In January 2023, The Wilderness Land Trust purchased 21 acres in the Mount Baker Wilderness, in the North Cascades in Washington. This comes on the heels of successfully securing 630 acres in the North Cascades in 2022, as part of the organization’s broader Washington State Wilderness Campaign. The 21-acre parcel, also known as the Fourth…
The Green River cuts through Labyrinth Canyon just outside of Moab, Utah. Labyrinth lives up to its name as a complex maze of red rock, canyonland geography. Impressive side canyons and several tributaries feed into a slow-moving, 40-mile stretch of the Green River. It provides vital habitat for native and migratory bird species, and is…
In early September 2023, the city of East St. Louis, celebrated the grand opening of the Valentine Conservation Community Park Bike/Walk Trail. East St. Louis is located less than a mile from the Mississippi River across from St. Louis, and has historically lacked access to community green spaces. The establishment of this park in 2022…
After decades of advocacy from Klamath River Indigenous peoples, community members, conservationists, and fishermen, the smallest of four dams – Copco 2 – has been removed from the Klamath River. This effort, along the border of Oregon and California is part of the largest dam removal and river restoration project in U.S. history, led by…
At the end of September, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) successfully purchased the mineral rights, leases, and claims to 1,598 acres on Crevice Mountain on the northern edge of Yellowstone National Park. This acquisition eliminated the last remaining gold mining threat to Yellowstone National Park and allows for permanent protection of this landscape. Crevice Mountain…
In August 2023, Oregon Desert Land Trust (ODLT) completed their purchase of the 16,645 acre Trout Creek Ranch in the Pueblo and Trout Creek Mountains, one of the largest conservation projects in Oregon that also includes 500,000 acres of grazing permits. The Land Trust will own the property three years ahead of schedule, allowing them…
On September 6, 2023, the Biden administration made an announcement to cancel remaining oil and gas leases on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and a proposal to protect over 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge sits in Alaska’s North Slope with the…
The Wildlands Conservancy successfully closed escrow on the 320-acre Cottonwood Wash property in July 2023. Although this property is located within the current Bears Ears National Monument, this privately held parcel was previously excluded from the boundaries of the Monument. Its protection was viewed as critically important with access to cultural sites and recreational opportunities,…
In early August 2023, President Biden protected nearly 1 million acres of federal public lands in Arizona by designating The Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The Grand Canyon is an iconic landscape and outdoor recreation destination. In 2021, 4.5 million visitors from around the world visited Grand…
On June 2, 2023, the Department of the Interior announced a historic decision to administratively withdraw 336,400 acres of public lands in Chaco Canyon from future oil and gas leasing for 20 years. This action will prevent further oil and gas leasing on federal public lands within ten miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park…
