A hunter reflects on the gut-level connection she has to the public land she traverses.
U.S. Forest Service
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What is the U.S. Forest Service?
The U.S. Forest Service manages about 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands, mostly in the West. This executive branch agency, overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, fights wildfires and conducts research on forestry and rangeland management. The Forest Service manages timber harvest and sales; in 2015, it sold timber worth more than […]
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A military legacy loosens its grip on a landscape
Plans for Colorado’s Camp Hale balance restoration and commemoration.
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Forest Service leadership lands in Southern hands
A new chief steps in as Western forests blaze.
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The fire season by the numbers
Fire agencies are preparing for the eclipse hordes, in the midst of a large fire season.
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Forest Service confronts a popular hot springs’ overuse
Rangers tackle the conundrum of protecting loved-to-death wilderness.
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A California counter-attack could ward off land transfers
In response to Trump, the West’s most liberal state goes on the offensive.
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Will Congress fix wildfire funding this year?
Proposed legislation would put logging ahead of environmental concerns.
Posted inJune 26, 2017: Personal Pilgrimage
Meet the woman behind Colorado’s highest trails
How trail designer Loretta McEllhiney protects mountains from people.
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Fires sweep the Southwest
In an unseasonably hot and dry West, an intense fire season takes shape.
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California’s backcountry drug war
Dangerous drug cartels are growing pot on public lands—putting wildlife, water supplies, and outdoor enthusiasts at grave risk.
Posted inMarch 20, 2017: The Tree Ring
A tale of two Roosevelts
Two books examine how both Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt helped build an American conservation ethos.
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People cause the majority of wildfires
New research finds illegal campfires, cigarette butts and other accidental ignitions have nearly tripled the wildfire season.
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Sportsmen take aim at law enforcement bill
They see HR 622 as a complex and serious threat to public lands.
Posted inFebruary 20, 2017: Overdosed
Latest: Senators aim to revive rural funding
In the meantime, states tighten their belts.
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Trump’s pick for USDA head mixed on climate change
Sonny Perdue’s history shows interest in conservation and big business interests.
Posted inJanuary 23, 2017: For Which it Stands
The Forest Service relaxes restrictions on recreation
The permitting change could give guided groups more access.
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Ski areas add warm-weather options
Forest Service has made it easier for resorts to include summer activities.
Posted inDecember 12, 2016: How the Park Service is Failing Women
Latest: Roadless rule loophole for Colorado coal mine
Enviromental groups had sued over the mine’s carbon impacts.
Posted inDecember 12, 2016: How the Park Service is Failing Women
Latest: California’s tree die-off is bigger than you thought
An additional 36 million trees have died since May.