Public Lands
Archive
America's public lands can help solve the climate crisis instead of contributing to it
The Acting Interior Secretary's confirmation hearing was already absurd. Then the Greenpeace protestors showed up.
The recent pro-conservation rulemaking at Interior is intended to smooth the way for acting secretary Bernhardt’s nomination hearing today
The host of the MeatEater podcast and Netflix series talks about the need for us all to unite forces and rally to protect public lands
A close reading of the President’s 2020 Department of the Interior budget reveals massive funding cuts for everything public-lands related—except for oil and gas
The crucial public lands legislation was just signed by President Trump. Here's why you should care.
Luis Benitez became the face of government’s interest in the outdoor recreation industry, one that’s larger than both the auto and oil and gas exploration industries. He sat down with 'Outside' to discuss the industry’s expanding role in politics and his own future.
At last, you can see real-time availability of federal campsites on third-party apps and websites
A compromise over Utah public land reveals how one of the biggest conservation acts in years got through the Senate this week
A cabal of old-school riders in New England is fighting to keep their singletrack the way they like it: illegal and empty
Two hunters set off in a raft to hunt for rutting mule deer bucks in Idaho’s famed Frank Church Wilderness.
The lengths to which the Utah Congressman will go to avoid addressing the real issues are getting laughably extraordinary
A crew of feisty veteran riders is trying to halt the development of previously illegal trails in New England.
Artist Robert B. Decker created a series of graphic-art prints commemorating our national parks. They’re all printed on 100 percent recycled paper and use soy-based ink, and each print is dated, numbered, and signed by the artist. Choose a park that means something to you, or find a park you’ve…
The former oil and gas lobbyist is the worst-case scenario for public lands
The Landmark Project has a series of destination-based posters, and there’s something really sweet and badass about its Smokey Bear series. It’s nostalgic, good-looking, and well-intentioned all at the same time.
OK, these aren’t cheap, but can you think of anything better than turning the ski map of your favorite resort into a piece of hangable art? It’s an exact reproduction of the trail map, printed on canvas that’s hand-stretched over a solid wood frame.
A former National Park Service ranger on why now, more than ever, national parks need protection from Washington's budget fights
Eight hundred of the 2,300 Bureau of Land Management staff who remain on duty during the shutdown are dedicated to serving the oil and gas industries
‘Dixie’ features its namesake national forest, in southwest Utah, and takes the viewer through two million acres of endless vistas
Waiting in the wings is an even worse swamp monster—oil and gas lobbyist David Bernhardt
Attorney Xochitl Torres Small just won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in a rural district. One of her prominent talking points? Protecting the region's national monument.
The results from Tuesday's elections prove that the majority of people in this country revere our public lands. Politicians, listen up.
As Wyoming debates whether to charge hikers, I wanted to issue a reminder that this whole pay-to-play concept on our public lands doesn't work
Whether you're going for a weekend, a week, or a month, there are some general rules to live by
Can recent events be chalked up to the occasional confusion of bureaucracy? Or is something more worrisome afoot?
From Your Forests Your Future and the Pattiz Brothers, this video demonstrates what goes into a wilderness designation.
Now that the House Natural Resources Committee has fallen under Democrat control, it could mean real oversight for the Department of Interior, says Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva
Even as Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has said he wants to give states more decision-making power over federal lands, the Trump administration has taken numerous steps to limit public input
This video features outdoor writer Hal Herring a native Alabaman who’s made his living and his home on the public lands of the west.
The world asks: Is Zinke corrupt, incompetent, or both?
And replaced her with a loyalist political operative who may not need Senate confirmation
If the outdoor industry doesn't embrace hunters and anglers as political allies in conservation battles, we all lose
Non-partisan midterm elections guidance from key environmental organizations
We sent a writer to check out the alleged uptick in damage to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument post President Trump's decision to shrink it
When someone rolls into the campsite next to yours, go say hi. You probably have something in common.
It's up to Republicans to bring it back to life and make it better than ever
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will offer up nearly 4 million acres of public lands for lease this year, much of it for dirt cheap
The conservative Utah Congressman wants to fully fund our national parks and our public lands. Huh?
Irreparable Harm, from Wild Confluence films, investigates the impact of a local mine on a community's natural food sources.
Lyfx wants to revolutionize the way we play by connecting local guides with traveling adventurers. But can it succeed where other apps have failed?
Nominee Raymond David Vela seems to care about making our national parks more accessible
A legal fight over access and an endangered frog has shut out climbers for 13 years, but the Forest Service has a plan to reopen many of the routes, as well as a section of the Pacific Crest Trail
Last week, the Bureau of Land Management released plans that would have opened up thousands of acres of former national monuments to mining and drilling—despite Zinke's promises to the contrary
In Washington State, a group of researchers is mining social media posts and photos to identify overused trails and turn your next weekend adventure into a real escape
As the U.S. battles over the fate of public lands, the Chilean government and Kristine Tompkins are doing something extraordinary down in Patagonia—setting aside millions of acres for stunning new national parks. And they aren't done yet.
Last week, the Interior Secretary outlined his ideas on what causes wildfire. Here's what he's right and wrong about.
Newly created state offices are promoting outdoor recreation as a major contributor to local economies and the public good, but they need a lot more support to be successful
The champion of the outdoor industry in Colorado weighs in on recreation's influence, Outdoor Retailer's impact, and his plans post governorship
Amid a frenzied conversation over shrinking public lands, Native Americans run hundreds of miles to honor—and take back—the land that's sacred to them
‘Northern Arizona University Goes to the Yampa’ follows a collegiate group as they learn about the geology of the Colorado Plateau.
The outdoor industry was once seen as a sleeping giant in the fight for public lands, according to author Timothy Egan. Not anymore
The organization posted two videos in response to an article I wrote last week. Let's review what its representatives said about me and the story.
This film showcases the story of Kentucky native Joe Bowen’s change of heart regarding the protection of the Red River Gorge.
The industry has made strides in recent years, but there’s much work still to be done
Keeping an eye on the interior secretary's latest ethical blunders and questionable public lands policies
America's proudest tradition should never be used as an excuse for anti-American politics
A new bill would strip the president of designating new monuments in the state—an idea that has already come to fruition in Alaska and Wyoming
A new study polled western voters' views on the interior secretary, Trump's public lands agenda, and downsizing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante
Now that the mines have closed, the small towns of Emery County, Utah, are dreaming up an ambitious plan: A veritable outdoor playground with a new monument and more than half a million acres of designated wilderness. Can this scheme convince other towns to transition from extraction to recreation?
Broken pipes, crumbling walkways, closed trails—this is what the $11.6 billion maintenance backlog looks like on the ground
Some of the places most sought after by recreationists are also culturally, spiritually or economically vital to tribes. We need to honor that.
It's taken half a decade to iron out the logistics, and while White Sands National Monument has as good a chance as ever at becoming a park, it's not guaranteed.
Our wild places have plenty of adventure for younger explorers, too
‘Our Wild’ profiles three wildlife biologists and anglers as they immerse themselves in Wyoming’s public lands.
Within a month, the remains of two people—one of them half-buried—were found inside the park's boundaries, a place with a storied relationship to death
Dan Wenk was a career Park Service official who was well-respected by Republicans and Democrats. But he made the mistake of disagreeing with Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
With more people than ever taking to the woods, we need to rethink how we spend time on public lands
This animated short from Your Forests Your Future and More Than Just Parks highlights the process behind this special designation.
In ‘Leave No Trace’ father and daughter are forced out of long-term camping on public lands by social services.
The Democratic candidate and son of the Burt's Bees founder is seeking a win in Maine's rural 2nd District with a simple message: The recreation economy can bring back jobs
A couple from Florida got sick of trekking into the backcountry only to contend with hordes of other people. So they embarked on a search for the most remote spots in every state.
The pro climber and free soloist extraordinaire went to D.C. to tell politicians we want to preserve the wild places we grew up with—and not turn them into radioactive tailings ponds
Political and journalistic pressure foiled Interior Department attempts to censor a climate report. Not surprisingly, its findings aren't good.
It's not just a hatred of the federal government that motivates the scofflaws—it's their deeply held faith
Proposition 68 aims to fund parks and outdoor spaces where it'll make the most difference—in urban areas. Will voters buy it?
Decades of political infighting have stymied construction of the North Country Trail, which, if finished, would run for 4,600 miles. Now it looks like Congress may finally be ready to get its act together.
What the Bundy family's battle with the federal government really means for the future of public lands in the American West