A new rule will protect proposed renewable energy sites from conflicting mining development on public lands in the Western states, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) said at the end of April.

In April, after hearing from fellow rangers in western parks about how drilling is infringing upon national parks, Ranger Ellis Richards created 

The San Juan Islands, located in Washington state, may not be a tropical paradise, but it is paradise none-the-less with hidden coves, swashbuckling storybook island names (Skull Island and Iceberg Point Rocks) sandy beaches and trails to explore.

As of March 1, cuts – known as sequestration – will be affecting every federal agency, including the National Park Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service and other environmental agencies.