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A recent article in the Arizona Republic, “The only way to save Arizona forests is to let them burn,” repeats the misguided idea that low-severity/high-frequency fires keep the forest open and park-like, with limited fuels to sustain tree-killing wildfires. In other words, if a fire kills most trees, it is “lost” and “destroyed.” In the…
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Both a need and opportunities exist to elevate the conservation status of state public lands.
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A recent newspaper article noted that a large resort ranch along the base of Montana’s Crazy Mountains was using water for irrigation on a golf course. Worse, according to the news account, the ranch did not have water “rights” to use this water. Many people are outraged. While we can debate whether using scarce water…
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The debate over provisions in the recently approved House tax legislation (Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill) has numerous environmentally destructive provisions which I will get to in a moment. However, one victory amid the unbridled promotion of resource development was the removal of an amendment that permitted the sale of 450,000 acres of public lands across…
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Oregon State University (OSU) published a series of essays, “Not All Flames Are the Same,” on wildfire in Oregon. While the essays are written about Oregon forests, most of the main ideas about wildfire represented in the publications are similar to the propaganda found across the West. Like many forestry schools, the authors promote the…
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The Gallatin Range, which runs south from Bozeman into Yellowstone National Park, is the largest unprotected roadless area in the northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). The range contains some of the best wildlife habitat in Montana. In particular, the Buffalo Horn and Porcupine drainages are critical lands for elk migration, grizzly bears, and numerous other…
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From Western Watersheds Project A new app to document the destruction—and fight back. Out West, it’s easy to miss the most destructive industry on public lands. Across vast tracts of public land, there are no drilling rigs, no clearcuts, no mines gouging the earth. Just cows. Quietly grazing—or more accurately, degrading—millions of acres of land…
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Public lands belong to all of us, and protecting them requires collaboration, strategy, and action. That’s why we want to share an important event happening May 28-30, 2025 The Healthy Public Lands Conference is a gathering of advocates, experts, and community members working to address the challenges facing our public lands. From overgrazing and habitat…
