In an , President Donald Trump has mandated an increase in entry fees for all international visitors to U.S. national parks.

The order, titled 鈥淢aking America Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks,鈥� requires that Secretary of the Interior Douglas Burgum increase both entrance fees and recreation pass fees for nonresidents, and use the resulting funds to 鈥渋mprove the infrastructure of, or otherwise enhance enjoyment of or access to,鈥� federally managed recreation areas. According to a published by the Department of the Interior (DOI) in May, the scheme will raise as much as $90 million for national parks and other federally managed public lands.

The order did not specify the increase in price. National parks currently charge different rates, and only around 100 sites managed by the National Park Service鈥攚hich also oversees national monuments, historic sites, seashores, and other public lands鈥攔equire an admission fee to enter.

The executive order specifies that the fee increase will only apply to parks that currently charge admission, but some parks have a nuanced fee structure. Smoky Mountains National Park, for example, does not technically charge entrance fees, but parking anywhere inside the park for more than 15 minutes costs $5.

However, based on the language in the White House order, although fee increase may vary park-to-park, all national parks are now required to have some margin of difference between the rates charged to U.S. citizens and foreign visitors. In addition to the fee increases, the executive order also requires that action be taken to 鈥済rant American residents preferential treatment鈥� in other competitive access scenarios, such as permit lotteries.

The idea to increase fees for foreign tourists is the brainchild of Property and Environment Research Center (PERC), a think tank based in Montana. In 2023 a PERC economist, Tate Watkins, suggesting that a $25 surcharge on all foreign park visitors could raise $330 million annually for the beleaguered park service. PERC went on to include Watkins鈥� idea in a paper published in March: 10 Ideas for the Interior Department.

The plan to increase park fees comes as the National Park Service budget has been gutted by budget cuts even as admissions surged to a record high of 331 million last year, up 6 million from 2023. According to , roughly 14.6 million foreign tourists will visit at least one national park during their trip, so the increased fees could impact around 4.4 percent of all park visitors.

In an interview in June, Watkins told 国产吃瓜黑料 that 鈥淚f your goal is to make sure national parks have the resources they need to be stewarded properly now and for future generations, the entry fee structure is the lowest hanging fruit.鈥�

While historically U.S. national parks have charged the same rates to nonresidents and residents alike, in other countries it鈥檚 common鈥攊n fact, it鈥檚 arguably the norm鈥攆or national parks to charge an increased entry fee for foreign visitors. South Africa鈥檚 Kruger National Park charges around $30 for foreign tourists, while locals can enter for just $7. In other countries, the margins are even higher. At Ecuador鈥檚 Gal谩pagos National Park, foreigners pay $100 to enter, while Ecuadorian citizens are only charged $6.

Watkins also noted in his report that, 鈥渢he idea of differential pricing for outdoor recreation has relevant precedents elsewhere in the United States,鈥� as well. 鈥淔or example, it鈥檚 standard practice for state fish and wildlife agencies to charge different prices for residents and non-residents to hunt and fish.鈥�

鈥淭he American family is actually paying more than the international tourists,鈥� Watkins argued, 鈥渂ecause Americans already contribute a small portion to the National Park Service budget through taxes.鈥�

Critics theorize that an in fees might deter visits from foreign travelers, but Watkins and PERC believe this is unlikely, citing a that estimated raising entry fee for vehicles at Yellowstone National Park from $30 to $70 would only decrease visitation from foreign visitors by 0.07 percent. 鈥淔or people traveling from overseas, it鈥檚 a tiny slice of their overall budget,鈥� Watkins said.

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It鈥檚 6 A.M., and I鈥檓 looking over a small canyon with my baby strapped to my chest and my two labs darting zoomies around my legs. In the distance, I can make out Black Rock Mesa and the snow-capped Jemez and Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and I haven鈥檛 seen another person on the trail all morning. We鈥檝e got four miles left to hike, and then I鈥檒l be back at my home office in time to log on to work for the day.

This is the beauty of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): in the Southwest, where I live, it鈥檚 the land in between鈥攖he vast patches of beautiful nothingness that make up many of our backyards. One-tenth of land in the U.S.鈥� acres to be exact鈥攊s managed by the BLM, making it one of the most accessible places to recreate.

It鈥檚 also one of the freest. Unlike other public land agencies that are riddled with rules and regulations for outdoor recreationists, on BLM land, pretty much anything goes. Dogs can run off-leash, dispersed camping is allowed for two weeks at a time in most areas, and even ATVers and off-roaders are tolerated. Extreme sports like BASE-jumping, climbing, and highlining are accepted鈥攁nd celebrated in BLM meccas, like Moab, Utah.

Have you ever heard of Burning Man? The Moab Easter Jeep Safari? Creeksgiving? Many of the desert meet-ups, festivals, and wilderness rallies that form the axis of outdoor culture are pretty much only possible on BLM land, where the horizon seems to stretch on forever and you can truly forget that the rest of the world exists. And while entry to Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Zion National Parks will set you back $35, recreation on most BLM land costs a few bucks or nothing at all.

From the natural arches of California鈥檚 Alabama Hills to the glittering hot springs of Soldier Meadows in Nevada, BLM manages some of the most scenic recreation hubs in the country. For those of us who seek solitude in the outdoors, BLM is our first choice. If you think the outdoors are getting crowded, you just haven鈥檛 been to BLM land recently. While hordes of visitors flock to many of our most sought-after national parks, BLM receives notably less traffic. Last year, a record people visited national parks, but only went to BLM.

So while some sighed with relief on Wednesday, when Utah Senator Mike Lee鈥檚 revised plan to sell public lands excluded the Forest Service and limited BLM land sales to , my hackles remained up. Under the revised proposal, 1.2 million acres of our precious land remain at risk. The bill also maps out that only land within five miles of 鈥減opulation centers鈥� will be for sale.

Remote spots like Indian Creek and Burning Man鈥檚 Black Rock Desert might be safe, but that doesn鈥檛 mean the new plan isn鈥檛 without huge loss. Those parcels near population centers are the most accessible areas to recreate. They鈥檙e where many of us hike, bike, and run our favorite backyard trails. But most importantly, selling off any of this precious land sets a bad precedent and opens up the haunting question of what might be next.

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The Department of the Interior has a new plan to help fund the U.S. National Parks: raise the price for foreign visitors.

The department recently outlining its 2026 budget plans, and included in the brief is a plan to levy a surcharge on visitors coming from outside of the United States. According to the document, the fee could generate more than $90 million to help cover the costs of maintaining visitor services at national parks, which are facing a proposed budget cut of $1.2 billion next year.

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e way undercharging, as a nation, for international visitors,鈥� Secretary Doug Burgum said during a House Committee on Natural Resources oversight hearing in early June.

The origins of the plan came from a Bozeman, Montana-based think tank that works on environmental policy called the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC).

In 2023, PERC titled How Overseas Visitors Can Help Steward Our National Parks that suggested a $25 surcharge on foreign visitors could generate $330 million, which would double the revenue the NPS generates in fees.

In March, the 听10 Ideas for the Interior Department that included the proposal.听, Brian Yablonski, the CEO of PERC proposed the idea to Burgum earlier this year.听国产吃瓜黑料 reached out to the National Park Service for comment but did not hear back by the publishing date of this story.

国产吃瓜黑料 reached out to PERC to discuss the plans. A PERC economist named Tate Watkins, who authored the 2023 report, said that raising the price to entry represents the easiest way to generate more revenue for the NPS.

鈥淚f your goal is to make sure national parks have the resources they need to be stewarded properly now and for future generations, the entry fee structure is the lowest hanging fruit,鈥� Watkins told 国产吃瓜黑料.

Currently the NPS operates on a $3.1 billion annual budget, with most of the money coming via federal funding allocated by Congress. But the NPS sites do generate revenue via entry fees. more than 80 percent of the money generated by these fees is invested back into the parks.

Entry fees for NPS sites vary. Yellowstone National Park currently charges $20 per person or $35 for a single car. Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires a $5 daily parking fee.

Watkins pointed out that several other countries charge international visitors extra to visit natural wonders, parklands, and historic sites. At Gal谩pagos National Park in Ecuador, foreign guests pay $100 to enter, compared to $6 for locals. Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya both charge international visitors $70, while residents of either country pay $4 and $7, respectively.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., a family from France visiting Zion National Park for three days would pay $35 for a week-long park pass鈥攖he same as an American family.

鈥淭he American family is actually paying more than the international tourists because Americans already contribute a small portion to the National Park Service budget through taxes,鈥� Watkins said.

Critics of the plan have suggested the increase in fees might deter visits from foreign travelers. SFGATE estimates that 14 million people from outside of the United States visited an NPS site in 2024. Watkins says his research suggests the contrary. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a negligible amount,鈥� Watkins said. 鈥淔or people traveling from overseas it鈥檚 a tiny slice of their overall budget.鈥�

A PERC study in 2017 estimated that raising the vehicle entry fee at Yellowstone National Park from $30 to $70 would decrease visitation from foreign visitors by only 0.07 percent.

鈥淚t won鈥檛 deter many at all,鈥� Watkins said. 鈥淥n the flip side, even a modest increase could bring in a ton of revenue.鈥�

In its March report, PERC outlined other strategies for NPS, including a revamped fee structure for U.S. visitors as well. Watkins said the current structure is 鈥淎 relatively blunt system today.”

One of PERC鈥檚 recommendations is to offer weekday discounts for American visitors. The report also recommends increasing the price of the America the Beautiful Parks Pass, which grants a holder entry to 2,000 recreation sites, including all 433 NPS sites. The pass currently costs $80.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 an immense value,鈥� Watkins said. 鈥淓specially when you compare it with the cost of private attractions or even similar passes offered by state parks.鈥�

The Department of the Interior has released few details about its proposed fee on foreign visitors, and has not divulged which parks would see an increase or by how much.

Watkins predicts the fee increase will impact 鈥渂ig name destination parks鈥� such as Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Yosemite. In 2024 the NPS sites recorded 331.9 million visits, the most in history.

Despite the uptick in visits, the NPS is slated to endure a 40 percent decrease in federal funding in 2026. Major cuts are slated for the NPS’s maintenance division.

According to Watkins, the total NPS maintenance backlog across all sites is approaching $24 billion鈥攎ore than double what it was ten years ago. Additional revenue generated by new fees, he said, could alleviate some of the pressure.

鈥淲ithout some kind of action, our crown jewel parks are on an unsustainable path of deterioration,鈥� Watkins said.

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The U.S. Senate’s plan to sell off millions of acres of public land just lost considerable steam in the halls of power.

And the Republican Senator behind the plan says he will adopt a new strategy.

On Monday, June 23, Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate Parliamentarian鈥攁n advisor and referee-like figure who enforces the voting rules of the U.S. Senate鈥攔uled that the provision could not added to the Republican-led reconciliation bill. The decision was announced in a and was first reported by .

The move has raised the political bar for the provision. Instead of passing via a simple 51-vote majority, the plan would require a two-thirds vote to pass.

The current party division in the U.S. Senate is 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two Independents.

The shift comes after the proposed sell-off generated vocal backlash not only from Democrats and conservation groups, but also from Republican officials, business owners, and non-profits focused on hunting and fishing.

The public lands sell-off was originally part of President Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” and was added by Utah Senator Mike Lee, the chair of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources committee. The original plan called for the U.S. to auction off up to 3 million acres of land in 11 western states managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to raise funds for federal spending.

Housing prices are crushing families and keeping young Americans from living where they grew up. We need to change that.

Thanks to YOU鈥攖he AMERICAN PEOPLE鈥攈ere鈥檚 what I plan to do:

1. REMOVE ALL Forest Service land. We are NOT selling off our forests.

2. SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE鈥�

鈥� Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee)

On Monday, Lee saying he would alter the proposal鈥攂ut still include plans to sell public land.

“Remove all Forest Service land. We are not selling off our forests,” Lee wrote. “Significantly reduce the amount of BLM land in the bill. Only land within 5 miles of population centers is eligible.”

According to E&E News Lee has not yet submitted any changes to the plan to the Senate parliamentarian.

In late June, four Republican senators came out in opposition of the plan: Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy of Montana, and Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho.

“After reviewing the Senate Energy and Natural Resources reconciliation language, I do not support the proposed provision to sell public lands,” Risch released on June 20.

More pushback came from hunting groups. Hunter Nation, a non-profit group that aims to “preserve and protect our nation’s hunting heritage,” told its members on social media that it “stands opposed to the indiscriminate sale of our public lands.”

Update from Capitol Hill on the proposed sell off of public lands: is currently headed into a meeting with lawmakers to make sure our voices are heard!

Be sure to do your part as well and message or call your Senator TODAY!

鈥� James Jinnette (@james_jinnette1)

“These lands belong to ‘We the People’ and they should continue to remain as such,” the group wrote.

In Wyoming, to Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, calling the plan a “non-starter for Wyomingites.”

The news sparked a wave of positive public statements from conservation and wildlife non-profits.

The sell-off plan is out鈥攆or now. Last night鈥檚 win is a big step forward, but public lands are still under threat. Americans have spoken: These places belong to all of us. Let鈥檚 keep it that way. Read more from :

鈥� Trust for Public Land (@tpl_org)

The Trust for Public Land called the development “an important victory,” and the result of Americans making it “overwhelming clear they do not want to see their public lands sold off to the highest bidder.”

Tracy Stone-Manning, the president of , and former head of the Bureau of Land Management, said the news was “a victory for the American public.”

“We trust the next politician who wants to sell off public lands will remember that people of all stripes will stand against the idea,” Stone-Manning added. “Our public lands are not for sale.”

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New messaging posted at U.S. national parks and historic sites is requesting that park visitors report 鈥渁ny signs or other information that are negative about either past or living Americans.鈥�

The Colorado Sun, signs with the directive were posted on Friday, June 13, at the in eastern Colorado. Amache was one of ten incarceration sites for Japanese Americans during World War II.

An identical sign was posted at the nearby Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Colorado. In 1864, the U.S. Army slaughtered approximately 750 Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho indigenous people on the grounds.

In a , Rachel Pawlitz, a spokesperson for the NPS, said the order “reaffirms the NPS mission by emphasizing the importance of accuracy in how we tell stories of American history.”

But the听request has sparked concern that the federal government is attempting to whitewash its own history.

Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, called the order an attempt to rewrite American history.

“Rangers should be able to talk about the history of Japanese American incarceration at Amache, or the history of slavery at Fort Monroe, without looking over their shoulders in fear,” Pierno . “If our country erases the darker chapters of our history, we will never learn from our mistakes. These signs must come down immediately.鈥�

In addition to reporting any negative depictions of Americans, the signs also request that visitors file a report if they see any information that does not 鈥渆mphasize the beauty, grandeur, and abundance of landscapes and other natural features,鈥� and notify the Park Service of any 鈥渁reas that need repair鈥� or 鈥渟ervices that need improvement.鈥� Each sign includes a URL and scannable QR code, which leads to a webpage.

The signage comes on the heels of an executive order, 鈥淩estoring Truth and Sanity to American History,鈥� issued by President Donald Trump in late March, which was implemented by Doug Burgum, U.S. Secretary of the Interior (DOI) on May 20.

Trump鈥檚 order decried 鈥渁 concerted and widespread effort to rewrite our Nation鈥檚 history, replacing objective facts with a distorted narrative driven by ideology rather than truth鈥� and said this effort has seen to it that 鈥渙ur Nation鈥檚 unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.鈥�

When it was issued on March 27, the 鈥溾�� order made national news because it aggressively targeted the Smithsonian Institution, requiring that the museum 鈥渞emove improper ideology.鈥� of the order鈥檚 implementation in the DOI also requires the posting of the signs seen at Amache and Sand Creek last week.

Burgum ordered the leaders of the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Bureau of Reclamation to post such signage 鈥渢hroughout each property, in as many locations within each property as necessary and appropriate to ensure public awareness.鈥�

The order also requires that within 120 days, every department remove any information that 鈥渋nappropriately disparages Americans past or living.鈥�

The implementation of this order obviously will hinge on each park manager鈥檚 interpretation of the word 鈥渋nappropriately.鈥�

John Hopper, founder of the Amache Preservation Society, runs a museum dedicated to the internment camp in the town of Granada. 鈥淚t鈥檚 simple,鈥� he told the Sun. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 sugarcoat history. You have to learn from it, right?鈥�

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There鈥檚 a new plan in Washington D.C. to auction off public lands, and this one involves millions of acres spread across nearly a dozen Western states.

The latest stipulation would require the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sell off roughly 3 million acres by 2030.

On Tuesday, June 10, this plan was added to the draft legislation of President Donald Trump鈥檚 tax and spending megabill by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in the U.S. Senate.

This sprawling piece of legislation, called 鈥淥ne Big, Beautiful Bill Act,鈥� passed the House of Representatives in early June, and is currently under debate in the Senate.

Sources told听The New York Times that two Republican lawmakers鈥擬ike Lee of Utah and Steve Daines of Montana鈥攚orked closely to decide on the plan.

Previous plans to sell off public lands have been met with public outcry. An earlier version of the Big, Beautiful Bill Act included a smaller selloff proposal, suggesting the liquidation of nearly 500,000 acres of public land in Nevada and Utah.

This provision was axed before the bill passed the House of Representatives, after backlash from the House鈥檚 Public Lands Caucus, a bipartisan group led by New Mexico Democrat Gabe Vasquez and Montana Republican and former interior secretary Ryan Zinke. Zinke called the measure his 鈥淪an Juan Hill.鈥� He has previously told 国产吃瓜黑料:听鈥淭he idea that you鈥檙e going to sell public land to get out of debt is folly.鈥�

This latest鈥攁nd substantially larger鈥攍and sale proposal was announced by Lee, who is the chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Specifically, the reconciliation bill鈥檚 language dictates that 鈥渘ot less than 0.50 percent and not more than 0.75 percent鈥� of all BLM land be sold to the private sector, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior. Identical language and percentages dictate the sale of National Forest land as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.

The BLM manages 245 million total acres, and the the Forest Service manages 193 million acres. Under the plan’s rules, up to 3.29 million acres of public lands would be placed on the auctioning block.

Lawmakers have said the sale of public lands would raise funds for the federal government and clear land for housing development. The plan would put public lands in 11 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Zinke鈥檚 state, Montana, is the only Western state excluded from this updated proposal.

The that national parks, national monuments, and designated wilderness areas would be exempt from auction, and land near existing population centers would be prioritized. The bill also mandates that any public land sales must occur solely for 鈥渇or the development of housing or to address associated community needs,鈥� but it leaves the definition of these 鈥渁ssociated community needs鈥� up to the Secretaries concerned.

鈥淪enate Republicans have finally said the quiet part out loud,鈥� said , the ranking Democrat on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. 鈥淭hey want to put millions of acres of our public lands up in a fire sale, destroy the investments that have created thousands of manufacturing and clean energy jobs 鈥� including in their home states, and obliterate programs that lower energy costs for everyday Americans.鈥�

The plan received immediate criticism from nonprofit groups and organizations that work in conservation and outdoor recreation.

鈥淲hat some may see as a barren lot on a map on a Senator鈥檚 desk may actually be where a community hikes after work, rides their ATV, or teaches their kids how to hunt turkey or ride a bike,” reads a statement from Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, a lobbying group for the outdoor recreation industry. “And once these treasured places are sold to private industry, they are gone forever, and in the case of this proposal, can be used for any purpose after ten years.”

David Willms, associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation, called the plan “orders of magnitude worse than what the House proposed last month.”

鈥淢andating the fire sale of up to two-and-a-half million acres of public land violates more than a century of land stewardship, threatens wildlife and clean water, runs directly against widespread public opinion, and will not begin to solve either the budget crisis or the affordable housing crisis,” he said.

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鈥淕reetings from Death Valley National Park,鈥� the billboard reads. 鈥淗eat deaths rise, safety staff cut. Made possible by DOGE.鈥�

This Las Vegas billboard, unveiled in May, is one of 300 similar signs put up across the United States by , a nonprofit media outlet that aims to “build power for the working class.” According to the group, the billboards are a response to the severe budget cuts and layoffs leveled on the National Park Service by the Trump Administration.

The 300 billboards each have quippy slogans to describe the impact of the cuts. “More trash and dirty restrooms,” reads one for Shenandoah National Park. “Reduced staff, increased danger,” reads the one for Voyageurs National Park. “Six campgrounds shut down,” reads one for Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Why is a labor advocacy group erecting billboards about the defense of public lands?

鈥淲orking class people need national parks,鈥� More Perfect Union鈥檚 founder, Faiz Shakir, told 国产吃瓜黑料. In Shakir’s opinion, all Americans, regardless of economic class, deserve access to parklands.

鈥淕oing to national parks is not like going to Disney World,鈥� he continued. 鈥淭hey aren鈥檛 profiting off of your attendance. They preserve and maintain beautiful spaces for all of us. Whether you made $10,000 last year or $10 million last year, you get the same level of enjoyment visiting a national park. That’s what it means when something is a public good.鈥�

Approximately 5,000 workers employed by the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and National Forest Service have been . Other employees have taken buyouts, early retirements, or deferred resignations, further increasing the staffing shortages. Their ranks include NPS rangers and other staffers, as well as wildland firefighters and janitors to cooks and locksmiths and trail crews.

鈥淏y attacking park rangers, you鈥檙e attacking the best of America,鈥� Shakir said. 鈥淭hese are not people out to make money. These are people who care deeply about the public experience, and about maintaining these places for future generations.鈥�

More Perfect Union鈥檚 billboards aren’t just targeting well-known parks, like Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, but also lesser-known ones, like Biscayne National Park in Florida, Saguaro National Park in Arizona, Valley Forge National Historical Park in Pennsylvania, Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio.

鈥淲e’re looking for well-trafficked parks combined with well-trafficked roads and communities,鈥� Shakir explained. 鈥淔or example, in Yosemite, the cost of putting a billboard up is higher, because it鈥檚 more remote, and also the only people driving up there are probably visiting the park.鈥� The Death Valley billboards, for example, aren鈥檛 placed at the entrance to Death Valley, but in the metropolitan hubs of Las Vegas and Reno, a few hours away. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just trying to get people who are already visiting a national park, but also everyday commuters.鈥�

Some of the billboards highlight blunt, unquestionable facts, such as 鈥淩educed Visiting Hours鈥� or 鈥淧ark Rangers Fired.鈥� Others make minor assumptions: 鈥淢ore Trash and Dirty Restrooms鈥� or 鈥淩educed Staff, Increased Danger.鈥�

The billboards are slated for a one month run, until the end of June, but Shakir is hoping to get funding for continued messaging. 鈥淥ne of the things we are assuming here is that the impact of the reduced staff is only going to get worse through this summer,鈥� Shakir explained. 鈥淭he worst of this has yet to come. It鈥檚 going to grow through June, July, and August. So, I鈥檓 hoping we can get to a 鈥楶hase Two鈥� of this billboards project where we can be more specific about the harms that were experienced. Right now, a lot of the effects are anticipatory.鈥�

The project, Shakir said, was funded by the same set of donors who have funded More Perfect Union from the beginning (the organization was founded in early 2021). 鈥淭his is our highest profile advocacy venture,鈥� he said, 鈥渂oth in the sense that it’s the most public thing and the biggest expenditure of dollars. We spent a couple million dollars to do this.鈥�

He said that although the billboards have only been up for a couple of days, they鈥檝e already received 鈥渨ild amounts鈥� of positive feedback and support. 鈥淚 did not anticipate this level of interest,鈥� Shakir said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 always a small percentage of people who respond negatively, but it鈥檚 been overwhelmingly positive. The support hasn鈥檛 just come from the left side of the aisle, either.

鈥淭he prevailing sentiment, from both sides, has been that these cuts and layoffs are wrong, and we need to come together to protect our public lands,鈥� Shakir said.

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On Wednesday, May 28, Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper stood alongside state congressman John Neguse near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. The two lawmakers spoke about the ongoing fight to protect public lands and the federal agencies that oversee them.

Neguse, 41, recently introduced two bills鈥攃alled Protect Our Parks and Save Our Forests respectively鈥攖hat would reinstate the thousands of employees of the National Forest Service and National Park Service who were fired by the Trump Administration earlier this year.听Hickenlooper, 73, also introduced legislation this spring that would block the White House from selling public lands to decrease the national deficit.

Hickenlooper plans to speak at the in Denver, Colorado later on May 30. We recently caught up with him to discuss the current fight to protect public lands.

OUTSIDE: The American public has been told that protecting federal lands is preventing our country from achieving energy independence, blocking lucrative extraction industries, and preventing the creation of high-paying jobs for Americans.
Hickenlooper: There’s this notion that we need more real estate to drill on, and that our extraction industries are landlocked. They say there is an energy emergency. But if you look over the past six years鈥攁nd if you remove coal energy鈥攚e’ve produced more energy than any other country on the planet, and I’m not talking about per-capita, I’m talking total. We’re certainly not in an energy emergency. I have a fierce sense of urgency around climate change, but I also know that in some areas we do need more mines. I believe in protecting the public’s right to see what, exactly, is going to happen to a piece of land that’s going to be mined. Is there a mineral there that is going to help us create electric vehicles or build the electrical grid in a way that is going to address climate change? Well, maybe we do have to find a way to mine on that land? But with all that said, there are many lands鈥攁nd I include our National Parks here鈥攖hat, no matter how valuable that real estate could be for a mine, the scenic beauty and historic value to the American people is just too great for it to be dug up. I have a hard time seeing any place where public land should be treated as an asset to be bought and sold at the whims of the White House. It just doesn’t make sense.

Americans have been told that public land agencies like the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Forest Service are overstaffed, bloated, and inefficient.听
I really do believe that there are places in the federal government that are fat and inefficient, and when I ran for the mayor of Denver, that was my campaign message. I thought that nobody ever took the time to make a city function as efficiently as a small business. I wanted Denver to use less water, share our water rights and tax base with the suburban communities, and people said I’d never get elected by sharing the wealth of the voters in Denver. That was my whole pitch, and I won, I got two-thirds of the vote. We didn’t lay anybody off, though we did have a hiring freeze for a few years. But we used technology to compensate for fewer people, and I think you can argue that we provided more services for our citizens. That’s what DOGE should have done. But the notion that you’re going to cut 3,000 people from the Forest Service and thousands more from the Park Service and BLM, and somehow the country is going to be better off is just lunacy. The argument that you’ll lay everybody off at first and then look for what is broken and try to fix that is not the way government should work. For so many people who work for these agencies, this is ruining their lives. I’ve talked to government employees who were laid off, some have been rehired, they have little kids and had just moved to Colorado to work in the Forest Service. They’re asking me, “What are we going to do?” Why put people through that?

Recently, the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives succeeded in removing a plan to sell 500,000 acres of public land in Nevada and Utah from the 2025 Reconciliation spending bill. What can those who believe in protecting public lands learn from this?
Public feedback matters, and in this case it led to a widespread adoption of action. People who care about public lands used social media in a way they hadn’t done before. It wasn’t just the nonprofits and advocacy groups, it was grassroots dialogue that generated new points of view and new points of contention on the plan to sell off land. I read one online post that, and I’m paraphrasing, said 鈥淲here do we draw the line? If we start selling public lands and allow that constitutional violation to occur, then what’s next?鈥� I’ve now heard Republicans and Democrats talking about that point. We need to count on the grassroots commentary to generate those points and that language that people are going to repeat.

What political strategies will work in the fight to preserve public lands?
This is an all out war. I’m not someone who sits back and says, 鈥淲ell, let’s see what they do next.鈥� They’re doing it. It’s happening. So the most important thing we can do is let people know what is happening to public lands. Americans by and large support public lands. said that 75 percent of all Americans in the Mountain West region think that the government should not sell public lands to pay down the deficit. Yes, there are some places in mountain towns where small amounts of BLM land exist, and it could allow towns to build affordable housing for Park Service employees or firefighters or municipal employees. Those exceptions can go through the correct process. But the notion that we’re going to sell 500,000 acres of public land should make every person who loves public lands shudder. People who feel that way should get out there and show up at every town hall meeting, every public roundtable, and make yourself heard. We’re going to fight, we may be beaten, but we will rise and fight again. We’re going to lose a bunch of battles on this thing, but I think that if we rise and fight again, we are going to win.

This interview was edited for space听and clarity.

The post John Hickenlooper: The Fight Over America鈥檚 Public Lands Has Become 鈥淎ll Out War鈥� appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

On May 7, Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican congressman from Montana, and Rep. Gabe Vasquez, a Democrat from New Mexico, stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building to announce a new voting bloc within the U.S. House of Representatives aimed at protecting public lands.

Called the , the group includes 14 congressmen and women鈥攕even Democrats and seven Republicans鈥攁nd, according to the announcement, aims to “conserve natural resources while supporting recreation, local economies, and public access.”

The future health of America’s public lands is something that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should care about, Zinke stated.

“This is not a Republican or Democrat or a red or a blue issue,” He told 国产吃瓜黑料.“This is a red, white, and blue issue.鈥�

The new caucus represents a bold step for Zinke, 63, as it may put him at odds with the policy push of his former boss, President Donald Trump. Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, oversaw the Department of the Interior for two years during Trump’s first administration. The department oversees the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management, among other agencies.

During his stint, Zinke was often criticized by environmental groups for to Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument.听国产吃瓜黑料 profiled Zinke in 2017.

But Zinke said he disagrees with some of the Trump Administration’s latest policies on public lands. Since the start of 2025, the Trump Administration has made dramatic staff and budget cuts to these agencies, and rolled back environmental protections to public land. The administration’s proposed 2026 budget calls for the transfer of some National Park sites from federal to state management. And the administration has also floated around Western cities or National Parks to help pay for the president’s domestic agenda.

鈥淭he idea that you’re going to sell public land to get out of debt is folly,” Zinke told 国产吃瓜黑料. “But I’m always open to looking at ways to better manage them.鈥�

Zinke added, “I’m not in favor of selling or transferring public land.”

Instead, Zinke told 国产吃瓜黑料 that his vision for public land management comes from the forefathers of the U.S. National Parks.

鈥淎bout 120 years ago, the great ones鈥擱oosevelt, Muir, Gifford Pinchot鈥攖hey had a vision for the West, to preserve and protect, that gave us so much of the outdoor experiences that we now enjoy,鈥� Zinke said. 鈥淭he challenge today is how do we manage the next 100 years, given the new challenges we face?鈥�

A Multi-Use Model

Zinke said he believes in a “multi-use model” for public land that balances conservation, recreation, and yes, even resource extraction and development.

For example, Zinke, while he was Secretary of the Department of the Interior, oversaw an expansion and upgrade to staff housing inside Yellowstone National Park. Zinke told 国产吃瓜黑料 that the development was the 鈥渉ighest and best use鈥� for the public land on which it was built.

鈥淚t relieves a lot of the pressure on local communities when park employees, particularly seasonal, can live on campus,鈥� he said.

But Zinke added that the plan succeeded because it followed a well-defined political process that included a public comment period, sign-off by state and local officials, and even congressional notification.

“There’s a process because public lands belong to the American public,” he said.

Protection of public lands has become a hot-button topic in American politics, and over the years some communities and states have pushed back on U.S. Presidents for setting aside swaths of land as national monuments or wildlife refuges.

Zinke believes this frustration stems from leaders taking a hard line on environmental protection. Plans that forbid resource extraction or timber harvesting often leave the financial health of adjacent communities out of the decision.

“There’s a lot of anger out there of looking at our natural resources and mostly being blocked from a multiple-use model,” he said.

Zinke also believes public anger toward public land policies can be traced to the overlapping jurisdictional patchwork, which is something he wants the Public Land Caucus to streamline.

He asked听国产吃瓜黑料 to envision a river surrounded by U.S. National Forest that flows into a dam.

“The trout are managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior through the Fish and Wildlife; the salmon are managed by the Department of Commerce through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association; the forest is managed by the Department of Agriculture through the U.S. Forest Service,” he said. “The dam, which controls the flow of water, the temperature, and the riparian banks, is either managed by the Army Corps of Engineers.”

Should the local population want to repair a dam across the river, they would need to go through four separate governmental departments.

“The result is nothing gets done and we drown in bureaucracy,” he said.

But the most pressing issue for U.S. public lands is still the policy changes being driven by the Trump Administration. Zinke said the National Parks face a brain drain after losing several thousand employees this year due to layoffs and buyouts.

The National Parks Conservation Association estimates that 2,400 to 2,500 NPS staff have accepted voluntary buyouts or early retirements since January.听鈥淭he people that are retiring are your senior leaders that have a lot of experience,鈥� said Zinke.

But Zinke also said he believes some of the largest U.S. National Parks are adequately staffed for 2025. 鈥淎t Yellowstone, the numbers of seasonal and permanent [employees] are the highest ever,鈥� Zinke said.

Zinke also called the proposed 2026 plan for the NPS鈥攖o trim $1.2 billion from its $4.8 billion annual spend鈥攁 “skinny budget.”

“My concern as a former Navy SEAL and Secretary of the Interior is to make sure the front line is healthy,” he said. “That’s our National Parks and forests.”

What he鈥檚 not satisfied with is the idea of selling or transferring federal public lands, both of which have recently been proposed by the Trump Administration. Zinke points to Little Bighorn Battlefield, a National Monument.

鈥淚t just so happens to be in Montana,鈥� Zinke said, 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 a national treasure.鈥�

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Update: On May 27, 2025, the Supreme Court denied Apache Stronghold鈥檚 appeal, allowing the land transfer to proceed as scheduled.听This is a developing story and will be updated as more details are announced.

When Jack Colavita, a high school English teacher in Scottsdale, Arizona, gets out of school at 3 p.m., he typically heads straight for the boulders.

Specifically, he drives 65 miles east to Queen Creek Canyon, drags his crashpads out to classic Oak Flat problems such as听Scatterbrain听(V6-7) or听Evolution听(V7-), and works powerful moves on the volcanic, pocketed rock that Tommy Caldwell听听to 鈥渢he mouths of tiny piranhas.鈥�

Oak Flat, a sub-area of Queen Creek Canyon, is a world-class climbing area with more than 2,500 routes and boulders within easy access of the fifth-largest American city. From 1989 to 2004, it hosted the听听(PBC, eventually renamed the Phoenix Boulder Blast), which attracted up to 600 competitors each year, including teenage prodigies Caldwell, Beth Rodden, Katie Brown, and Chris Sharma.

Erik Murdock, PhD, who now works as the deputy director of policy and government affairs for Access Fund, remembers one particularly exciting PBC in 1996: 鈥淚 spotted Chris Sharma on a warm up. Then, he spent the entire comp trying the open project because if he sent it, he won.鈥� That afternoon, Sharma, who was 14 years old at the time, sent the problem and took first place.

Today, Oak Flat is still a go-to spot for Phoenix locals looking to squeeze in a few hours of climbing after school or work. 鈥淔or a local area less than two hours away, Oak Flat is the only place where you can really spend a day and not break a hold,鈥� says Colavita, who leads climbing trips through his school鈥檚 outdoors program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the place where kids are able to go for a day with parents鈥� permission.鈥�

However, after a two-decade-long legal battle, Arizona climbers are steeling themselves for the potential destruction of most of the boulders and hundreds of routes in Oak Flat area.

On April 17, the U.S. Forest Service released a 60-day advance听听of its publication of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for Oak Flat鈥攁 document that will trigger the transfer of 2,422 acres of the Oak Flat area to Resolution Copper,听听by the British-Australian company Rio Tinto and Australian company BHP. While Resolution Copper currently operates around many Oak Flat crags, if this land transfer occurs, it intends to expand its mining operation to include 鈥減anel caving鈥� which would eventually result in a ground crater up to 1.8 miles wide and 1,115 feet deep, according to the听. This mining technique is considered a cost-effective way to access targeted copper reserves, but it will cause,听, the 鈥渓argest-ever loss of climbing on America鈥檚 public lands.鈥� One 2017听听concluded that 1,114 boulders鈥攎ore than 97% of the boulders in the greater Queen Creek area鈥攁s well as 149 sport routes and 38 trad routes will be affected by permanent closures in three crags: Euro Dog Valley, The Mine, and Oak Flat itself.

Climbers have long been engaged in the听听over Oak Flat, but the growing immediacy of the Forest Service鈥檚 land transfer has hit hard.

鈥淭he litigation has looked pretty pessimistic since about two years ago,鈥� says Colavita. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a weird vibe. People are pulling out their investments with their time and their energy in the area. We can always see the mine looming above us like the Eye of Sauron or something.鈥�

A Two-Decade Battle Comes to a Head

This 60-day warning from the federal government represents the culmination of a long, well-documented legal and public relations battle for control of Oak Flat.

For nearly 20 years, Resolution Copper has sought permission to mine an estimated 40 billion pounds of copper beneath Queen Creek Canyon, which sits squarely within Arizona鈥檚 鈥淐opper Triangle鈥� east of Phoenix.

Starting in 2005, U.S. Senators for Arizona John McCain and Jeff Flake, who supported the copper mine鈥檚 expansion, attempted to pass a land swap that would give 2,422 acres of Tonto National Forest land, including the entire Oak Flat area, to Resolution Copper. In exchange, the U.S. Forest Service would receive 5,459 acres of the mining company鈥檚 private land in Arizona. McCain predicted that the mining project would create as many as 4,000 jobs and contribute 鈥渢ens of billions of dollars鈥� in economic activity over the life of the mine.

For centuries, the San Carlos Apache tribe, which calls the area Chi鈥檆hil Bi艂dagoteel, has used it as a sacred site for conducting religious rituals, such as coming-of-age ceremonies, as well as gathering water and medicinal plants. A former historic preservation officer for the neighboring White Mountain Apache Tribe,听 John Welch, has called the area 鈥渢he best set of Apache archaeological sites ever documented, full stop,鈥� and in 2016 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 鈥淚鈥檝e been out there [to climb] and driven around the corner and seen an Indigenous ceremony happening,鈥� says Colavita. 鈥淓ven without any of the copper mine stuff going on, there would still be a deference: This is sacred Indigenous land before this is climbing land.鈥�

After trying and failing for years to pass the land swap as its own bill, in December 2014, McCain and Flake performed a legislative sleight of hand that, while common in Congress, was widely criticized as undemocratic. In a last-minute 鈥渕idnight rider,鈥� the pair slipped the听听into a 1,600-page, must-pass听defense spending authorization bill听that President Obama signed that month. The new federal law required the U.S. Forest Service to perform a three-step process: (1) publishing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the land transfer, (2) collecting public comments to incorporate the final version, and (3) officially handing the land titles to Resolution Copper within 60 days of publishing the Final EIS, whatever it may contain.

The first step occurred in August 2019, when the Forest Service released a 1,400-page听. The following 90-day public comment period鈥攕tep two鈥攗ltimately received more than 29,000 comments by hand, mail, email, web form, or verbally at public meetings. On January 15, 2021, five days before an administration turnover, the Forest Service triggered the third step by releasing the听. But on March 1, the Biden administration ordered the Forest Service to withdraw its statement on the grounds that more time was needed to understand the concerns raised by the Apache tribe and other stakeholders.

In an explicit change of policy, on March 20, 2025, the Trump administration released an听听titled 鈥淚mmediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production鈥� that directed all heads of agencies involved in mineral production to expedite approvals for projects awaiting permits. Shortly afterward, on April 17, the Forest Service announced their intention to re-publish the Final Resolution Copper EIS鈥攖he new step three鈥攁s early as June 16. When that happens, unless an organization such as Access Fund听听the Final EIS for inadequately addressing concerns with the Draft EIS, Oak Flat would officially belong to Resolution Copper within two months. After the land transfer, everyday Arizonans would only have access to the area until the mining company deems it unsafe for the public.

On May 9, a federal district judge in Phoenix halted the land transfer until the Supreme Court made a decision on whether to take on听Apache Stronghold v. United States, which challenged the Forest Service鈥檚 right to destroy sacred land in Oak Flat.听听is a nonprofit advocacy organization that represents the San Carlos Apache. However, on May 27, the Supreme Court听听Apache Stronghold鈥檚 appeal, with Justices Gorsuch and Thomas听.

Without further legal challenges, the Final EIS will be released as early as June 16. The land swap will occur within two months after its release.

Oak Flat: Turning Comp Climbers Into Outdoor Crushers

If the land swap proceeds, Phoenix鈥檚 growing climbing community will have hundreds fewer routes and boulders to help indoor climbers transition to the outdoors.

Before Sierra Blair was a Team USA climber, a World Cup competitor, or a Pan American Bouldering Champion, she was a nine-year-old kid who followed her climbing coach and teammates to Oak Flat. It was there, in the desert riparian hills just an hour-and-a-half drive from her gym, that Blair learned how to lead climb. 鈥淚 remember walking by听The Hulk听as a kid,鈥� she says, referencing the V11 boulder. 鈥淭hat thing looked crazy. The holds were so small, but it was somehow in my head on a list of boulders I wanted to do at some point.鈥�

After focusing on indoor competition climbing for 14 years, Blair decided in 2023 to switch up her focus to the outdoors. At Oak Flat, she stumbled into another classic,听Pyramid听(V10), and nearly flashed it. 鈥淎t the time, I was recovering from an injury and didn鈥檛 know how hard I could climb, so it was this cool confidence boost for me,鈥� she said. Next on her list:听The Hulk, from her childhood tick list, which she put down in two quick weekends.

Over the next two years, Blair鈥檚 interest in climbing the volcanic rock formations would connect her directly to the legacy of the Phoenix Bouldering Contest. During the 2002 or 2003 competition, Chris Sharma first sent a 14-foot overhang called听Captain Hook听(V12), but since then, a crucial hold had broken off. In spite of the broken hold, Blair made the second ascent in March 2024, opting to keep the original grade. 鈥淚 thought it was impossible, especially with the break, and I was excited to get the boulder done in a few sessions,鈥� she told听. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a very proud line at Oak Flat.鈥�

Watch Blair send Double D Low, another V12 at Oak Flat:

Sharp pockets and comp-style moves make Oak Flat 鈥渁 moonboarder鈥檚 dream,鈥� says Blair. 鈥淭he grades are a little sandbagged, but you get used to the sandbag and then your skin just becomes indestructible anywhere else,鈥� she says. 鈥淎fter I鈥檝e been climbing all season [at Oak Flat], you could stab me in the skin and nothing would happen. My skin could take it.鈥� She says that she鈥檚 done the majority of her outdoor climbing there and emphasizes that Oak Flat has something for all ability levels.

Colavita thinks that Oak Flat has the potential to turn even more indoor competition climbers into outdoor crushers. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen firsthand how these kids can go out there and crush, especially in a place like Oak Flat, which has savage but straightforward movement,鈥� says the schoolteacher.

He adds that he鈥檚 seen many kids in Phoenix getting into climbing through indoor competition, and doesn鈥檛 want them to lose out on the beauty of the outdoors. 鈥淚f Oak Flat doesn鈥檛 exist and it keeps getting hotter in this city, it鈥檚 going to go from being a great outdoor climbing location to one where it鈥檚 nearly impossible.鈥�

Protecting the popular gym-to-crag area from the mine, he argues, is 鈥渉ow you keep the tradition of [Phoenix] climbing about being outside鈥攁bout respect and reverence for the planet.鈥�

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