs. – ProPublica * As US wildfires rage, Trump staff cuts force firefighters to clean toilets, critics say – Reuters * DOE picks 4 sites to build data centers on federal land – E&E News * How Native Homes in New Mexico Are Tapping the Sun – New York Times
Resources* Email us at podcast@westernpriorities.org * Keep Parks Public summer roadtrip * Episode transcript (coming soon)
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK; NPS/Wikimedia Commons
The post The strange and mysterious history of the Joshua tree appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
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.
News* How Congress and Trump are working together to drill, log, and mine virtually all public lands – Westwise * Mass layoffs can move forward, with devastating impacts for conservation and science – High Country News
Resources* Email us at podcast@westernpriorities.org * Episode transcript (coming soon)
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Oregon Mt. Hood National Forest Trillium Lake; USFS/Flickr
The post Former Forest Service leader on how Trump is hollowing out the agency appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to writer, photographer, and adventurer Josh Jackson about his new book, The Enduring Wild, which beautifully captures the variety and vastness of California’s public lands—with a particular focus on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Josh is also the man behind the @forgottenlandsproject Instagram account, which he uses to share photos and stories of “forgotten” BLM lands in California, and soon, Nevada. Kate and Aaron also break down the public land sell-off and Roadless Rule repeal news.
News* 5 House Republicans declare red line on megabill land sales – Politico * Mike Lee Flails As His Public Land Sale Triggers Firestorm – Public Domain * Trump to rescind ‘Roadless Rule’ protecting 58 million acres of forest land – NPR
Resources* Subscribe to the Forgotten Lands Project newsletter * Buy The Enduring Wild book * Follow The Forgotten Lands Project on Instagram * Follow Keep Parks Public on Instagram * Sign up for email updates about our summer tour * Episode transcript
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Carrizo Plain National Monument; Credit @forgottenlandsproject
The post How do we protect BLM lands? We tell their stories appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to experts at the National Parks Conservation Association about illegal mining inside of Mojave National Preserve and a recent uptick in mining claims on public lands, including those near national parks.
News* 250+ million acres of public lands eligible for sale in SENR budget reconciliation package – The Wilderness Society * From ski resorts to popular trails, see the public land Mike Lee proposes selling across the West – Salt Lake Tribune * New report finds over 2,700 oil and gas-related spills occurred in West’s top oil-producing states in 2024 – Center for Western Priorities
Resources* The New Land Rush: Mining Claims Encroaching on National Parks – National Parks Conservation Association * Episode transcript (to come)
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Mojave National Preserve; Jeff Hollett/Flickr
The post Mining companies are knocking at the doors of our national parks appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Trump’s Department of Justice just released an opinion stating that the Antiquities Act gives presidents the power to shrink or eliminate national monuments at will. But what does that mean, for example, if Trump tries to undo Chuckwalla National Monument or shrink Bears Ears? Will this DOJ opinion stand up in court? We put those questions and […]
The post The DOJ just told Trump he can eliminate monuments. Now what? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to Tracy Stone-Manning, former director of the Bureau of Land Management and current president of the Wilderness Society. Tracy tells us what it was like to inherit an agency that was decimated by the first Trump administration and what she’s worried about this time around—but also, what’s giving her hope for […]
The post Tracy Stone-Manning on the biggest threats to public lands right now appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to Kurt Repanshek, founder and editor of National Parks Traveler, about President Donald Trump’s proposed funding cuts to the National Park System as well as how staffing cuts imposed by Elon Musk’s DOGE are affecting the Park Service. News In the dead of night, House committee votes to sell off public […]
The post How are the national parks holding up against DOGE and Trump’s attacks? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron speak with Len Necefer, CEO & Founder of NativesOutdoors, a native owned outdoor media, apparel and consulting company. You may also know him as the man behind the Sonoran Avalanche Center Instagram account. Len talks about his latest project, a documentary film about the Colorado River basin titled The American Southwest, and […]
The post New nature doc frames the Colorado River as an opportunity, not a crisis appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron nerd out with John Ruple, public lands professor at the University of Utah and a former member of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) about recent changes to how the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is being implemented across federal agencies, like the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service. […]
The post How the White House is making federal permitting less efficient appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to two experts about recent executive orders that negatively affect public lands. Mitch Friedman, founder and executive director of Conservation Northwest, talks about how Trump’s executive order aimed at increasing logging in national forests squares with existing law and forest management plans, while Rachael Hamby, policy director at the Center for […]
The post Unpacking Trump’s mining and timber EOs appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Jimmy Tobias, a public lands reporter and contributor to the Public Domain substack, and Jacob Malcom, former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Environmental Management at the Interior Department, to talk about Elon Musk’s attacks on the Interior Department and its employees. Jimmy has been covering changes inside Interior […]
The post How Elon Musk is trying to dismantle the Interior department appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
This week, we take a break from bad news to talk about what nature does to your brain. Kate and Aaron speak to author Florence Williams about her book, The Nature Fix, which came out in 2017 but is just as relevant today. Her book looks at the science behind why nature makes us feel happier, […]
The post How nature makes us feel happier, healthier, and more connected to humanity appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate break down the results of Colorado College’s annual State of the Rockies Conservation in the West poll with pollsters Lori Weigell and Dave Metz. The poll found that voters in the West support preserving and protecting public lands more than ever before in the poll’s 15-year history. That’s right—just as President Trump […]
The post Western voters reject Trump agenda on public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Tim Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and Mitch Flanigan, a former ranger at Denali National Park, to talk about recent firings across Interior department agencies, including the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Managment, as well as at the U.S. Forest Service. Prior […]
The post Layoffs at Interior are causing chaos and heartbreak appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by Mark Squillace, natural resources law professor at the University of Colorado Law School. Professor Squillace provided legal counsel to the Interior Department under President Bill Clinton and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, and he’s a two-time veteran of this podcast. Today, we discuss the legality of President Trump’s executive orders […]
The post Can President Trump even do that? Public lands edition appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk through the effects of President Donald Trump’s first executive orders on public lands with Drew McConville, a senior fellow on the Conservation Policy team at the Center for American Progress. His research is focused on energy, public lands, and Alaska. News Trump Signs Orders to Promote Fossil Fuels and End Climate […]
The post Trump’s Day One attack on public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to CWP colleagues Lauren Bogard and Sterling Homard about our recent report on President Joe Biden’s final year on public lands, which looks at the president’s conservation achievements over the past year in the context of his full presidential term. They also recap Trump Interior Secretary Nominee Doug Burgum’s Senate confirmation […]
The post Looking back on Biden’s conservation record appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Alan Zibel, a research director at Public Citizen who focuses on energy and environmental issues. He breaks down what Donald Trump and the incoming Congress’s so-called “energy dominance” agenda could mean for public lands—given that the U.S. is already the world’s top exporter of natural gas (otherwise known as […]
The post What Trump’s “energy dominance” agenda means for public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to Chris Clarke, host of the 90 Miles from Needles podcast, about the Cadiz pipeline project, a water mining project that poses a huge threat to the Mojave Desert. This project has been around in some form or another for over four decades and the latest iteration is especially insidious. News […]
The post This company is trying to drain an aquifer in the Mojave Desert appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this special episode of The Landscape, Kate visits the Dolores River Canyon Country in southwest Colorado, along with CWP’s Lauren Bogard and Sterling Homard, to meet with folks who support protecting this special region. The Dolores River’s riparian zone contains the largest and most biodiverse stretch of unprotected public lands in Colorado. Advocates are […]
The post Special episode: Inside the Dolores River Canyons appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by CWP Executive Director, Jennifer Rokala, and Curtis Hubbard, a political consultant based in Colorado, to break down the what the results of the 2024 election mean for public lands. News With Ready Orders and an Energy Czar, Trump Plots Pivot to Fossil Fuels – New York Times Trump gave […]
The post What the results of the election mean for public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to Sanjay Narayan, managing attorney of the Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program, about a lawsuit over the proposed Uinta Basin oil train that could have some major implications for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The case is set to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in December. News With […]
The post Choo! Choo! NEPA heads to the Supreme Court disguised as an oil train appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Dr. Dominick DellaSala, Chief Scientist at Wild Heritage, a project of the Earth Island Institute. Dr. DellaSala came on The Landscape twice last year to talk about the Biden administration’s plans to protect mature and old growth forests. He recently wrote an op-ed for the Seattle Times in which […]
The post What Biden can do for America’s forests before he leaves office appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Backcountry Hunters & Anglers CEO Patrick Berry to talk about why Utah’s lawsuit seeking control of over 18 million acres of national public land in the state would be terrible for sportsmen across the West. News Other states urge Supreme Court to hear Utah federal land case – E&E […]
The post How Utah’s land grab lawsuit could harm hunting in the West appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and guest host Sterling are joined by journalist and producer Marissa Ortega-Welch to talk about her new podcast series, How Wild, which was recently released by KALW and distributed by NPR. The podcast explores how the concept of capital W wilderness is changing due to climate change, technology, crowding, and shifting views on colonialism. […]
The post How climate, crowds, and colonialism are complicating the concept of Wilderness appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by members of the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe to talk about the proposed Kw’tsán National Monument in southern California.
This is part of our Road to 30 postcards series, in which we highlight local efforts to protect iconic landscapes around the country. A Tribal elder, a Tribal youth, and one of the leaders of the monument proposal talk about why it’s important to protect this desert region as part of a broader cultural landscape that connects Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument.
News* Two oil and gas companies orphaned a record number of wells in Colorado last year, records show – CPR News
Resources* Sign the petition and learn more about the proposed Kw’tsán National Monument
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Courtesy of Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe/Bob Wick
The post Meet the proposed Kw’tsán National Monument—a 390,000 acre landscape in the California desert appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to Inside Climate News reporter Wyatt Myskow about an incredible story he wrote about what’s unfolding in Nevada’s Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, where the endangered Devil’s Hole pupfish is undergoing a rebrand from villain to hero.
Click here for a transcript of this episode.
News* The National Monuments Disinformation Brigade – Center for Western Priorities * Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary – NOAA
Resources* As a Nevada Community Fights a Lithium Mine, a Rare Fish and Its Haven Could Be an Ace in the Hole – Inside Climate News
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Crystal Spring, Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, southern Nevada; Source: Wikimedia Commons/Stan Shebs
The post From villain to hero: the Devil’s Hole pupfish could save this desert community appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In this episode of the Landscape, Kate and Aaron discuss Utah’s attempt to sue the federal government for control of over 18 million acres of federal public land with John Leshy, Professor Emeritus, University of California College of the Law, San Francisco. Leshy served as Solicitor (General Counsel) of the U.S. Department of the Interior throughout the Clinton administration and served in the Interior department in the Carter administration. Leshy discusses the underpinnings of Utah’s legal argument and explains why it’s likely to fail in court, if the U.S. Supreme Court even takes it up, which he says is also unlikely.
Click here for a transcript of the episode.
News* Utah lawsuit seeks state control over vast areas of federal land – Associated Press * Bureau Of Land Management Announces Protection Of D-1 Alaska Public Lands – Alaska Sporting Journal
Resources* Are U.S. Public Lands Unconstitutional? – John Leshy
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Red Fleet Trails in Utah; Source: BLM Utah/Flickr
The post How nuts is Utah’s land grab lawsuit? We ask law professor John Leshy appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
For the 200th episode of The Landscape, we brought the whole Center for Western Priorities team together to talk about what brought us each into conservation work, and recount some of the most memorable moments we’ve had as public lands advocates.
Hosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: The CWP team, left to right: Jen Rokala, Rachael Hamby, Lauren Bogard, Lilly Bock-Brownstein (with Wren), Sterling Homard, Aaron Weiss, Kate Groetzinger
The post Episode 200! (Behind the scenes at CWP) appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate talks to author Zak Podmore about his upcoming book, Life After Deadpool: Lake Powell’s Last Days and the Rebirth of the Colorado River, which explores various aspects of Lake Powell’s emptying due to drought, from how to replace the loss of hydropower to how wildlife and plant life is returning to Glen Canyon as the lake recedes.
News* US energy reform bill a ‘wishlist for the fossil industry’, say environmental groups – The Guardian * In long-sought change, states must consider tribal rights when crafting water rules – Source NM
Resources Pre-order Life After Deadpool Lake Powell’s Last Days and the Rebirth of the Colorado River* – Torrey House Press
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam; James Marvin Phelps/Flickr
The post The future of Lake Powell with Zak Podmore appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron talk to Syren Nagakyrie, founder and director of Disabled Hikers, a nonprofit group seeking to make the outdoors more accessible for people with disabilities. Nagakyrie has been outspoken about the tokenization of disabled hikers by U.S. Senator Mike Lee, who recently filed a bill called the Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act that encourages road building on public lands. Nagakyrie called the bill “a blatant attempt to scapegoat disability as an excuse to build more roads.” According to Nagakyrie, what disabled people really need to access the outdoors is good information and well-maintained trails.
News* Senators release statement on protections for Dolores River – San Miguel Basin Forum * Plans to build more roads on public lands will help disabled Americans, Mike Lee says. Disabled hikers disagree – Salt Lake Tribune * 50-year fight in Crested Butte ends as land swap forever blocks mining on Red Lady – Colorado Sun
Resources* Disabled Hikers Trail Guides – Disabled Hikers * Spoon Trail Rating System – Disabled Hikers
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Disabled Hikers founder Syren Nagakyrie; Credit: Eddie Bauer/Elise Giordano
The post Hitting the trail with Disabled Hikers founder Syren Nagakyrie appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate talk to Dr. Hitesh Tolani, creator of the Gays of National Parks Instagram account, which is aimed at fostering community among LGBTQ people through a love of the outdoors. Hitesh began the account as a joke in 2022 but it has since grown into a community with over 15,000 followers. Hitesh talks about how the group is fostering connection both online and in person, as well as why representation in the outdoors and park leadership matters.
News* The Supreme Court will consider reinstating a critical approval for a rail project in eastern Utah – Associated Press * Contact Gays of National Parks * New state program aims to put 500,000 acres of Montana prairie under conservation leases – Montana Free Press
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Participants in a GONP trip, courtesy of Hitesh Tolani
The post How an Instagram ‘joke’ turned into an outdoor LGBTQ community appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Boise State Public Radio’s Murphy Woodhouse, a reporter with the Mountain West News Bureau collaborative. Murphy covers wildfires and wildfire policy across the West, informed by his past experience as a wildland firefighter. In a wide-ranging discussion, Murphy talks about the bleak state of wildfire pay, the possibility of much of the West becoming uninsurable because of wildfire risk, and much more.
News* Interior Department holds community meeting on Chuckwalla National Monument * Sen. Michael Bennet addresses the misinformation campaign on the Dolores River * Bonus editorial: Dolores monument proposal depends on compromise * White House swears in first class of the American Climate Corps
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: The 2021 Ponina Fire in Oregon, Oregon Department of Forestry
The post Reporter Murphy Woodhouse on the future of wildfire season appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The proposed Mimbres Peaks National Monument would add protections for lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management in Luna County, New Mexico near the city of Deming. The collaborative effort is locally-led by elected leaders, business owners, economic development advocates, hunters, youth leaders, conservationists, and students. The proposal would protect approximately 245,000 acres in an area that contains documented cultural and historic sites that continue to hold importance to modern day Tribes and Pueblos, and also provides diverse outdoor recreation opportunities including hunting, hiking, equestrian use, biking, camping, picnicking, photography, and more. According to a recent independent economic analysis, the proposal would bring a much needed boost to the area, broadening access to nature and creating new jobs and revenue through increased visitation.
Hear from a father and son who know and love this region and want to see it protected: Ray Trejo works for New Mexico Wildlife Federation and is currently a Luna County Commissioner. BJ Trejo lives in Deming and is working as an organizer for New Mexico Wilderness Alliance. He is also Ray’s son.
News* DOD, Interagency Partners Designate 5 New Sentinel Landscapes – U.S. Department of Defense * Sign the petition to support the proposed Mimbres Peaks National Monument * Proposed national monument would be economic boon for area – Las Cruces Sun News * New Polling Confirms Strong Majority Support for an Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument – Protect the Owyhee * Owyhee Video Postcard – Center for Western Priorities
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Florida Mountains in the proposed Mimbres Peaks National Monument
The post Protecting the Mimbres Peaks in Southern New Mexico appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by Kristen Miller, Executive Director of the Alaska Wilderness League, to talk about some big steps to protect public lands in Alaska made by the Biden administration this spring. They include increased protections for 13 million acres inside the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, as well as the cancellation of a proposed 200-mile road that would have stretched across part of Alaska called the Ambler Road.
News* The U.S. just took its biggest step yet to end coal mining – Washington Post * The coal industry, running on fumes, likely to shrink more with new EPA power plant rule – USA Today * Biden administration restricts oil and gas leasing in 13 million acres of Alaska’s petroleum reserve – Associated Press * Tribes, activists gird for fight over Ambler Road rejection – E&E News * Haaland visits site of proposed Southern California monument – E&E News
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: BLM/Flickr
The post A huge step forward for public lands in Alaska appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by Davina Smith, who represents the Navajo Nation on the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, and Lauren Henson, who is the Collaborative Management and Tribal Support Specialist for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, to talk about the Bears Ears draft monument management plan, which came out in March. We talk about how the draft plan came together and how to get involved.
Click here for an automatically-generated transcript.
News* Biden Expands Two National Monuments in California – New York Times * Submit a public comment through the Coalition website – Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition * Submit a comment through the BLM – Bureau of Land Management * Bears Ears draft management plan public hearings – Bureau of Land Management * Democrats seek probe of foreign mining on public lands – E&E News
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: brucerinehart/Wikimedia Commons
The post Behind the scenes of the Bears Ears draft management plan appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by the Wilderness Society’s Michael Carroll and Justin Meuse to talk through a handful of federal regulations, or rules, that were finalized in late March and April. These rules touch on everything from methane waste on public lands to ecosystem restoration to caribou herds in Alaska. Some of these rules are already in effect, and some will take effect soon. Together, they are a framework for more responsible and climate-friendly public land management.
Click here for an automatically generated transcript.
News* 5 Early Takeaways From the Biden Administration’s Conservation Atlas – Center for American Progress * The U.S. just changed how it manages a tenth of its land – Washington Post * Biden hikes cost of drilling on federal lands as Trump courts oil donors – Washington Post * Biden administration takes stride on public lands renewable energy with final rule – The Wilderness Society * Biden limits oil drilling across 13 million acres of Alaskan Arctic – Washington Post * BLM announces final methane waste rule – New Mexico Political Report * More solar on public lands? Digging into BLM’s plan – The Landscape * BLM proposes stronger greater sage-grouse conservation plans – Bureau of Land Management
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: BLM/Flickr
The post Why April was a huge month for public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Trout Unlimited CEO Chris Wood, who has been with TU for twenty years, following a career as chief policy director at the U.S. Forest Service during the Clinton administration. Chris talks about how an influx of federal funding for ecosystem restoration is supercharging the group’s work reconnecting streams and rivers, as well as how his group is engaging in legislative mining reform.
Click here to read an automatically generated transcript of the episode.
News* Biden administration bars drilling in Colorado’s Thompson Divide landscape – The Hill * Feds announce final renewable energy rule for public lands – NM Political Report * Oil and gas companies must pay more to drill on federal lands under new Biden administration rule – Associated Press * U.S. clamps down on oil and gas firms releasing potent greenhouse gas – Washington Post
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Salmon using a fish ladder; Wikimedia Commons
The post Swimming upstream with Trout Unlimited appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by author Betsy Gaines Quammen to talk about public lands and extremism. Betsy has written two books about extremism in the West. Her first, American Zion, looks at the connection between Mormonism and extremism. Her second book, True West, which came out last year, digs into the myths that define the West.
News* Interior rule aims to crack down on methane leaks from oil, gas drilling on public lands – Associated Press * Proposed Chuckwalla National Monument video – Center for Western Priorities * California tribe that lost 90% of land during Gold Rush to get site to serve as gateway to redwoods – Associated Press
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: USFWS/Flickr
The post Talking public lands extremism with Betsy Gaines Quammen appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by three members of the reporting team behind, Lithium Liabilities, a groundbreaking investigation into how lithium mining could affect the West’s water supply. Emma Peterson, Morgan Casey, and Lauren Mucciolo are part of a large team of editors, photographers, and reporters who worked on the investigation at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.
Click here to read an automatically generated transcript of the episode.
News* Feds publish “unprecedented” Bears Ears plan – Land Desk * Lithium Liabilities – Cronkite News * Comment on Bears Ears draft management plan – Bureau of Land Management * Shutting off Arizona’s spigot to Saudi Arabian cows and political bull – Arizona Republic
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Doc Searls/Flickr
The post Will lithium mining dry up the West? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by pollsters Lori Weigel and Dave Metz to discuss the 14th Annual Colorado College State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West poll. The poll surveys voters in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Colorado on their environmental views. This year, it found support for conservation of nature is higher than ever.
Click here to read an automatically generated transcript of the episode.
News* Wyoming Legislature’s two chambers OK ‘Kelly Parcel’ sale to feds for $100M – WyoFile * Bipartisan conservation poll shows increasing concern over environmental issues in Western States – CPR News * Feds Deny Dam Permits on Tribal Lands – Grand Canyon Trust
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: BLM/Flickr
The post What Western voters want in 2024 appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Justin Meuse, Director of Government Relations for Climate and Energy at the Wilderness Society, to talk about a proposal from the Bureau of Land Management to prioritize around 22 million acres of public land for utility scale solar development across the West. They discuss why planning matters, how much solar development to actually expect if this plan proceeds, and how you can get involved.
View an automatically generated transcript of this episode here.
News* Why Utah leaders just rejected a valuable Bears Ears land swap – Salt Lake Tribune * BLM analysis aims to optimize solar energy development throughout the West – Bureau of Land Management * Arizona Republicans challenge Biden’s designation of a national monument near the Grand Canyon – Associated Press * 2024 State of the Rockies Conservation in the West poll – Colorado College * Comment on the Solar PEIS
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: BLM/Flickr
The post More solar on public lands? Digging into BLM’s plan appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Driven by high uranium prices, domestic uranium mining has resumed at three locations in the U.S. after an eight-year hiatus. Kate and Aaron are joined by Amber Reimondo, Energy Director at the Grand Canyon Trust and Scott Clow, Environmental Programs Director for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, to discuss how that will impact the Grand Canyon and Tribal communities on the Colorado Plateau.
Click here for an automatically generated transcript.
News* First conventional uranium mining in the U.S. in 8 years has begun in Utah and Arizona – KSJD * Alarm as first uranium mine in years opens near Grand Canyon – The Guardian * BLM deals “big setback” to plan for massive expansion of limestone quarry above Glenwood Springs – Colorado Sun * Native American tribe seeks designation of California monument – E&E News
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons
The post Uranium mining returns to the Colorado Plateau appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by I Ling Thompson, CEO of The Foundation for America’s Public Lands. The Foundation is the official charitable partner of the Bureau of Land Management. Its job is to engage with local communities and the public on behalf of the agency. Thompson discusses the challenges the BLM faces and how the Foundation plans to help, as well as how members of the public can engage with the Foundation.
Click here for an automatically generated transcript.
News* NYSE pulls plan for environmentally sustainable asset class – Reuters * BLM plan aims to dramatically expand Western solar – E&E News * Learn more about The Foundation for America’s Public Lands and sign up for emails
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: BLM/Flickr
The post Inside the Foundation for America’s Public Lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Tony Caligiuri, president and CEO of Colorado Open Lands, a nonprofit land trust that exists to protect Colorado’s land and water resources. Colorado Open Lands works primarily with private landowners to place voluntary agreements called conservation easements on their property. Tony talks about how private land and water conservation works, as well as the vital role it plays in the national effort to protect 30 percent of U.S. land and water by 2030.
News* First conventional uranium mining in the U.S. in 8 years has begun in Utah and Arizona – KSJD * Conservation opponents have a new boogeyman: Natural Asset Companies – Westwise * Native tribes are getting a slice of their land back — under the condition that they preserve it – Los Angeles Times * Donate to Colorado Open Lands
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: BLM/Flickr
The post The private land piece of the 30×30 puzzle appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala for a year-end public lands news roundup and a look ahead at 2024. Overall, 2023 was a great year for public lands. The Biden administration took some really important and concrete steps toward protecting 30 percent of U.S. lands by 2030, as well as started some important rule-makings to update public lands management and end drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. But the pressure is on as we head into 2024. We talk about what public lands lovers should be watching in the new year.
News* Road to 30 Postcards – Center for Western Priorities (proposed monument blogs, videos, and more) * Look West monthly newsletters – Westwise * The Biden Administration Has Reached Conservation Records in 2023 – Center for American Progress
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: USInterior/Flickr
The post The year in public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Dr. Dominick DellaSala, Chief Scientist at Wild Heritage, a project of the Earth Island Institute. We had Dr. DellaSala on the Landscape back in June to talk about the Biden administration’s efforts to protect old growth forests. At the time, the U.S. Forest Service had just released data that […]
The post Behind the headlines: old growth logging ban appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Rachel Morgan, author of Sins of the Shovel: Looting, Murder, and the Evolution of American Archaeology. Rachel is an archaeologist based near Washington, DC, and her book, which was published last month, is largely focused on the Southwest. She gives a detailed account of the Wetherill family, which settled […]
The post Sins of the shovel: How archaeology evolved from pot hunting to science appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by Julia Stuble, Wyoming State Senior Manager with the Wilderness Society. Julia is a Wyomingite who’s lived and worked in the state for decades. She’s here to talk about a proposed Bureau of Land Management resource management plan, or RMP, for southwest Wyoming that’s making waves in the state. The […]
The post How a Wyoming land use plan ended up in a misinformation war appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by Laura Peterson, staff attorney with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, to talk about the Bureau of Land Management’s recently finalized Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges Travel Management Plan. The plan will guide land management decisions for a 300,000-acre landscape to the north of Moab for years to come, and will help […]
The post Balancing trails, wilderness, and ATV’s in Moab’s backcountry appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by three other members of the Center for Western Priorities for this episode focused on a new report from CWP. The Conservation Toolbox report is a directory of the major land protection tools available to help preserve federal public lands. CWP’s Director of Campaigns and Special Projects, Lauren Bogard, Policy […]
The post Opening up the Conservation Toolbox to protect public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Tim Davis, founder and executive director of Friends of the Owyhee, and Karly Foster, campaign manager at the Oregon Natural Desert Association, to talk about how we can better protect the Owyhee Canyonlands. The Owyhee Canyonlands span from southeast Oregon into southwest Idaho, and it is one of the […]
The post Protecting the wild, vast Owyhee Canyonlands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Alan Zibel with Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group focused on the influence of big business in government, and Nichole Heil with the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, a watchdog group focused on bringing transparency and accountability to the private equity sector, to talk about a report they co-authored. The report, […]
The post The problem with Wall Street getting into public lands drilling appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by Ben Goldfarb, an award-winning environmental journalist and author who covers wildlife conservation, marine science, and public lands management, to talk about his new book, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, which is out now from Norton. In Crossings, Goldfarb explores how roads have made […]
The post Author Ben Goldfarb on the power—and peril—of roads appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by pollster Lindsay Vermeyen, senior vice president at Benenson Strategy Group, and Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala to dig into the results of our 2023 Winning the West poll. Spoiler alert: Western voters really love public lands, and they want to see them protected. Kate and Aaron […]
The post Digging into our 2023 Winning the West poll results appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by I Ling Thompson, vice president of strategy and engagement at the Trust for Public Land, to discuss a new report from the Trust called the Power of Parks to Promote Health. The report looks at the myriad ways urban parks improve human and environmental health, as well as how […]
The post How urban parks improve public health appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
In a special Road to 30: Postcards episode, Aaron and Kate talk to two members of the Havasupai Tribe about the proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. The proposed monument would partially surround and help protect the Grand Canyon National Park, as well as the communities that live in and near the […]
The post Inside the effort to protect the greater Grand Canyon region appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The Bureau of Land Management just proposed a rule that would essentially codify the oil and gas reforms in the Inflation Reduction Act as well as make a few other important changes to the federal leasing program. The proposed rule would fundamentally change the way oil and gas leasing occurs on public lands, putting the […]
The post New oil and gas rule just dropped. What’s in it? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Lori Faeth, senior director of government relations at the Land Trust Alliance, to discuss the Farm Bill and private land conservation. The Farm Bill conservation programs are the largest single federal source of funding for private land conservation. Farm Bill programs create significant opportunities for land trusts to protect […]
The post How the Farm Bill promotes private land conservation appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Dr. Dominick DellaSala, Chief Scientist at Wild Heritage, a project of the Earth Island Institute, to talk about the Biden administration’s efforts to protect old growth and mature forests. They also touch on reducing wildfire risk through forest management. Dr. DellaSala is the author of over 300 science papers […]
The post What’s going on with old growth forests? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by James Kenna, a 40-year Interior Department veteran who wore a number of hats over his decades of public service, including a stint as the California state director at Bureau of Land Management. That gave him a front row seat to land management decisions that would shape America’s energy future. […]
The post A BLM veteran weighs in on the agency’s proposed conservation leasing rule appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by filmmaker John De Graaf to talk about his new documentary Stewart Udall and the Politics of Beauty. De Graaf has been producing and directing PBS documentaries for 45 years, 32 of which he spent at KCTS, the Seattle PBS affiliate. His new film recounts former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall’s […]
The post Stewart Udall and the politics of beauty appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by Grace Wu, an assistant professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara, to talk about her research on balancing renewable energy development and conservation in the West. The study examined the potential habitat loss and land use impacts of developing the complete set of onshore wind, offshore wind, large-scale solar, distributed solar, transmission, and bioenergy resources needed to reach economy-wide net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 for the 11 western US states.
News* Minimizing habitat conflicts in meeting net-zero energy targets in the western United States – PNAS * Breaking down the”breakthrough” Colorado River deal – Land Desk * Public lands rule information – Bureau of Land Management * USGS rejects push to make copper a ‘critical’ mineral – E&E News
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Bureau of Land Management/Flickr
The post Can renewable energy and conservation coexist? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by journalist Danielle Prokop and photographer Diana Cervantes to talk about their recent series documenting drought on the Rio Grande River, which runs from Colorado, through New Mexico, to Texas. Danielle and Diana produced the series for Source New Mexico, a statewide non-profit journalism outlet.
News* Uranium speculation comes knocking on Bears Ears’ doorstep – Salt Lake Tribune * In a Climate Trade-Off, Biden Backs Manchin’s Fossil Fuel Plan – New York Times * FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Outlines Priorities for Building America’s Energy Infrastructure Faster, Safer, and Cleaner – White House * Crisis on the Rio Grande – Source New Mexico * Decades of effort have a Navajo community on the verge of clean water access – KUNM
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Rio Grande River, Asaavedra32/Wikimedia Commons
The post Why you should care about the Rio Grande River appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by Alli Henderson, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, and Blaine Miller-McFeeley, a senior legislative representative at Earthjustice, to talk about the recently-introduced Mining Regulatory Clarity Act—or, as Miller-McFeeley has renamed it, the Dirty Mining Trumps All Other Uses Act.
They talk about what prompted Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto of Nevada to file the bill, what makes it so bad, what good mining reform looks like, and how it can be accomplished. For a backgrounder on the bill, check out our recent Westwise blog.
News* Fossil fuel-friendly lawmakers tie debt ceiling to handouts for oil and gas industry – Center for Western Priorities * Environmentalists denounce Nevada U.S. senator’s mining bill – Associated Press * Conservation momentum surges for southwest Colorado’s Dolores River as record flows draw rafters – Colorado Sun
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Bureau of Land Management
The post A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad mining bill appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by clean energy consultant Rob Gramlich, founder and president of Grid Strategies LLC, to talk about the need to ramp up renewable transmission capacity in the U.S. Gramlich tells us what the Inflation Reduction Act did and didn’t do when it comes to transmission, as well as how Congress can incentivize the construction of transmission lines to meet the growing need—without weakening America’s bedrock environmental laws.
News* Manchin to reintroduce permitting bill, hold hearing – E&E News * Tribes Propose New Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument – Grand Canyon Trust * It’s time to ban uranium mining around the Grand Canyon – Center for Western Priorities * As ExxonMobil Dismisses Drilling in Arctic Refuge, Locals Say ‘Congress Must Act’ – Common Dreams
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Chris Hunkeler, Flickr
The post What’s really holding up renewable energy transmission construction appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by the co-chairs of the America the Beautiful for All Coalition, a new group that came together to ensure conservation benefits marginalized and overly burdened communities. Nse Witherspoon, executive director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network, and Mark Magaña, founder and CEO of GreenLatinos, talk about their coalition’s 2023 policy agenda as well as funding opportunities for groups that are working toward a more just and equitable conservation movement.
News* BLM proposes seismic shift in lands management – E&E News * Justice40 Accelerator * America the Beautiful for All 2023 Policy Agenda * US rolls out funding for wildlife crossings along busy roads – Associated Press
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
(Featured image: Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, California; BLM, Flickr)
The post Making conservation more inclusive appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The announcement of two new national monuments formed the centerpiece of the White House Conservation in Action Summit on March 21, 2023. Biden designated Avi Kwa Ame and Castner Range national monuments using his authority under the Antiquities Act, protecting over half a million acres in perpetuity.
Center for Western Priorities Campaigns and Special Projects Director Lauren Bogard and Executive Director Jen Rokala join Kate to talk about the new monuments and what made the campaigns to protect both Avi Kwa Ame and Castner Range so successful.
News* President Biden Designates Avi Kwa Ame National Monument – White House * President Biden Designates Castner Range National Monument – White House * Road to 30: Postcards. – Center for Western Priorities * Monuments to America’s Past – Center for Western Priorities
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
(Featured image: Castner Range in bloom, Mark Clune)
The post Biden designates two new national monuments appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by author and professor Natalie Koch, whose new book—Arid Empire: The Entangled Fates of Arizona and Arabia—explores the ways in which Arizona and Saudi Arabia have worked together to promote desert agriculture, and how that work is connected to a global obsession with engineering our way out of ecosystem collapse. Koch is a professor of geography and the environment at Syracuse University.
Aaron and Kate also talk to Jenny Rowland-Shea, public lands director at the Center for American Progress, about three major Biden administration announcements affecting Alaska, including the Willow Project decision.
News* Biden Administration Approves Huge Alaska Oil Project – New York Times * Interior secretary rejects Izembek Refuge land exchange but commits to new process to get a road for King Cove – Alaska Public Media * Alaska protections announced as Biden reportedly set to approve huge oil project – The Guardian
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
(Featured image: A cotton field outside Phoenix, near Goodyear, AZ; Jennifer A. Johnson, Wikimedia)
The post The tangled fates of Arizona and Arabia appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by pollsters Lori Weigel and Dave Metz to talk about the most interesting and important statistics from the recently released 2023 Colorado College State of the Rockies Conservation in the West poll. The poll found that voters care just as much about protecting public lands and waters, as well as about transitioning to renewable energy, as ever—despite feeling the pressures of inflation and high gas prices.
News* State of the Rockies 2023 Conservation in the West poll – Colorado College * After record profits, House panel considers massive taxpayer giveaway to oil and gas companies – Center for Western Priorities * Recommendations for the Rulemaking to Revise Existing Regulations for the Federal Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Program – The Wilderness Society * Border plant joins ESA list despite Texas AG’s objections – E&E News
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Ear Mountain Conservation Mgmt Area, Lewistown, Montana; Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management
The post What Western voters think about conservation appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron are joined by water scientist Brad Udall to talk about the current state of the Colorado River. Water levels are dropping and something has to give or the river’s main reservoirs—Lake Powell and Lake Mead— are going to run dry. But states aren’t anywhere close to an agreement on how much each one is going to cut back.
Udall, who teaches at Colorado State University and researches the impact of climate change on the Colorado River, is here to explain what’s going on, how dire the situation is, and what could happen next.
News* State of the Rockies 2023 Conservation in the West poll – Colorado College * ‘This is about self-determination and sovereignty’: Tribes welcome return of ancestral lands – Indianz * The Decolonial Atlas
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Grand Canyon National Park, Flickr
The post What’s going on with the Colorado River? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Aaron and Kate are joined by two mining reform experts to talk about the need to update our century-old mining laws and regulations in order to protect vulnerable communities and public lands as interest in mining grows thanks to electric vehicles and renewable energy needs.
Roger Flynn is the director and managing attorney at Western Mining Action Project, a nonprofit law project working on hard rock mining. He also teaches mining law at the University of Colorado law school. Aaron Mintzes is senior policy counsel at Earthworks where he works on transforming hard rock mining, oil, and gas policy.
This is the second episode in our two-part series on critical minerals and mining in the West.
News* Biden, Democrats rage as Big Oil touts record profits – The Hill * Why California is so far apart from other states in Colorado River water cuts plan – Los Angeles Times * Colorado animal sanctuary to open 22,450-acre horse refuge – 9News
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: arbyreed, Flickr
The post Why we need mining reform on public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Mining expert Ian Lange joins Kate and Aaron to talk about critical minerals and mining in the West. Lange directs the mineral and energy economics program at the Colorado School of Mines and is an expert in mining economics. He discusses what’s going on in the world of critical minerals—specifically those used in electric vehicle batteries. These include cobalt, copper, lithium, and nickel and are mostly mined overseas, but we do have some of them here in the U.S. And we could see a big increase in domestic mining for them thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which included subsidies aimed at stimulating mining at home.
*This episode is the first in a two-part series on mining in the West. The next episode will air in approximately two weeks and feature mining reform advocates.
News* Biden bans roads and logging in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest – New York Times * Fact-checking 3 claims about the GOP oil bill and White House response – Washington Post * U.S. energy chief says Biden would veto House Republican bill on oil reserve – Reuters * Progress report: President Biden’s second year on public lands – Center for Western Priorities
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Ken Lund, Flickr
The post Are we about to see a mining boom for EV minerals in the West? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
On this episode of The Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by Grand Canyon Trust staff attorney Michael Toll to discuss a plan to mine hundreds of thousands of barrels of waxy crude oil in Utah near Dinosaur National Monument, using billions of gallons of Colorado River Water.
A loophole in Utah law enabled an Estonian state-owned company called Enefit to buy 3.2 billion gallons of Colorado River water for just $10 in 2015. Now, Enefit wants to use that water to extract oil in the Uinta Basin using a novel method that is around 75 percent more carbon-intensive than traditional fossil fuel drilling. Toll discusses how Enefit acquired its massive water right and how the Grand Canyon Trust is fighting Enefit’s plan.
News* House speaker vote could portend ‘pure chaos’ for GOP policy agenda – Washington Post * In Arizona, Colorado River crisis stokes worry over growth and groundwater depletion – Los Angeles Times * How a Utah utility is helping an Estonian oil company hoard Colorado River water – Grist * New national monument proposed south of Joshua Tree National Park – Desert Sun
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Staplegunther, Wikimedia Commons
The post Fighting a plan to mine oil in Utah using billions of gallons of Colorado River water appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
On this episode of The Landscape, Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala and CWP Director of Campaigns and Special Projects Lauren Bogard join Aaron and Kate to go over the past year in public lands. From the passage of the largest climate bill in U.S. history (which includes major oil and gas leasing reforms) to a new national monument to the launch of a new conservation funding program, 2022 was a big year for public lands. The CWP team talks about what all of these developments mean and how they will continue playing out in 2023.
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Aaron Weiss/Center for Western Priorities
The post The past year in public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Renowned nature photographer Pete McBride joins Aaron and CWP’s Director of Campaigns and Special Projects Lauren Bogard on the pod to discuss his work documenting the Colorado River.
Pete is a photographer, filmmaker, and writer who has been to more than 75 countries on assignment for clients ranging from the National Geographic Society to the Smithsonian. After a decade documenting expeditions from Everest to Antarctica, he turned his cameras to his own backyard—the Colorado River—which turned into a book, three documentaries, and a PBS show. His National Geographic Channel documentary “Into the Grand Canyon” was nominated for an Emmy in 2020.
News* Manchin’s last-gasp permitting effort fails – E&E News * What to expect in the lame-duck session – E&E News * An evidence-based look at permitting reform – The Landscape podcast * Pete McBride on Instagram * Into the Grand Canyon (documentary) – National Geographic/Disney+
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Ken Lund/Flickr
The post Photographer Pete McBride on the Colorado River appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
This week on The Landscape, Aaron and Kate talk to Drew McConville and Sam Zeno from the Center for American Progress about their new report, which identifies the top 8 actions Biden can take to meet his America the Beautiful goal of protecting 30 percent of American lands and waters by 2030.
Drew McConville is a senior fellow at CAP and a former member of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where he helped develop and implement President Obama’s climate action plan. Sam Zeno is a conservation Research Assistant at CAP who worked on the report.
News* Biden commits to honoring tribes by protecting public lands in Nevada – Washington Post * Report: Top 8 Opportunities President Biden Should Pursue To Meet His America the Beautiful Commitment – Center for American Progress
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: Bob Wick/Bureau of Land Management
The post The top 8 actions Biden can take to protect 30×30 appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
CWP Executive Director Jennifer Rokala and Colorado-based political consultant Curtis Hubbard join Aaron to break down the 2022 election results and what they mean for public lands across the West.
Producer: Aaron Weiss
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: @POTUS
The post What the 2022 election means for public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
This week on The Landscape, Aaron and Kate talk to forest scientists Megan Cattau and Nayani Ilangakoon to find out what’s up in the world of wildfire risk reduction and forest recovery. Specifically, they ask about the U.S. Forest Service’s plan to plant a billion trees over the next decade, as well as how climate change is affecting forest recovery after wildfires.
Megan Cattau is an assistant professor of human-environment systems at Boise State University, who uses geospatial techniques on large datasets to explore patterns of forest disturbance and recovery. Nayani Ilangakoon is a postdoctoral associate at University of Colorado Boulder’s EARTH LAB, who uses remote sensing technology to research the post-fire recovery of Western conifer forests.
News* Prescribed Burns Are Encouraged. Why Was a Federal Employee Arrested for One? – New York Times * US to plant 1 billion trees as climate change kills forests – Associated Press * U.S. Taking Emergency Steps to Protect Sequoias From Wildfires – New York Times * The Unconventional Weapon Against Future Wildfires: Goats – New York Times * Wild Horses Could Keep Wildfire At Bay – NPR * Could ‘Smokey Beaver’ help fight wildfires? – OPB * Feds want the ability to cut back on Colorado River reservoir releases over the next two years – KUNC
CreditsHosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Featured image: U.S. Forest Service
The post What the science says about national forest management appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Author and outdoors enthusiast McKenzie Long joins Aaron and Kate to chat about her new book, This Contested Land: The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America’s National Monuments. The book is an exploration of national monuments—why they matter, what it takes to create them, and how they impact nearby communities. McKenzie visited 13 national […]
The post What makes national monuments special? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
University of Utah law professor Jamie Pleune joins Kate and Aaron on the Landscape to talk about the National Environmental Policy Act and permitting reform. Pleune and her colleagues analyzed over 40,000 Forest Service NEPA decisions to determine the mean and median time it takes to complete reviews, as well as what causes the majority of delays […]
The post An evidence-based look at permitting reform appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Just in time for National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 24, a conversation with Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of Vet Voice Foundation. VVF is one of the groups sponsoring a hike and rally for the proposed Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument on Saturday. News Manchin’s permitting bill sets up clash over government funding National Park […]
The post Is Camp Hale our next national monument? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The proposed Western Riverside National Wildlife Refuge would protect around 340,000 acres southeast of Los Angeles in southern California, helping preserve habitat for around 150 native species—over 30 of which are endangered—as well as green space for the county’s largely Latino population. Riverside County is currently one of the fastest growing regions in the country, […]
The post BONUS: Closing the Nature Gap in Southern California (en español) appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The proposed Western Riverside National Wildlife Refuge would protect around 340,000 acres southeast of Los Angeles in southern California, helping preserve habitat for around 150 native species—over 30 of which are endangered—as well as green space for the county’s largely Latino population. Riverside County is currently one of the fastest growing regions in the country, […]
The post Closing the Nature Gap in Southern California appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Collin O’Mara joins Aaron and Kate to talk all things Inflation Reduction Act, including: what’s in it, how the bill came together behind the scenes, how his group and others got Senator Joe Manchin on board with some of the bolder provisions in the bill, whether it’s ultimately a good or bad thing, how it […]
The post National Wildlife Federation president Collin O’Mara on the IRA appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Historians Patty Limerick and Philip Deloria join us for a conversation about the racist legacy of Manifest Destiny, and why we renamed this podcast.
The post The legacy of Manifest Destiny (and why we re-named this podcast) appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
A must-listen conversation with ecologist and data scientist Nathan Mietkiewicz about his new analysis that found humans were responsible for 97 percent of wildfires that threatened homes over the last 24 years.
The post Wildfires, houses, and climate change appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
A conversation with three groups that represent hunters and fishermen—Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and the National Wildlife Federation—about their report looking at critical minerals from a conservation perspective.
The post A way forward for critical minerals appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
A conversation with three Western environmental leaders about the 7th annual Latino Conservation Week, which is underway right now.
The post Why Latino Conservation Week matters appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Author Nate Schweber joins Kate to talk about his new book This America of Ours, which chronicles the lives of forgotten 20th century conservation heroes Avis and Bernard Devoto, who thwarted a plot to privatize millions of acres of public land, then successfully fought off an attempt to dam the Green River inside Dinosaur National […]
The post This America of Ours: The story of public land champions Avis and Bernard DeVoto appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Kate and Aaron run down the surprise climate legislation unveiled last night and talk about what it means for public lands, as well as whether or not the package can actually make it to President Biden’s desk. Then, Evergreen Action‘s chief of staff Lena Moffitt joins Kate and Aaron to talk about what President Biden […]
The post Manchin came to the table on climate. Now what? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
On this episode of The Landscape, Leah Sottile joins Kate and Aaron to talk about the connections between the Bundy family standoffs and the January 6th insurrection, as well as her new book, “When the Moon Turns to Blood,” a wild and tragic case of two murdered children and religious extremism out of Idaho. Sottile […]
The post Leah Sottile on the Bundy-January 6 connection and her new book appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Pollster Lindsay Vermeyen joins Aaron and Kate to talk about CWP’s new Winning the West poll numbers. The poll, which was conducted in Western swing states in May 2022, found that Western voters still care a lot about conservation, despite everything else going on in the world right now. Notably, it found that Westerners are […]
The post What it takes to win the West appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Grassroots Wildland Firefighters vice president Lucas Mayfield and advocate Michelle Hart come on The Landscape to talk about what it's like to be a wildland firefighter and what the federal government can do to attract new people to the profession.
The post Wildland firefighters just got a raise… but is it enough? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Scientist and conservationist Ed Grumbine joins Kate and Aaron to talk about what’s missing from President Biden’s America the Beautiful plan—and what the administration can do to get the ball rolling on 30x30.
The post What’s missing in Biden’s America the Beautiful plan appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Former Center for Western Priorities’ policy and design associate Tyler McIntosh and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance wildlands attorney Judi Brawer join Kate and Aaron to discuss the increasing pressures outdoor recreation is putting on our public lands—just in time for Memorial Day Weekend and summer camping season!
The post Are we loving our lands to death? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The Gila Wilderness was the first wilderness area designated in the country, and it’s coming up on its 100 year anniversary in 2024. Hear from USFWS biologist Leanna Torres and Apache backcountry guide Joe Saenz about what makes the Gila special, as well as the threats it's facing today, from military flyovers to attempts to dam the Gila River.
The post First & Wildest: The Gila Wilderness at 100 appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Researcher and author Laura J. Martin joins the Landscape to talk about the history of ecological restoration in the United States and how it led to today’s booming off-site environmental mitigation and carbon offset industries.
The post The history of ecological restoration appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
John Leshy literally wrote the book on America's public lands.
The post John Leshy on the history and future of public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What's really going on with gas prices? Dive into the data with us.
The post High gas prices and oil industry lies appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Rosie Thunderchief joins Kate and Aaron to discuss how land acknowledgements can create space for healing and to provide guidance for doing land acknowledgements of your own.
The post We’re still here: The how and why of land acknowledgements appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
This year is the 100th anniversary of the Colorado River Compact, an agreement between seven western states that determines how the river’s water is shared. To celebrate, we talked to reporter Luke Runyon, who covered the Colorado River extensively as a reporter for KUNC, a public radio station based in Greeley, Colorado.
The post Reporter Luke Runyon on his Colorado River road trip appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Award-winning investigative journalist Katie Worth joins Aaron and Kate to talk about her new book, Miseducation: How Climate Change is Taught in America.
The post Katie Worth on how Big Oil is influencing public education appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The folks behind Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico come on The Landscape to talk about how the first urban wildlife refuge in the Southwest came to be.
The post The story of Valle de Oro, the Southwest’s first urban wildlife refuge appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What's going on with gas prices, and is the Biden administration to blame? Aaron, Kate, and Jesse are joined by Brad Handler of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines.
The post Everything you wanted to know about gas prices but were afraid to ask appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Join us behind the scenes of CWP's "Road to 30: Postcards" multimedia series
The post Postcards from the Road to 30 appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
CWP’s Aaron Weiss and Lauren Bogard sat down with Colorado rancher Jay Fetcher, a finalist for the 2021 Colorado Leopold Conservation Award. Jay’s father and uncle founded Fetcher Ranch in 1949, and Jay was instrumental in the creation of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust, which protects working agricultural land while conserving natural resources.
The post Jay Fetcher on his family’s ranching and conservation legacy appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
This episode of The Landscape features CWP Conservation Policy and Research Manager Tyler McIntosh, whose new report, The Camping Crunch, looks at the increase in popularity of camping on national public lands, especially protected areas.
News:
- Methane emissions in the spotlight
- As Manchin blocks climate action, his state can’t hold back floods
- AP poll: Where Americans stand on climate and energy policy
- Dierdre Wolownick, mother of Alex Honnold, climbs El Capitan for her 70th birthday
Subscribe to Look West for public lands and energy news in your inbox every morning.
Hosts: Aaron Weiss & Kate Groetzinger
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury represents New Mexico’s 1st congressional district, which includes her hometown of Albuquerque. She took office in the summer of 2021, replacing now-Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. The congresswoman centered climate change in her campaign for Congress, a message she says resonated with the vast majority of her voters.
In this episode of the Landscape, she talks about running on a climate platform, centering climate in the reconciliation process, and the tough challenges facing New Mexico related to climate change.
She’s also got some advice for conservation and environmental groups at the end of the episode.
Links
- Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury’s official House page
- Utah Diné Bikeyah Bears Ears celebration
- Haaland op-ed
- Secretary Haaland runs the Boston Marathon
Hosts: Aaron Weiss & Kate Groetzinger
Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org
Music: Purple Planet
Photo: Glenn Harper, Flickr
Author and journalist Jonathan Thompson joins Aaron and Kate to talk about his new book, Sagebrush Empire, from Torrey House Press.
The book explores the birth of the Sagebrush Rebellion, a movement that rejects regulations and restrictions on public lands, as well as how the unique characteristics of San Juan County led the Sagebrush Rebellion to flourish there. He also shares some of his own views on how to manage recreation on public land.
Sagebrush Empire is Jonathan’s second book. His first, River of Lost Souls, is about the Gold King Mine spill in southwestern Colorado. He also publishes a newsletter called The Land Desk, which tackles topics related to Western public lands.
Links * Order Sagebrush Empire * Subscribe to The Land Desk * Read about 30×30 contributions * Listen to interview with Park Ranger Betty Soskin