January 2025 Conservation Update

January was a big month for our country and for the conservation movement as a whole. Anna Peterson, Executive Director of The Mountain Pact, went to the White House to celebrate the culmination of several long standing conservation goals as former President Biden, in the waning days of his presidency, designated two new national monuments - Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands, both in California. That excitement was tempered by the first days of the new Trump Administration as President Trump took several early steps to begin unwinding Biden’s public lands legacy, including pausing renewable energy approvals on public lands, and nominating fracking and oil executives to key Administration posts. The Mountain Pact is committed to working with western local elected officials to speak with a collective voice on federal climate, public lands, and outdoor recreation policy to protect our environment for generations to come.