February 1, 2018 — At 17 million acres, the Tongass is America’s largest national forest. Its 19 wilderness areas and two national monuments draw a million cruise-ship visitors annually, employing more than 7,400 recreation industry workers, and provide habitat that supports another 4,300 fisheries jobs. Together, … More
January 17, 2018 — Cliven Bundy is a free man. His cattle are free to roam the public estate. More than $1 million in unpaid grazing fees remains unpaid. The self-styled militia crowd is emboldened. Public land managers … More
December 18, 2017 — Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers had better be ready for a lot of detours in Oregon this summer. In November and December, after fire season-ending rain and snowstorms, the Forest Service issued orders closing three … More
December 8, 2017 — Could allowing mountain bikes in federally designated wilderness areas lead to world peace? That particular argument was not made during a House subcommittee hearing yesterday to consider H.R. 1349, a bill that would amend … More
October 6, 2017 — Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has made no secret of his desire to acquire the U.S. Forest Service from the Department of Agriculture. Zinke’s zeal for restoring the Forest Service to Interior, where during its … More
September 26, 2017 — This summer was exceptionally hot and dry throughout much of the West, and those conditions, unsurprisingly, led to an abundance of wildfires. More than 8.5 million acres have burned across the nation, well above … More
September 1, 2017 — There’s certainly no shortage of bad bills being considered in Congress right now. This is a dangerous time for the environment, with anti-conservation forces ascendant in both chambers of Congress and in the White … More
July 20, 2017 — Yesterday, a federal appeals court ruled that the Forest Service is liable for toxic waste cleanup costs from a mining operation in New Mexico. The appeals court remanded the case back to district court … More
July 17, 2017 — Last week, as jury selection was underway in the retrial of four men accused of brandishing weapons during the 2014 standoff between federal agents and supporters of scofflaw rancher Cliven Bundy, Attorney General Jeff … More
March 9, 2017 — With Trump agriculture secretary nominee Sonny Perdue still awaiting a confirmation hearing, which has not been scheduled because the dog appears to have eaten Perdue’s financial disclosure homework, the Forest Service has been trying … More