An experienced trail crew leader argues that, in today’s forests, the rigidity of the regulation buries what it’s designed to protect.
Wilderness
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The conflict over permanent climbing anchors in wilderness
Climbers concerned about safety are pitted against wilderness advocates worried about overcrowding and unfettered bolting.
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How a Utah Republican’s quiet battle for hunting access undercut LandBack hopes
Rep. Casey Snider worked behind the scenes for years to transfer large blocks of roadless state trust land to wildlife officials — cutting the Ute Tribe out in the process.
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On Mount Shasta, a photographic record outlasts living memory
The re-photo project maps what used to be.
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Do chainsaws belong in designated wilderness?
The Forest Service has approved the tools for use in some protected areas to clear neglected trails.
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A new era of industrial logging looms
Mapping the possible impacts of the Roadless Rule overhaul
Posted inApril 2026: Inside the Attack on Public Lands
The Trump administration sent Greater Yellowstone into chaos. What’s next?
The region survived a year of deep cuts and layoffs. Here’s who is picking up the pieces.
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‘Train Dreams’ is an ode to the lonely labor of forestry
In the new film adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella, I saw my own Forest Service career reflected back at me.
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Sen. Mike Lee’s new bill permits ‘tactical infrastructure’ in wilderness areas
The Border Lands Conservation Act gives the Department of Homeland Security the power to waive myriad federal laws, including the Wilderness Act, under the pretense of border security.
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What we stand to lose if national monuments fall
Can one of the nation’s best conservation tools survive?
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Trump asks Congress to cut at the heart of the West
The White House wants to alter life for U.S. hunters, anglers, RVers, off-road-vehicle drivers, backpackers, birdwatchers and hikers.
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The horses and mules that moved mountains and hearts
Forest Service stock animals are indispensable to trail work on public lands in the West. Trump’s radical upheaval is accelerating the death of a dying art.
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How DOGE threatens the Forest Service and public lands
Workers describe projects on wildfire prevention, environmental restoration and trail repair halted by Trump administration terminations.
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How a dwindling helium supply is impacting public land management
A new BLM plan for western Colorado makes a priority of helium production, worrying environmentalists.
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Repeal of the Chevron doctrine will have profound consequences for federal rulemaking
Climate, public lands and tribal law regulations are now likely to face legal challenges.
Posted inJune 2024: The Idea of Wilderness
As the Gila Wilderness turns 100, the Wilderness Act is still a living law
Wilderness areas are changing in profound ways — and so are our ideas about them.
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What’s next for the Owyhee Canyonlands?
Supporters call it ’the largest conservation opportunity in the West.’
Posted inSeptember 1, 2023: Food Justice
Wildlife and the inescapable impact of road noise
The ‘blab of the pave’ disrupts animals’ lives everywhere, even in national parks.
Posted inNovember 1, 2022: The Futures of Conservation
Do bedrock conservation laws need a makeover?
Experts suggest needed upgrades in the face of modern crises.
Posted inOctober 1, 2022: Making Refuge
A family works together to fill the freezer for another year
In Alaska, a fall moose hunt is a collective effort.