Department of Interior

  • Cash Cows – Now Available Again

    Jonathan Ratner

    Thanks to the work of Karen Klitz, we have been able to obtain a reprint of Cash Cows – Taxes Support a Wild West holdover that enriches ranchers and degrades the land. This expose was one of the only deep dives into the corruption surrounding public lands livestock grazing and the degradation it creates, and…

  • Why Tribal Co-Management Is A Threat to Our Public Lands

    George Wuerthner

    Given the wrecking ball the Trump administration is taking to our public lands and public values, it might seem trivial to worry about tribal co-management. Our public lands are among the most democratic of American institutions. Every American has a right to voice their opinion about public lands management, but no group should be elevated…

  • Bighorn Sheep vs. Domestic Sheep

    Jonathan Ratner

    As many of you know, domestic sheep are the primary impediment to bighorn sheep recovery because the domestic sheep transmit disease to the bighorn sheep. PBS did a decent video on the issue: What the video fails to mention is that livestock permits on our public lands are a privilege, not a right, and can…

  • USGS Webinar Series on Sagebrush Ecosystem and Rangeland Fire Science

    Jonathan Ratner

    For sagebrush and science geeks, USGS is hosting a series of webinars on sagebrush issues starting at the end of January Dates and Topics: 1/30 – Greater sage-grouse  2/6 – Invasive species, restoration effectiveness, and monitoring 2/20 – Monitoring, pinyon-juniper, and fuels management 2/27 – Fire, fuels management, invasive species  3/6 – Climate, carbon, and more…

  • Last Stand for Headwater Lahontan Cutthroat Trout – Part 2

    Karen Klitz

    Part 2 – Enforcement Why are Lahontan cutthroat trout populations still declining 50 years after being listed as a Threatened Species? Here are some points to consider. Agencies and Organizations Lahontan cutthroat trout (LCT) numbers have been diminishing since the 1800s by over-fishing and by habitat destruction, and they were listed in 1975 as Threatened…

  • Does Juniper Cause Grasses To Disappear?

    George Wuerthner

    One of the common myths perpetuated by the livestock industry is that fire supression has allowed juniper to increase across the West, though under natural conditions juniper has long fire rotations of hundreds of years, so not significantly impacted by fire supression. Some studies suggest juniper expansion may be a natural consequence of climate change.…

  • Comb Wash – Check It Out Before A Quarter of a Century of Recovery is Destroyed

    Jonathan Ratner

    The Comb Wash allotment and the adjacent Cottonwood allotment within what, at the time of this writing, is still within the Bear’s Ears National Monument features prominently within the annals of litigation against the abuses of livestock grazing on our public lands. For decades after the passage of The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) the…

  • Conservation Efforts In The Trump Era

    George Wuerthner

    After Donald Trump’s election, many wildlands advocates have become depressed and disheartened and feel that conservation efforts are over. The Trump administration will no doubt try to eliminate, thwart, or dismantle conservation laws and policies. It is important to remember this is nothing new. The old phrase “two steps forward and one step back” often…

Subscribe to get new posts right in your Inbox

‎”At some point we must draw a line across the ground of our home and our being, drive a spear into the land and say to the bulldozers, earthmovers, government and corporations, “thus far and no further.” If we do not, we shall later feel, instead of pride, the regret of Thoreau, that good but overly-bookish man, who wrote, near the end of his life, “If I repent of anything it is likely to be my good behaviour.”

Edward Abbey

“The continued existence of wildlife and wilderness is important to the quality of life of humans.”

Jim Fowler

“Our forests offer much more than just beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Each one has a different story to tell.”

Raveena Tandon

Latest Posts

×