Leaders from Colorado conservation groups and the Center for Western Priorities called on President Donald Trump, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Colorado’s congressional delegation to stop attacking and instead fully fund America’s parks and public lands.
At a live taping of The Landscape podcast, the Keep Parks Public tour highlighted the ongoing threats to American public lands, including increased risk of catastrophic wildfire, limited access to educational programming in the parks, diminished earnings for local businesses, and pollution brought from companies seeking to extract natural resources.
Across the country, funding and staffing shortages have left national parks, monuments, and forests scrambling to serve summer visitors. At Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado, all custodial staff have been terminated, and a third of the park’s 74 positions remain vacant. At the nearby Curecanti National Recreation Area, four out of ten campgrounds were closed due to short staffing. Colorado’s White River National Forest—the most-visited forest in the country—lost 43 full-time employees, a 29 percent reduction of its staff.
“I worry about safety issues, fire issues and then just long-term stewardship issues, fire mitigation, wildlife habitat protection, taking care of our trails, taking care of our recreation sites,” said Scott Fitzwilliams, former supervisor of Colorado’s White River National Forest.
Quick hits
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Environmental review finds ‘no significant impact’ for Caja del Rio transmission line
Western Slope communities consider Colorado River water rights purchase for environment
BLM seeks public input on proposed Eastern Oregon gold mine
Idaho legislator to file constitutional amendment blocking state from selling public lands
Can Colorado recycle toxic water from oil and gas drilling without increasing emissions?
The Mojave Desert tortoise is dying out. It could affect the whole ecosystem
Column: The law standing between public lands and the bulldozer
Quote of the day
Our national parks, forests, and monuments belong to all Americans… From Black Canyon of the Gunnison to the White River National Forest, the Trump administration is causing irreparable harm to Colorado, to the dedicated federal workers who care for our public lands, and the communities that depend on them for economic survival.”
—Lauren Bogard, senior director of advocacy at the Center for Western Priorities
Picture This
Potentially the coolest GMC Denali to ever exist.
Denver > Las Cruces > Tucson > Salt Lake > Grand Junction
See you soon!
Feature image: Keep Parks Public event at the Denver Patagonia store; CWP photo