Nostr notes by Western Watersheds Project

And we all give a big exhale. Image: Keep Colorado's Voice ...

2026-11-04T14:48:09Z

And we all give a big exhale.

Image: Keep Colorado's Voice

JUST IN: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a Secretarial ...

2026-10-27T20:43:15Z

JUST IN: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued a Secretarial Order today restating the Administration’s desire to giving public lands ranchers their full wish list, including fast-tracked permits, maximized livestock use, and loosened protections on killing native wildlife.

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/10/new-secretarial-order-prioritizes-grazing-above-all-else-on-public-lands/

Gov. Gordon and the state of Wyoming just signed an MOU to ...

2026-10-27T14:37:01Z

Gov. Gordon and the state of Wyoming just signed an MOU to partner with the Trump administration on an initiative to streamline and expedite permitting for large energy and other industrial projects such as data centers.

Wyomingites and then environment be damned.

https://wyofile.com/wyoming-teams-with-trump-admin-to-expedite-energy-industrial-projects/

Vote NO on Amendment 83. Keep wildlife management flexible, ...

2026-10-26T13:58:22Z

Vote NO on Amendment 83. Keep wildlife management flexible, accountable, science-based, and responsive to all Coloradans. Let us protect the wild—not constitutionally privilege the means by which it is harvested.

https://www.wildnaturemedia.com/blog/colorados-amendment-83-a-threat-to-science-based-wildlife-management-and-the-publics-voice

A new report found that Colorado-based businesses saw $189 ...

2026-10-19T13:09:58Z

A new report found that Colorado-based businesses saw $189 million less in federal contracts — a decline of nearly one-third from the previous year — with the U.S. Forest Service and land management agencies in the U.S. Department of Interior in 2025.

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/colorado-federal-contract-public-land-small-businesses-rural-communities/

We’re delighted that the courts have once again stepped in to ...

2026-10-14T15:34:16Z

We’re delighted that the courts have once again stepped in to stop the bloodletting, to make sure that Forest Service offices aren’t gutted of employees, and to halt the closure of research facilities.

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/10/court-orders-stop-to-usda-reorganization-in-lawsuit-filed-by-unions-nonprofits-cities-and-counties/

As we mark Indigenous Peoples Day, we renew the call for ...

2026-10-12T13:12:48Z

As we mark Indigenous Peoples Day, we renew the call for conservation to reckon with its colonial past, honor Indigenous sovereignty, and work alongside Native communities toward a more just future.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/of-indigenous-peoples-environmentalism

“The demonstrations in Lochiel against the border wall are ...

2026-10-08T20:09:41Z

“The demonstrations in Lochiel against the border wall are about exactly this: the border walls are devastating to the ecological and social functions of the border region,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project. “Animals like Flor demonstrate the need to protect the remaining intact habitats from further destruction and harmful land uses.”

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/10/another-mexican-gray-wolf-crosses-u-s-mexico-border-underscoring-need-for-action-against-border-infrastructure/

Please take one moment today to call your Senators to oppose ...

2026-10-07T19:51:02Z

Please take one moment today to call your Senators to oppose provisions in the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act that weaken protections for endangered wildlife, clean water, and communities.

https://westernwatersheds.org/actionalerts/take-action-permitting-reform-would-put-wildlife-and-clean-water-at-risk/

“Habitat modification is the primary reason for [ESA] ...

2026-10-07T13:20:43Z

“Habitat modification is the primary reason for [ESA] listing,” Zellmer wrote in her 2026 American Bar Association journal paper. “If modifying habitat is no longer a ‘take,’ the ESA itself would be rendered incapable of satisfying Congress’ goal: ‘to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction, whatever the cost.’”

https://wyofile.com/tweak-to-endangered-species-act-could-allow-widespread-development/

John Murdock had been working for the agency for 18 years and his ...

2026-10-06T13:22:01Z

John Murdock had been working for the agency for 18 years and his resignation comes during an exodus of longtime federal workers and scientists

https://www.publicdomain.media/p/interior-department-lawyer-resigns-protest-offshore-oil-gas-endangered-species

Want to know what a public lands rancher can look like? Consider ...

2026-10-05T15:20:06Z

Want to know what a public lands rancher can look like? Consider a wealthy businessman who buys an $8.5 million Colorado ranch, grazes cattle on neighboring public land, then spends $200,000 lobbying to make that land his own.

https://www.denverpost.com/2026/09/29/colorado-rancher-public-land-exchange-congress/

Colorado Hunters and Anglers for Sensible Wildlife Conservation ...

2026-10-01T12:48:43Z

Colorado Hunters and Anglers for Sensible Wildlife Conservation called the ballot measure’s language “intentionally vague” and “crafted to overturn the will of Colorado voters who banned some cruel practices decades ago.” These included the use of steel-jawed leghold traps, wildlife killing contests and hunting bears through baiting, with hounds or in the spring when cubs are vulnerable to the loss of their mother.

Coloradans should vote NO on Amendment 83.

https://coloradosun.com/2026/10/01/amendment-83-explained-colorado-right-hunt-fish/

"We applaud CPW for suspending lethal control for livestock ...

2026-09-30T21:26:45Z

"We applaud CPW for suspending lethal control for livestock losses at this critical moment for Colorado's wolves,” said Delaney Rudy, Colorado Director for the Western Watersheds Project.

“With survival rates running low, disease concerns in the population, and no foreseeable source population for this year's reintroductions, every wolf on the landscape matters, and the best available science does not support lethal control as a solution to chronic depredation."

https://cpw.state.co.us/news/09302026/cpw-addresses-current-gray-wolf-survival-rates-temporarily-suspends-current-chronic

The USDA wants more cattle and lighter enforcement on ...

2026-09-30T17:41:51Z

The USDA wants more cattle and lighter enforcement on drought-stressed national forests. A family cabin and the Valles Caldera show what unenforced grazing limits cost.

https://www.law.georgetown.edu/environmental-law-review/blog/fences-down-grazing-up-and-cows-that-dont-read-permits/

The agency has deferred protections for a crucial habitat ...

2026-09-30T13:27:30Z

The agency has deferred protections for a crucial habitat connection while considering a 5,133-acre solar project in its path.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/blm-knows-this-desert-tortoise-corridor

“If we look at how you know the state of Idaho has managed gray ...

2026-09-29T13:06:50Z

“If we look at how you know the state of Idaho has managed gray wolves, we’ve seen … they’ve allowed hunting at very high levels that have been detrimental to the spread and continued viability of the species,” LeDonne said. “And so when we have that example, we have to assume that that’s how the state is going to manage grizzly bears and have some of those same concerns.”

https://www.idahopress.com/news/state/federalism-committee-hears-idaho-grizzly-bear-plan-updates/article_2676ee2e-39fe-4f2d-9ba4-5e2309b5bd1e.html

99% of public comments on the Trump administration’s plan to ...

2026-09-28T17:52:22Z

99% of public comments on the Trump administration’s plan to rewrite the Forest Service’s Travel Management Rule oppose the change, according to a new analysis from the Center for Western Priorities.

https://westernpriorities.org/2026/09/commenters-overwhelmingly-reject-forest-service-travel-rule-rewrite/

We've filed a protest. ...

2026-09-28T13:22:05Z

We've filed a protest.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/blm-proposes-expanding-grazing-in

WWP and Basin & Range Watch have filed a protest against the ...

2026-09-22T18:44:31Z

WWP and Basin & Range Watch have filed a protest against the proposed, 5,133-acre photovoltaic and lithium battery, Bonanza Solar Project on public lands in high-quality, intact Mojave desert tortoise habitat, 70 miles north of Las Vegas.

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/09/conservation-groups-protest-bonanza-solar-project-planned-for-crucial-mojave-desert-tortoise-connectivity-habitat/

Imagine if every lot bulldozed for another strip mall in Las ...

2026-09-22T16:12:32Z

Imagine if every lot bulldozed for another strip mall in Las Vegas were simply allowed to bury Mojave desert tortoises, with no mitigation measures required to limit the amount of incidental take, all because no one could prove killing them was the primary purpose. The Scalia interpretation is Orwellian, but here we are: “Man serves the interests of no creature except himself.” (Animal Farm)

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/go-ahead-and-kill-endangered-species

Nostr event nevent1qqsyxx8vmc0sg2gsmrsqyrr665afuw499hu7k2f352f5ezuulae6qegzyp7ycm79a3hss37kn9gh8rdyrvkv523wfaq4uju2xnnt43wp5uxpgxjs6zh

2026-09-22T14:24:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…vl4d
_________________________

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/why-national-park-wolves-need-a-sacred

No Mollies killed, which is good news. Other wolves die for ...

2026-09-22T14:23:19Z

No Mollies killed, which is good news. Other wolves die for trophy hunting, which is terrible news.

The need for a Sacred Resource Protection Zone remains obvious.

https://wyofile.com/no-mollies-pack-yellowstone-wolves-killed-state-reports-after-hunt-areas-quick-close/

The FWS’s own data show the Mexican gray wolves have not ...

2026-09-21T13:07:01Z

The FWS’s own data show the Mexican gray wolves have not reached the population stability required for their endangered status to be revised in any capacity.

https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2026/09/17/mexican-gray-wolf-arizona/

The parcel contains plentiful Mojave yuccas, and habitat for ...

2026-09-16T15:15:01Z

The parcel contains plentiful Mojave yuccas, and habitat for desert tortoises, kit foxes, burrowing owls, Gila monsters and other wildlife.

https://www.fox5vegas.com/2026/09/10/blm-finalizes-94m-land-sale-city-las-vegas-6000-home-community/

The Bureau of Land Management neglected to consider a thriving ...

2026-09-15T17:08:12Z

The Bureau of Land Management neglected to consider a thriving natural ecological balance when it made its unsupported decision to reduce wild horse numbers in the HMAs. Cattle out number horses by significant margins and their impacts are far greater in scope and scale. These are Horse Management Areas, not Cow Management Areas, and they should be managed accordingly.

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/09/bureau-of-land-management-misrepresents-wild-horse-roundup-after-groups-win-order-blocking-the-action/

We put livestock in wildlife habitat, subsidize the grazing, pay ...

2026-09-14T16:57:03Z

We put livestock in wildlife habitat, subsidize the grazing, pay to kill the predators, and reimburse livestock owners for their losses. Of the 118 bears and mountain lions killed by Wildlife Services in Colorado from June 2024 through October 2025, 60% were killed on public lands.

https://scienceforcowildlife.substack.com/p/bears-lions-caught-in-deadly-catch

“The Trump administration’s meddling in the structure and ...

2026-09-14T13:00:35Z

“The Trump administration’s meddling in the structure and function of the U.S. Forest Service, and closure of Regional Offices and research facilities, will impair the management of our National Forests and National Grasslands, and undermine the legal safeguards that protect public lands and wildlife,” said Erik Molvar, Western Watersheds Project executive director.

https://missoulacurrent.com/lawsuit-usfs-reorganization/

“Congress required, and federal courts have confirmed time and ...

2026-09-10T17:53:01Z

“Congress required, and federal courts have confirmed time and again, that federal agencies must analyze the effects of such drastic policy changes on our environment and share their findings with the public,” he said. “But, of course, we’re not surprised that the current administration has declined to do that.”

https://www.opb.org/article/2026/09/09/federal-proposal-western-rangelands-rules-overhaul-oregon-public-input/

A new poll shows Utah voters overwhelmingly support restoring ...

2026-09-09T20:54:20Z

A new poll shows Utah voters overwhelmingly support restoring protections to all of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments. See the results: https://bit.ly/UtahMonumentsPoll2026

BREAKING: WWP is proud to be joining four unions representing ...

2026-09-08T20:52:47Z

BREAKING: WWP is proud to be joining four unions representing U.S. Department of Agriculture employees, and other nonprofit organizations and cities and counties from across the country, in new lawsuit filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California to stop the Trump administration from implementing an unlawful reorganization of the department.

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/09/unions-lead-filing-of-new-lawsuit-to-stop-usda-reorganization/

All of this raises a larger question about who and what our ...

2026-09-08T18:25:59Z

All of this raises a larger question about who and what our public lands are actually for. Why should non-native domesticated livestock be presumed to belong on these lands, while a native keystone species that evolved with and helped shape these ecosystems is treated as an unwelcome exception?

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/a-reprieve-for-the-prairie

Yesterday, Members of Congress sent letters to Western Watersheds ...

2026-09-05T13:46:46Z

Yesterday, Members of Congress sent letters to Western Watersheds Project and 18 other environmental groups announcing the launch of an investigation into our work to protect public lands, wildlife and through the courts.

https://naturalresources.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=419038

Trump just signed an executive order targeting federal ...

2026-09-04T21:43:34Z

Trump just signed an executive order targeting federal protections for gray wolves and endangered Mexican gray wolves.

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/09/16504/

Today, WWP, and partners represented by EarthJustice, filed suit ...

2026-09-02T18:02:54Z

Today, WWP, and partners represented by EarthJustice, filed suit challenging Trump’s 2026 unlawful decimation of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/09/conservation-groups-challenge-trumps-decimation-of-two-national-monuments-in-utah/

The evidence keeps mounting. Science demonstrates that killing ...

2026-09-02T13:06:30Z

The evidence keeps mounting. Science demonstrates that killing wolves to reduce livestock losses is pointless, even counterproductive. The livestock industry insists on killing wolves anyway.

https://madison.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_ac78ede5-6ea3-4ad7-8ff8-eedf437ab84c.html

The evidence keeps mounting. Science demonstrates that killing ...

2026-09-02T13:06:13Z

Tucson is home to WWP staff, colleagues, friends and supporters. ...

2026-09-01T17:15:24Z

Tucson is home to WWP staff, colleagues, friends and supporters. We grieve with our community and stand unequivocally with its LGBTQ+ members.

No one should fear violence because of who they are. Our thoughts are with the loved ones of Vincent Anthony Siqueiros and Cameron Davis Capara.

“We disagree with the court’s decision and are moving quickly ...

2026-08-31T20:50:42Z

“We disagree with the court’s decision and are moving quickly to appeal it,” said Dagny Signorelli, Western Watersheds Project’s Wyoming/Northern Utah director. “The District Court declining to preserve the decade-long, grazing-free ecological recovery of the Elk Ridge Complex will have significant impacts to wildlife and their habitat.”

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/08/wwp-appeals-ruling-reintroducing-cattle-grazing-in-long-vacant-elk-ridge-complex/

Federal wildlife disease experts who’ve modeled CWD ...

2026-08-31T13:04:44Z

Federal wildlife disease experts who’ve modeled CWD transmission on the refuge predict that feeding in the face of the disease will result in the worst-case scenario for elk populations and elk hunting for the Jackson Herd.

https://wyofile.com/national-elk-refuge-plan-calls-for-feeding-jackson-hole-elk-even-if-cwd-transmission-skyrockets/

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently has two removal ...

2026-08-27T20:54:41Z

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently has two removal orders for imperiled Mexican gray wolves due to ongoing conflicts with livestock. It is obvious from the removal orders that these ranching operations have chronic wolf conflicts, which could mean their own management practices are partially to blame. Wolves should not be killed or permanently removed from their homelands on public lands for livestock conflict.

https://westernwatersheds.org/actionalerts/tell-u-s-fish-and-wildlife-services-to-stop-killing-or-removing-wolves-for-livestock-conflicts/

So prairie-dog shooting, killing contests, hunting mountain lions ...

2026-08-25T17:50:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…8m5e
_________________________

So prairie-dog shooting, killing contests, hunting mountain lions with packs of dogs, wolf shooting, all forms of trapping (potentially even using M-44 'cyanide bombs'), bear baiting, would all be guaranteed as a constitutional right.

As this op-ed from a Colorado hunter points out, the ballot ...

2026-08-25T17:50:32Z

As this op-ed from a Colorado hunter points out, the ballot initiative in that state seeks to take all forms of "traditional" hunting and trapping and make them a constitutional right, preventing CPW from imposing any limits and potentially upending past bans on some of the most extreme and objectionable practices.

https://www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/08/25/right-to-hunt-ballot-measures-a-cruel-anti-wildlife-solution-to-a-nonexistent-problem-guest-column/

The crisis is real, for communities, for wildlife, for the land. ...

2026-08-25T13:23:20Z

The crisis is real, for communities, for wildlife, for the land. There are greedy industries looking to capitalize on fears and tragedies and suffering to make bigger profits for themselves, cynically using false narratives to rebrand their exploitation of the land as some sort of fire risk abatement.

It’s a con game. And you’re the mark.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/log-it-graze-it-and-then-watch-it

The report demonstrates that ungrazed habitats had greater plant ...

2026-08-20T13:19:38Z

The report demonstrates that ungrazed habitats had greater plant diversity and more abundant meadow vegetation than grazed sites, and contained clear, cold stream water in golden trout habitat.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/study-finds-ungrazed-sierra-nevada

Bill Nelson has killed another endangered Mexican gray wolf. Once ...

2026-08-19T19:51:26Z

Bill Nelson has killed another endangered Mexican gray wolf. Once again, authorities treated it as an accident and declined to prosecute.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/the-trapper-who-should-know-better

A recent review of 111 studies looked at the keystone effects of ...

2026-08-19T19:41:38Z

A recent review of 111 studies looked at the keystone effects of prairie dogs on grassland birds and found 105 different bird species documented using prairie dog towns in some capacity.

https://www.lewistownsentinel.com/opinion/editorials/2026/03/want-to-save-grassland-birds-start-with-prairie-dogs/

Public Domain files suit against the Trump administration for its ...

2026-08-18T14:25:10Z

Public Domain files suit against the Trump administration for its failure to release documents pertaining to Karen Budd Falen, public land rancher, and number 3 at DOI.

Support their work if you are able.

https://www.publicdomain.media/p/public-domain-again-sues-trump-administration-foia-budd-falen-interior-department

>> Theresa Harlan, a Coast Miwok descendant who runs the ...

2026-08-17T16:25:43Z

>> Theresa Harlan, a Coast Miwok descendant who runs the Alliance for Felix Cove — an area in the park where her family had a home until ranchers kicked them out in the 1950s — said the effort to upend the settlement “is just opening up the wound” that had finally started to heal. <<

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-08-16/inside-bitter-war-over-cows-wilderness-at-point-reyes

» “Chainsaw Tom” Schultz has now reappeared and demands that ...

2026-07-28T19:10:06Z

» “Chainsaw Tom” Schultz has now reappeared and demands that 350-500 million board feet of Montana’s national forests be logged over 10 years. Schultz’s timber industry lobbyist background offers a clue as to where that “sustainable yield” number came from — and the reason we will likely be left with nothing but stumpfields and knapweed from his “landscape scale” logging of our remaining intact forests. «

https://dailymontanan.com/2026/06/19/the-latest-sustained-yield-scam-will-devastate-montanas-national-forests/

A California wolf diet study reveals just how thoroughly domestic ...

2026-07-27T20:40:55Z

A California wolf diet study reveals just how thoroughly domestic cattle have displaced native prey on public lands.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/california-wolf-diet-study-shows

“This is a decision being made for political reasons, it is not ...

2026-07-15T13:09:25Z

“This is a decision being made for political reasons, it is not based on science, in the best interest of the survival of the species, or in compliance with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act,” said Greg LeDonne, Idaho director of Western Watersheds Project.

https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/natural-resources-energy/2026-07-14/feds-move-to-return-threatened-grizzly-bear-management-to-the-states

WWP has long fought to defend these Monuments, and we stand ready ...

2026-07-13T15:00:07Z

WWP has long fought to defend these Monuments, and we stand ready to fight back against any fresh attacks against these two crown-jewel areas in southern Utah.

https://www.abc4.com/news/politics/inside-utah-politics/president-trump-executive-order-grand-staircase-bears-ears/

For the first time since 1995, the Bureau of Land Management is ...

2026-07-08T13:04:34Z

For the first time since 1995, the Bureau of Land Management is rewriting its grazing regulations. The new rule, which governs ranching across 155 million acres of public lands in the West, would heavily favor the livestock industry.

https://www.propublica.org/article/public-land-livestock-grazing-ranching-access

“These new attacks on the Forest Service from its political ...

2026-07-07T18:58:57Z

“These new attacks on the Forest Service from its political bosses are designed to sabotage the agency, further subtracting science and accountability from the management from our National Forests,” said Erik Molvar, Executive Director of Western Watersheds Project.

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/07/trump-shakeup-of-u-s-forest-service-garners-legal-challenge/

Even though rangeland management experts say overgrazing has ...

2026-07-07T14:27:00Z

Even though rangeland management experts say overgrazing has degraded public lands, the new rules being drafted by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management — the first overhaul since 1995 — would instead expand the practice.

https://www.publicdomain.media/p/public-land-grazing-regulations-reform-burgum-budd-falen

"This is turning over 100 years of organization,” ...

2026-07-06T20:32:16Z

"This is turning over 100 years of organization,” Fitzwilliams said. “This is not thought out. And it’s chaotic.”

https://wyofile.com/chief-tom-schultz-details-defends-largest-forest-service-reorganization-in-a-century/

These proposed regulations would reshape how roughly 155 million ...

2026-07-06T19:35:32Z

These proposed regulations would reshape how roughly 155 million acres of America’s public lands are managed. They would weaken safeguards for wildlife and water quality, set up roadblocks for the public to participate in decisions about public lands, reduce accountability when livestock damage public lands, and further entrench one industry’s control over landscapes we all hold dear.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/whats-really-behind-the-blms-new

Golden Beavers once lived throughout the Central Valley, Coast ...

2026-06-30T13:32:17Z

Golden Beavers once lived throughout the Central Valley, Coast Ranges, and the Cascade-Sierra axis before the historic onslaught of trapping, and waves of development.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/california-once-had-its-own-beaver

A remarkable month of reporting challenged long-held claims about ...

2026-06-29T17:33:33Z

A remarkable month of reporting challenged long-held claims about Mexican gray wolves, exposed potential conflicts of interest, and shed new light on how the recovery program really works.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/what-the-latest-reporting-reveals

The fraction of Colorado’s livestock losses attributable to ...

2026-06-29T13:05:10Z

The fraction of Colorado’s livestock losses attributable to wolves is minuscule.

https://www.denverpost.com/2026/06/27/colorado-wolves-what-really-kills-cattle/

A landscape once defined by bison and booming wildlife now bears ...

2026-06-26T14:07:49Z

A landscape once defined by bison and booming wildlife now bears the scars of colonization, livestock grazing, and ecological decline.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/national-grasslands-week-cimarron

>> Western Watersheds Project staffer Josh Osher presented ...

2026-06-25T13:22:39Z

>> Western Watersheds Project staffer Josh Osher presented data that showed a large portion of public rangelands are being grazed too heavily.

In Nevada, he said, over 60% of allotments are failing land-health standards. “The vast majority of BLM grazing allotments are not even getting any environmental review, and the permits are being rubber stamped,” Osher said. <<

https://wyofile.com/western-stockgrowers-cheer-loosened-grazing-regs-on-public-land/

The lawsuit from the state of Utah, which attacks Bears Ears and ...

2026-06-24T18:37:19Z

The lawsuit from the state of Utah, which attacks Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, and the Antiquities Act itself, will now be remanded to district court for review under the correct standard. The monuments remain fully valid and protected and will continue to be while the case proceeds.

WWP is proud to be an intervenor is this case.

https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/tenth-circuit-kicks-utah-national-monuments-suit-back-to-district-court

Federally subsidized wildlife killing has been practiced solely ...

2026-06-24T13:21:37Z

Federally subsidized wildlife killing has been practiced solely to promote the private economic interests of producers that are already afforded the heavily subsidized privilege to commercially graze livestock on federal public lands.

https://www.abqjournal.com/news/conservation-groups-sue-feds-over-killing-predators-in-wilderness-areas/3062503

It’s National Grasslands Week and we’re sticking up for the ...

2026-06-23T21:01:24Z

It’s National Grasslands Week and we’re sticking up for the future of one of the West's most important (and most misunderstood) wildlife species: the black-tailed prairie dog.

The Forest Service says it needs more time to study the impacts of prairie dog poisoning. Its own correspondence suggests it's looking for new ways to kill more prairie dogs in the meantime.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/poison-first-analyze-later

While the Crazy Mountains exchange and last year’s proposal to ...

2026-06-23T14:19:59Z

While the Crazy Mountains exchange and last year’s proposal to sell public lands to fund tax cuts for the wealthy inspired massive backlash, another perpetrator of public lands privatization not only escapes criticism, it’s celebrated as a pillar of America. That perpetrator is the commercial livestock industry.

https://missoulacurrent.com/grazing-plan-heist/

More scandal and clear ethics violations coming from the one of ...

2026-06-18T16:40:17Z

More scandal and clear ethics violations coming from the one of the top Department of Interior officals, Karen Budd-Falen.

https://www.publicdomain.media/p/karen-budd-falen-mexican-wolves-former-clients-ranching

The document leaves little room for ambiguity, and the message is ...

2026-06-18T13:09:35Z

The document leaves little room for ambiguity, and the message is clear: Livestock grazing is no longer merely one use among many, rather it is the administrative priority.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/new-policy-retools-the-forest-service

“We have tried to work with the Department on the border wall ...

2026-06-17T17:15:42Z

“We have tried to work with the Department on the border wall issue, but it insists on rushing forward with construction,” Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon Jose said in a statement. “We have been left with no other choice but to file suit to protect our land, our culture, and our rights.”

https://nativenewsonline.net/sovereignty/breaking-tribe-sues-feds-to-block-border-wall-construction-on-tribal-land/

>> Almost everything you’ve been told about public lands ...

2026-06-17T16:20:24Z

>> Almost everything you’ve been told about public lands grazing is propaganda. The math is worse than you think. The beneficiaries aren’t who you’ve been told. And the cost to the West, ecological, economic, and political, is catastrophic. <<

https://substack.com/home/post/p-198088560

“Secretary Burgum’s decision to kick the bison off public ...

2026-06-15T14:28:29Z

“Secretary Burgum’s decision to kick the bison off public lands is arbitrary and capricious,” Molvar of Western Watersheds Project said. “And he is functionally reversing more than a decade of Department of Interior decision-making that bison are perfectly legal on federal grazing allotments.”

https://www.krtv.com/news/montana-and-regional-news/conservation-group-challenges-federal-decision-on-montana-bison-grazing-permits

It is both heartbreaking and infuriating to witness the Copper ...

2026-06-15T13:04:55Z

It is both heartbreaking and infuriating to witness the Copper Creek wolves unjustly branded as ruthless livestock killers by the beef industry in Colorado.

https://www.aspendailynews.com/opinion/setting-the-record-straight-on-the-copper-creek-wolves/article_c08757fa-ef0f-44c0-b69e-008deed1d139.html

The DATA doesn’t LIE. ...

2026-06-12T13:05:27Z

The DATA doesn’t LIE.

https://www.kunm.org/local-news/2026-06-11/mexican-wolf-debate-economic-impact-surprisingly-small

“These rules take the public out of public lands,” he says. ...

2026-06-11T13:00:12Z

“These rules take the public out of public lands,” he says. “In order to protest, you have to be a permit holder. They’re openly saying we want to sterilize the landscape of wildlife to make room for livestock but hunters don’t get a chance to comment about those changes on a community or a hunting-district scale.”

https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/proposed-blm-grazing-rules/

This morning, the bill containing Mike Lee's amendment that ...

2026-06-10T17:06:23Z

This morning, the bill containing Mike Lee's amendment that would nullify the Roadless Rule passed on a party-line vote.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/senate-committee-votes-erase-roadless-rule/

BREAKING: WWP, represented by the Western Environmental Law ...

2026-06-08T14:33:26Z

BREAKING: WWP, represented by the Western Environmental Law Center has filed an appeal on a decision by the Bureau of Land Management to revoke American Prairie’s authority to graze bison on public lands in northeastern Montana—a move that conflicts with plain statutory language, defies decades of settled law, and contradicts BLM’s own prior decisions.

Bison belong on public lands in the West.

https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/06/conservation-groups-challenge-trump-administrations-move-to-banish-bison-from-public-lands/

WWP is alarmed, but not surprised, to learn about the high-level ...

2026-06-02T17:09:56Z

WWP is alarmed, but not surprised, to learn about the high-level interference in the Mexican wolf recovery program coming from Karen Budd Falen and her overwhelming concern with keeping New Mexican ranchers happy. ESA decisions are supposed to be about science, not favors to someone's buddies in the livestock industry.

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/environment/mexican-gray-wolf-ashas-release-was-delayed-due-to-county-pushback-records-show/article_d9bbbe7e-c7b3-4a4f-a4b2-ec575ead48dd.html

A young California condor flew into Oregon last month, marking ...

2026-06-02T15:58:25Z

A young California condor flew into Oregon last month, marking the first time in more than 120 years that one of the critically endangered birds has flown free in Oregon’s sky, according to the Yurok Tribe–led Northern California Condor Restoration Program.

https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2026/06/condor-flies-into-oregon-for-first-time-in-over-120-years.html

“When one thinks of the amount of wild game that are currently ...

2026-06-01T18:11:00Z

“When one thinks of the amount of wild game that are currently replaced by cattle, it is staggering. 35,000 cattle = 70,000 elk.”

https://www.abqjournal.com/opinion/opinion-elk-are-more-economically-valuable-than-cattle/3046727

It's a legitimate concern. Not just for dogs, but for ...

2026-05-26T17:46:04Z

It's a legitimate concern. Not just for dogs, but for wildlife and humans too.

Everyone is at risk because the government continues to capitulate to a private industry on public lands.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/05/22/as-trump-moves-to-allow-cyanide-bombs-to-kill-coyotes-some-worry-dogs-will-die/

It's a legitimate concern. Not just for dogs, but for ...

2026-05-26T17:45:46Z

Members of the purportedly bipartisan caucus voted on party lines ...

2026-05-25T13:49:28Z

Members of the purportedly bipartisan caucus voted on party lines to confirm Trump’s controversial pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management.

https://www.publicdomain.media/p/steve-pearce-confirmation-blm-stewardship-caucus

"From time to time, I hear Western Watersheds Project called ...

2026-05-16T14:01:32Z

"From time to time, I hear Western Watersheds Project called “extreme,” and have myself been called “radical,” for our views on the public-lands livestock industry," writes WWP executive director, Erik Molvar.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/wwps-extreme-views-on-public-lands

Citing Public Domain’s reporting, a watchdog group calls on ...

2026-05-11T21:19:34Z

Citing Public Domain’s reporting, a watchdog group calls on Congress to investigate Karen Budd-Falen.

https://www.publicdomain.media/p/top-interior-official-ensnared-second-scandal

>> The Western Watersheds Project, based in Hailey, Idaho, ...

2026-05-11T17:57:45Z

>> The Western Watersheds Project, based in Hailey, Idaho, said the proposal stretches the law to expand livestock grazing by giving it a production-oriented definition in the permitting regulations. The organization’s policy director, Josh Osher, called it a “blatantly illegal effort to redefine livestock grazing.”
“They’re just making it up out of whole cloth,” Osher told POLITICO’s E&E News. “The courts will surely throw it out.” <<

More on this soon.

https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-admin-jettisons-public-lands-rule-eases-grazing-regulations/

>> That is the state of Colorado’s voter-mandated wolf ...

2026-05-11T13:13:32Z

>> That is the state of Colorado’s voter-mandated wolf program right now: 32 known wolves alive as of March 31, stalled translocations, three adult deaths still under investigation, three pup losses not explained in the presentation, failed lethal-removal efforts in multiple counties, and more than $1 million in approved livestock compensation. << https://coloradobackcountrynews.substack.com/p/colorados-wolf-program-has-no-recovery

The Trump administration is planning to bring cyanide bombs back ...

2026-05-07T14:52:22Z

The Trump administration is planning to bring cyanide bombs back to public lands courtesy of the livestock industry. Be careful out there.

https://www.publicdomain.media/p/trump-blm-cyanide-bombs-wildlife-services

It was announced today that Ted Turner has passed. He brought ...

2026-05-06T17:33:54Z

It was announced today that Ted Turner has passed.

He brought back bison, reintroduced wolves, and made prairie dogs welcome on his ranches. Ted Turner was a different kind of landowner. A better kind.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/the-rancher-who-loves-wolves

We were in court today to defend wolves against an anti-wolf ...

2026-05-05T21:06:49Z

We were in court today to defend wolves against an anti-wolf coalition's attempt to force the state of MT to increase its wolf-killing quota. The coalition includes 2 sitting state legislators who attempted & failed on several occasions to get legislation passed that would result in even more dead wolves. WWP, Trap Free Montana, Wolf & Wildlife Advocates and the Alliance for the Wild Rockies were asking for a dismissal of the suit. The court is considering the arguments & we'll keep you posted.

For the first time in decades, a radio-collared wolf last week ...

2026-04-30T21:09:52Z

For the first time in decades, a radio-collared wolf last week relocated from the United States into Mexico. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has begun extending the wall where 'Cedar' crossed, which would block wildlife in the future. https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/04/endangered-mexican-wolf-crosses-from-new-mexico-into-chihuahua/

You're invited! Join WWP staff on Wed, May 20 at South Lake ...

2026-04-30T14:34:18Z

You're invited! Join WWP staff on Wed, May 20 at South Lake Brewing in South Lake Tahoe for a screening of the short-doc, The Desert Trout, which takes you into Nevada’s remote Basin and Range, where one of the West’s most iconic native fish is struggling to survive. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker and WWP staff.

RSVP here: shorturl.at/8BxGH

A new investigative report from Science for Colorado Wildlife ...

2026-04-30T13:07:39Z

A new investigative report from Science for Colorado Wildlife reveals an unsettling truth: While Colorado voters banned leghold traps nearly 30 years ago, those traps are still killing wildlife across the state.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/banned-but-not-gone-new-report-shows

A last-minute Farm Bill rider would make it easier to blame and ...

2026-04-29T21:13:48Z

A last-minute Farm Bill rider would make it easier to blame and kill endangered Mexican gray wolves.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/another-day-another-sneak-attack

If we look at the coming rescission in a different light, could ...

2026-04-28T14:31:13Z

If we look at the coming rescission in a different light, could it give us us a clean slate to develop the Conservation Rule that our lands and wildlife really deserve, a gold standard against which past and future conservation actions can be measured?

https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/11/14/a-conservation-rule-to-match-our-mountains/

The first year of the second Trump administration caused $12 ...

2026-04-27T16:59:26Z

The first year of the second Trump administration caused $12 billion in damage to national parks.

https://wessiler.substack.com/p/national-park-service-maintenance

There are small rays of hope that illustrate that nature is ...

2026-04-22T21:13:51Z

There are small rays of hope that illustrate that nature is resilient, and can bounce back if humanity can restrain its most destructive impulses.

https://westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/state-of-the-earth-2026

BREAKING: The ESA Amendments Act (H.R. 1897)—the bill to ...

2026-04-22T18:07:58Z

BREAKING: The ESA Amendments Act (H.R. 1897)—the bill to dismantle the Endangered Species Act and install Trump regulations that eliminate habitat protections and fast-track removal of protections—was pulled from a floor vote for now.

Happy, Happy Earth Day.

H.R. 1897 could hit the floor for a full vote this week. It would ...

2026-04-21T14:40:20Z

H.R. 1897 could hit the floor for a full vote this week. It would gut the ESA forcing economic impact considerations into listing decisions, limiting your ability to challenge bad science in court, and hand politicians more control over which species get protected. CALL YOUR REP: 202-224-3121 and then send a message: https://westernwatersheds.org/actionalerts/tell-congress-stop-the-esa-amendments-act-h-r-1897/

The main culprit of the water deficit in the western rivers and ...

2026-04-16T13:43:50Z

The main culprit of the water deficit in the western rivers and streams is the livestock industry, and its heavy reliance on irrigated feed crops to support cattle production in desert environments completely unsuitable for this water-hogging animal.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/04/16/water-rights-have-become-water-wrongs/