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Is Congress listening? Save outdoor industry jobs, cut oil and gas subsidies

September 16, 2011 By Christopher Lancette

A man walking in Hells Canyon Wilderness in the Nez Perce National Forest of Idaho

Credit: John McCarthy

While all kinds of ideas for cutting the federal budget deficit are swirling around the Capitol, The Wilderness Society is making one thing abundantly clear: Congress should stop its assault on wilderness and the recreation economy and instead make green-friendly cuts like eliminating oil and gas-industry subsidies. Read more

A government program everyone likes: Legacy Roads and Trails

August 26, 2011 By Vera Smith

It’s not often that in rural Montana we can find a Forest Service ranger, a heavy equipment operator, conservation advocates, and others all heralding a government program. But that’s exactly what happened recently in the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Region:  Northern Rockies Read more

Will Congress pass wildland bills before it’s too late? The pressure mounts

December 7, 2010 By Paul Spitler

Alpine Lakes in Washington. Courtesy USFS.

With only weeks left before the 111th Congress adjourns for its final time, conservationists are waiting to see if dozens of land, water and wildlife bills (including 21 wildlands and Wilderness bills), will make the short list of bills to be considered during the last days of the lame duck session. Read more

Remembering Stewart Udall’s Conservation Legacy

March 23, 2010 By John Chelminiak

Stewart L. Udall with Lady Bird Johnson on a trip to Snake River in 1964. Courtesy NPS.

One of the great voices of conservation has passed away. Stewart Udall, who  served in Congress and as Secretary of the Interior under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, died last weekend at the age of 90. Read more

Recent Utah looting underscores need for artifact protections

July 10, 2009 By Kristen Kerecman

Canyons of the Ancients cultural site in the Four Corners area, where less than 1/5 of land has been inventoried. Courtesy BLM.

In the Four Corners region, among the rugged mountains, mesas and deep canyons of the high desert there are pockets of desert wilderness where the soil is the only thing standing between travelers and a wealth of ancient Pueblo artifacts. In these lands, the ancient Pueblo people once settled villages with hundreds of family farms. Today, the area is rich with evidence of their small communities, but it’s also a hotbed for those looking to profit from illegally selling this priceless cultural heritage. Read more

Why every acre counts to stop global warming

March 4, 2009 By David Moulton

Resurrection Roadless Area, Chugach National Forest, Alaska. Photo by John Schoen.

We’re losing 6,000 acres of open space per day — the equivalent of two Rhode Islands per year — and you can almost feel the Earth’s thermostat inching up a fraction each day. If we want to have any hope of slowing, let alone reversing, these trends, our country needs to take bold action. Perhaps bolder than we’ve ever attempted. Big problems clearly require serious solutions. Read more

Wilderness History in the Making? Congress Postpones Answer ‘Til Next Year

December 11, 2008 By Paul Spitler

In October, you heard us talking a great deal about a historic piece of conservation legislation that was poised for passage. The Omnibus Public Lands Management Act included 15 separate wilderness bills totaling nearly two million acres across eight states. This would have been the largest expansion of the National Wilderness Preservation System in nearly 15 years. However, the legislation never made it to the floor during the 110th Congress. Read more