October 2024 Conservation Update

Happy Halloween from the Mountain Pact! We’re keeping our eye on a few scary things that threaten one of our most precious resources: our public lands. We’re pushing back against Utah’s terrifying lawsuit to take control over our public lands, monitoring nerve racking cuts to seasonal workers in the U.S. Forest Service, and keeping an eye on misguided legislation that would, if passed, resume federal coal leasing. Keep reading to learn more about these threats, and for information on continued calls to establish new national monuments, how the prolonged fire season is complicating prescribed burning practices, and a celebration of the Land and Water Conservation Fund’s 60th anniversary!

September 2024 Conservation Update

The leaves are changing, the temperature is dropping, and the political commercials are at full pitch, which can only mean one thing: it’s autumn! This month, The Mountain Pact’s work continued to focus on protecting public lands, addressing climate change, and preserving our outdoor way of life. We also amplified calls from local officials and Indigenous leaders who continue to call on President Biden to designate more national monuments; we celebrated the immense economic benefits our national parks and monuments bring to the gateway communities that surround them; and we watched as politicians in Utah attempted an audacious public land grab. Keep reading to learn more about these topics, as well as how wildfires impact the health of our communities, how the Supreme Court decision to eliminate Chevron deference will impact our public lands, and much more.

August 2024 Conservation Update

August marked another successful month in the fight to preserve and protect the treasured landscapes across the west we call home. This month, the Mountain Pact celebrated President Joe Biden’s creation of our newest national monument at the site of the 1908 race riot in Springfield, Ill. This monument recognizes the Black community's resilience in the face of horrifying violence, and will serve to educate future generations about racial violence in America. We also monitored ongoing threats to our climate and public lands, including a brazen attempt by the State of Utah to take control of more than 18 million acres of federal land, and uplifted calls on the Biden-Harris Administration to establish the Bahsahwahbee National Monument within the National Park System. Keep reading for news about the impact of public lands on the US economy, the increasingly severe threat of wildfires, and a fun story about how llamas are helping out Forest Service crews in Colorado!

July 2024 Conservation Update

This month the Mountain Pact continued celebrating the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule with an ad and a supportive opinion piece. We also tracked the movement toward designating Dolores River Canyons a national monument as the movement gained momentum. The economic impact of outdoor recreation, wildfire updates, conservation efforts from the Biden-Harris Administration, and more can be found below.

June 2024 Conservation Update

This month, we released a letter, signed by 115 Western U.S. county commissioners, mayors, and council members, thanking the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the recent finalization of the Public Lands Rule. We also supported a well attended public meeting on the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument in California, as well as meetings on the potential Dolores Canyons national monument in Colorado.

Information about a historic co-stewardship agreement with the Yocha Dehe and Kletsel Dehe Tribes and the BLM for the recent expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument; the designation of four new national recreation trails; wildfire danger; other news about potential national monuments; the Supreme Court's ruling that imperils an array of federal rules; along with much more, is below. 

Over 100 Western Local Elected Officials Thank the Bureau of Land Management for Final Public Lands Rule

On June 11, over 100 Western U.S. county commissioners, mayors, and council members, sent a letter to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) thanking them for the recent finalization of a “Public Lands Rule.” The letter states: “As local elected officials, who represent communities across the Western U.S., are writing to commend you for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final Public Lands Rule which will provide a more balanced approach to public lands management for the West. Doing so will protect some of our communities’ important wildlife habitat, treasured recreation areas, critical water resources, and Indigenous cultural sites.” 

May 2024 Conservation Update

This May, The Mountain Pact celebrated a few different pieces of news about national monuments in California - President Biden expanded both the San Gabriel Mountains and Berryessa Snow Mountain national monuments, and Secretary Haaland visited the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument. As we continue to work toward monument designations in California and throughout the West, we also joined over fifty organizations in requesting more funding for the Department of Interior and U.S. Forest Service. Discussions about the future of the Colorado River; funding for water systems and restoration projects; and wildlife conservation initiatives also made headlines this month.

April 2024 Conservation Update

This month was a very busy one as we celebrated Earth Month with a lot of conservation announcements from the Biden-Harris Administration. These announcements included: 222,000 acres of public lands being protected from mineral extraction in Colorado; the Bureau of Land Management’s final Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process (Onshore Oil and Gas Leasing Rule); as well as a final “Public Lands Rule” that will guide balanced management of America's public lands now and for the future. This month we also saw the introduction of Chuckwalla National Monument legislation. Read more about these announcements as well as the latest investments in infrastructure, clean water, and wildlife conservation below.

March 2024 Conservation Update

The Mountain Pact had a busy month advocating for key conservation policies that benefit our communities. We joined nearly 70 other organizations in support of the Antiquities Act. We also brought together elected officials across Colorado to support BLM’s proposed Oil and Gas Rule. In addition to these initiatives, The Mountain Pact has been tracking new funding for the Administration’s Investing in America agenda, new management plans. We have also been supporting new national monument proposals and the Bureau of Management Public Lands Rule. Read more about these items and more below.

February 2024 Conservation Update

In this month's Conservation Update, we share coverage of our recent report that highlights the economic benefits and strong support from local elected officials for national monuments across the western U.S.; updates on new funding coming out of the Biden administration; a new national monument proposal in California; a new poll that highlights that Western voters show bipartisan support for conservation on public lands; and much more!

January 2024 Conservation Update

In the 1st monthly Conservation Update of the year, we share our new big report that highlights the economic benefits and strong support from local elected officials for national monuments across the western U.S. This month’s update also covers new funding coming out of the Biden administration; the impacts of record warmth and changing precipitation; how a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plan for eastern Colorado sets aside land, but leaves oil and gas drilling in play; how the Biden administration paused pending approvals of liquefied natural gas exports with the exception of unanticipated and immediate national security emergencies; and much more!

The Mountain Pact National Monuments Report

On January 17, we release a new report - National Monuments: The Heart of the West - The Vital Role of National Monuments to Western Local Elected Officials and Communities.

The report highlights the conservation and economic benefits of national monuments in states across the West. It includes statements and praise from over 50 county commissioners, mayors, and council members highlighting the importance of the national monuments in their communities and urging President Biden to work to designate new or expand current national monuments.