California’s wild forests need protection — not more roads Opinion By Woody Smeck September 6, 2026 California’s national forests contain some of the last truly wild landscapes in the American West. They protect drinking water, provide critical wildlife habitat, support recreation economies and give millions of people the chance to experience nature on its own
Groups Call on BLM to Defer Oil and Gas Leases Threatening Wildlife, Water and Carlsbad Caverns
THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS NEW MEXICO WILD ROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD September 4, 2026 SUBMITTED VIA E-PLANNING Gera Ashton Acting State Director for BLM New Mexico U.S. Bureau of Land Management 301 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87508 Project Contacts: Nathan Combs nc****@*lm.gov (505) 954-2110 Cody Mccullah cm*******@*lm.gov (505) 954-2027 Re:
Groups Urge Missouri to Withdraw Regional Haze Plan Update, Citing Air Pollution and Public Health Risks
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Epiphany United Church of Christ Franklin County Rural Coalition Labadie Environmental Organization (LEO) Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition Missouri Chapter, Sierra Club Missouri Coalition for the Environment National Parks Conservation Association Sierra Club September 3, 2026 Missouri Department of Natural Resources Air Pollution Control Program ATTN: Air Quality Planning Section
WLRN: Could another shake-up be coming for national parks? Former superintendents are worried
Could another shake-up be coming for national parks? Former superintendents are worried WLRN Public Media | By Jenny Staletovich Published September 2, 2026 at 5:41 PM EDT A coalition of former National Park superintendents is sounding the alarm over another rumored staff shake-up at beloved parks downsized by at least a quarter since last year. In a letter Tuesday
KQED: ‘Yosemite Is Not for Sale’: California Officials Oppose Land-Swap Deal
‘Yosemite Is Not for Sale’: California Officials Oppose Land-Swap Deal Backlash against a proposed deal to develop a private road into Yosemite has intensified as National Park Service employees grapple with an uncertain future. Sep 2, 2026 Updated 4:36 pm PT By Sarah Wright – KQED Public Radio A group of California lawmakers called on federal
USA Today: A piece of Yosemite could be privatized: What that means for visitors
A piece of Yosemite could be privatized: What that means for visitors A developer wants to build a road through Yosemite National Park land, prompting concerns about conservation and future precedence. By Eve Chen USA TODAY Updated Sept. 3, 2026, 8:34 a.m. ET Kingsbarn Realty Capital proposes building a road through less than two
More logging and mining near Grand Canyon? Trump plan to repeal Roadless Rule raises alarms
September 2, 2026 by Ellis Preston WASHINGTON – The Trump administration’s push to allow more road construction in national forests has alarmed preservationists in Arizona, who warn the change could lead to logging or more uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. On Aug. 18, the Department of Agriculture announced the plan to rescind the 2001
Yosemite land swap could face legal roadblocks
Yosemite land swap could face legal roadblocks A private developer wants to build a short road into Yosemite, but some experts say plans for a land exchange with the National Park Service could run afoul of a 1978 law. BY HEATHER RICHARDS | 09/02/2026 01:11 PM EDT A developer’s effort to acquire a piece of
NPR: Flash floods shaping America’s national story
SEPTEMBER 1, 20265:31 PM ET HEARD ON ALL THINGS CONSIDERED By Ava Berger Amid floods in Nepal, the U.S. is experiencing serious floods in the west, including the Grand Canyon. We break down if they are connected and how Americans can understand this monsoon season. Transcript AILSA CHANG, HOST: Over the past two weeks, we
Former National Park Superintendents Warn Interior Secretary: National Parks Are in Crisis
September 2, 2026 The Honorable Doug Burgum Secretary Department of the Interior 1849 C Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240 Dear Secretary Burgum, As former National Park Service (NPS) superintendents, we have dedicated our careers to protecting America’s national parks. We have stood in front of crowded visitor centers, responded to emergencies in remote backcountry,
Protect the Wildlife-Rich Moose-Wilson Corridor
August 29, 2026 During a recent live interview on MS NOW, Friends of the Moose-Wilson Corridor and Joan Anzelmo, a Coalition member, highlighted the urgent effort to protect the corridor from construction of a separated bicycle pathway. The National Park Service rejected such a pathway in its September 2016 Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record
Member Op-Ed: Stand up for Arizona’s National Monuments
Not only did the White House decimate two Utah National Monuments last month, but now Senator Mike Lee is attempting to speed up the destruction of Bears Ears even further. Clearly, this Administration is coming after National Monuments—and Arizona could be next. Last year it was reported that they wanted to downsize six specific national
Former Yosemite Superintendent: Yosemite Belongs to the American People—Not Private Developers
Statement of Don Neubacher, board member of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and former superintendent of Yosemite National Park, on reports that the administration may give a private developer an easement through Yosemite to provide access to private property: “Yosemite National Park does not belong to a developer, a corporation, or any administration.
Member Op-Ed: Don’t Let This Administration Dismantle Public Lands
Don’t let this administration dismantle public lands The Administration’s recent dismantling of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante National Monuments is not just a loss for Utah; it is a warning for all Americans who care about our iconic public lands. Here in Colorado, that’s nearly every one of us. Recent polling found that
More Than 50 Organizations Call on Interior to Preserve Oil and Gas Leasing Safeguards
ARCHAEOLOGY SOUTHWEST COALITION TO PROTECT AMERICA’S NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION COLORADO CONSERVATIVES FOR RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP DAKOTA RESOURCE COUNCIL * DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE NATIONAL PARKS CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL NEVADA CONSERVATION LEAGUE NEW MEXICO VOICES FOR CHILDREN NEW MEXICO WILD * NUESTRA TIERRA CONSERVATION PROJECT POWDER RIVER BASIN RESOURCE COUNCIL * PUBLIC CITIZEN ROCKY MOUNTAIN
More Than 50 Organizations Urge Interior Department to Preserve Oil and Gas Leasing Protections
Summary On August 24, 2026, more than 50 conservation, environmental-justice, public-health, recreation, wildlife, and community organizations—representing millions of members—urged Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Bureau of Land Management Director Steve Pearce to withdraw the Department of the Interior’s proposed oil and gas leasing rule. The groups ask the department to retain and fully implement BLM’s
19 Conservation and Public Lands Groups Urge BLM to Withdraw Proposed Oil and Gas Leasing Rule
Summary On August 24, 2026, the Western Environmental Law Center and 18 conservation, public-lands, wildlife, and community organizations submitted comments opposing the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Oil and Gas Leasing Rule, RIN 1004-AF05. The organizations contend that the proposal would weaken safeguards governing oil and gas development on federal lands, reduce public participation, expose
Conservation Groups Unite to Protect the Old Spanish National Historic Trail from Utah Oil and Gas Leasing
John W. Hiscock Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Western Watersheds Project Basin and Range Watch Protest – DOI-BLM-UT-0000-2026-0005-EA – BLM Utah 2026 Third Quarter Competitive Oil and Gas Lease Sale Environmental Assessment and FONSI August 21, 2026 Bureau of Land Management Utah State
Coalition Files Legal Brief to Protect Big Bend National Park from Border Construction
For Immediate Release: August 18, 2026 Contact: sa*@***************es.com Press Release: Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and Keep Big Bend Wild File Amicus Brief Against Big Bend National Park Border Construction Last week, the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and Keep Big Bend Wild filed an amicus brief asserting that the Department of Homeland
Coalition Also Joins Comments Urging NPS to Maintain Wilderness Protections
National Parks Conservation Association, Alaska Wilderness League, Badlands Conservation Alliance, Californians for Western Wilderness, CalWild, Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, Continental Divide Trail Coalition, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Glacier Two-Medicine Alliance, Grand Canyon Trust, Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League of America, Mountain Mamas, Natural Resources Defense
Conservation Groups Urge National Park Service to Preserve Strong Wilderness Protections
August 14, 2026 Michael P. Michener Deputy Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection National Park Service 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240 Subject: Comments on National Park Service Director’s Order #41: Wilderness Stewardship (91 Fed. Reg. 35,998 (June 15, 2026)) Dear Mr. Michener: This letter is submitted on behalf of the undersigned organizations and
New Reports Raise Questions About Diversion of National Park Funds to Washington, D.C. Projects
For Immediate Release: August 12, 2026 Contact: da*@*******ms.com New Reporting: Trump and Burgum Have Used Millions of National Park Dollars for D.C. Vanity Projects CNN: At least 30% of revenue from park entrance fees redirected to Reflecting Pool contract, other D.C. vanity projects Washington, D.C. — With questions swirling over the botched renovation of the
Member Op-Ed: Chaco buffer provides breathing room for site
By Tom Vaughan Aug 9, 2026 I spent decades working at remarkable sites across the National Park System, but Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico stands out. Set aside by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907, Chaco Culture NHP has since been designated a World Heritage Site, putting it in the same globally
Coalition Comments on Proposed NPS Wilderness Climbing Policy
ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION – NO HARD COPY TO FOLLOW Comments submitted at: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/NPS-2026-0101-0001 August 10, 2026 Michael Michener Deputy Associate Director, Visitor and Resource Protection National Park Service 1849 C Street NW, MS–2457 Washington, DC 20240 Subject: Comments on Director’s Order (DO) 41: Wilderness Stewardship, Section 7.2 (draft) and Reference Manual (RM) 41: Wilderness Stewardship,
Member Op-Ed: Monuments never blocked public access, but stripping their protections will cost us.
Letter to the editor: Monuments never blocked public access, but stripping their protections will cost us Published: Aug 2, 2026, 11:00 a.m. MDT As someone who spent nearly 40 years managing our public lands, including as superintendent of Bryce Canyon National Park, I was dismayed by President Donald Trump’s false statement about access to Bears