President's Circle: Insider Updates from our President
Insider Updates from our President
Dear President’s Circle,
I wish I were writing to you today under different circumstances, but reality of Donald Trump returning to the White House in January means that we face a deeply challenging four years, as many of our biggest accomplishments are now gravely at risk.
It is highly likely that public lands will be flung open once again to big industry for unfettered drilling, mining and logging under a Trump 2.0 Regime—and worse, legislation designed to sell off public lands to the highest bidder may actually become law. Climate change impacts will only intensify for frontline communities because of his ‘energy dominance’ policies.
We anticipate the Trump administration will abandon President Biden’s goal of protecting 30 percent of public lands and waters by 2030, will likely seek to repeal the Antiquities Act, the authority presidents have used for over a hundred years to establish national monuments and protect public lands, and dismantle federal agencies and regulations, putting our shared public lands at risk for the sake of corporate profits. We are so grateful to have you, our most dedicated supporters, with us as we rise to this incredible challenge. And this time, having learned from Trump’s previous term, we know what we are up against.
“We are undeterred. Conservation is an urgent, non-partisan issue and, together with our supporters and communities across the nation, we will continue to make a difference protecting land, air, water and wildlife for all people.”
Read the full press statement here.
The Wilderness Society is ready for the fight ahead. We are clear-eyed and ready to defend the gains we have made together. We are ready to fight, not just for ourselves, but for the generations to follow.
Conservation support is strong, deep, and enduring across the nation – from busy urban centers to small local communities. So no matter what happens, we will stand united in our fight for a clean, healthy environment for everyone.
There will be more conversations in the coming weeks and months, but for now, remember, for 90 years The Wilderness Society has been a trusted and reliable leader in the conservation movement, securing victories against often great odds. This is what we have built together. And we will continue to draw on this legacy and to rely on your continued partnership for the battles ahead. This is who we are. This is how we show up.
Thank you for standing with us.
David
David Seabrook
Interim President
CA Monuments Expanded for Tribal Stewardship, Wildlife and Access
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Dear President’s Circle,
Another stunning win for conservation, wildlife, and access to the outdoors in California! President Biden has answered Tribal communities and the people of Los Angeles with exciting monument proclamations—expanding the acreage of the beloved San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in the heart of LA and protecting ancestral lands, Molok Luyuk, adjacent to Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument 90 miles northwest of Sacramento.
Both actions add to President Biden’s commitment to safeguard 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030, protecting wildlife biodiversity and addressing the “nature gap” for communities with little to no access to green spaces.
Protecting Outdoor Access, Water, and Cultural Landscapes in the San Gabriel Mountains
Together with Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Senator Laphonza Butler (D-CA), and Representative Judy Chu (CA-28), The Wilderness Society joins community leaders, residents, and elected officials in the Los Angeles region celebrating the 105,919-acre expansion of public lands to the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. This is a 20-year, locally driven effort to protect this stunning urban sanctuary for over 18 million people, many of whom have severely limited access to any tranquil green space. This achievement also:
- Honors the cultural and historical significance of the original stewards of these lands, the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and Gabrieleno San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians, who are part of this sacred place.
- Conserves a critical water source for Los Angeles County in an era of rapidly accelerating climate change impacts. The Angeles National Forest provides one-third of the county’s fresh drinking water.
- Addresses the climate and biodiversity crises by protecting important habitat and wildlife corridors and contributing to state and federal goals to conserve 30% of lands and coastal waters by 2030.
Leading philanthropic and private partners, including The Wilderness Society, have pledged to fund the San Gabriel Mountains Community Collaborative and its members to respond to community priorities, restoration, and stewardship of the national monument expansion.
Respecting Tribal Stewardship at Molok Luyuk and Berryessa Snow Mountain
More than 450 miles north, we congratulate the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA 08) and Mike Thompson (D-CA 04), and local community leaders on President Biden’s use of the Antiquities Act to expand Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and permanently protect Molok Luyuk (Condor Ridge). Molok Luyuk consists of 13,696 acres of public lands on the eastern edge of the existing monument. This significant victory establishes co-stewardship with federally recognized Tribes and marks a return to an Indigenous name for these lands. It also:
- Honors the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation’s long and significant history and connection to Molok Luyuk—the expansion area includes areas where religious ceremonies are practiced and areas that were central to vital trading routes.
- Helps preserve biodiversity and allow for continued wildlife migration in the midst of a changing climate. It also supports the State of California and the Biden administration’s shared goal of protecting 30 percent of public lands and waters by 2030.
As many of you know, the Antiquities Act is a vital tool for presidents to act quickly—when Congress is stalled moving legislation forward—to safeguard sacred landscapes and natural values that are important to many communities. This spring, nearly one million people called on President Biden to protect more national monuments across the country! We applaud the president’s actions in California to support elected officials and the local communities who treasure these ecologically and culturally significant places. The administration is moving successfully toward its commitment to protect 30 percent of America’s land and waters by 2030.
The Wilderness Society has worked for decades to defend the Antiquities Act precisely because the gridlock in Congress has only gotten worse, and in an era of climate change, conservation cannot wait. We are indebted to you—our most committed supporters—for your ongoing dedication to our mission and the work we do to protect irreplaceable resources for all. Thank you.
Warmly,
Jamie
Conservation Win for 245 Million Acres!
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Dear President’s Circle,
For more than four decades, extractive uses like drilling and mining have dominated Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands across the West. Today, that harmful dynamic changed.
After a year of thorough public input, data analysis and collaborative work with stakeholders, the BLM can begin implementation of its “Public Lands Rule” (Rule), which puts conservation, restoration, protection of water supplies and stewardship of Tribal cultural lands on equal footing with other multiple uses. This is a long overdue and momentous culture shift at an agency whose lands provide some of the most significant remaining wildlands for wildlife and communities facing the mounting impacts of a shifting climate.
The Rule establishes a policy framework that—when implemented and tailored at the local level—will allow for the conservation of tens of millions of acres of public lands across the West by 2030, making its intended impact comparable to that of the Wilderness Act. These lands—now critical for providing connective tissue for wildlife moving between large parks and other protected areas—will now be getting the stewardship they deserve.
This victory is directly the result of your steadfast commitment to our work over many years, and now we are seeing that dedication come to fruition with the most conservation-minded agency leadership in history. Together with the additional new policies emerging from the White House this month, this new report shows we’re making significant strides in reducing the climate footprint of US public lands!
For over two decades, we’ve been working diligently with BLM staff, as well as key partners and community representatives, to develop this game-changing policy framework to bring public lands into the 21st century. The Wilderness Society’s research team provided critical data analysis to agency leadership about the ecological integrity of BLM lands in today’s era of human development and fragmented habitat, and the analysis is clear: BLM lands are some of the healthiest but still unprotected lands left in the lower 48 states.
The rule will provide local land managers with clear, updated tools to protect critical wildlife habitat, new direction to prioritize and protect cultural resources, and a new mandate to prioritize climate resiliency across all lands managed by the agency. Importantly, the Rule directs BLM field staff to work hand-in-hand with local communities, identifying their unique needs, to strengthen conservation of land, water and wildlife in ways tailored to their specific goals.
Progress is already being made with local BLM plans, protecting intact habitat in Colorado’s Grand Junction/Colorado River Valley Field Office for example, a draft plan which enjoys significant community support and will be finalized by mid-year. In Arizona, the Kingman and Safford Field Offices, covering 3.8 million acres of public land, have not updated their management plans in 30 years. The new rule will help ensure these outdated plans are revised to address climate change and recreational impacts to protect places like Burro Creek, the Aquarius Mountains, and the Hassayampa River cherished by local communities.
Today, public lands have become part of 21st century innovation: what our natural systems can help us accomplish—when stewarded with their health and ours as priorities—is truly ground-breaking. Withdrawing Colorado’s Thompson Divide from drilling, reforms for oil and gas leasing, a new directive for siting renewable energy and now a mandate for conservation to be on equal footing, these new rules and actions would amount to a holistic approach to conserving public lands while embracing their potential to help the U.S. transition to a clean energy economy. Thank you again for your deep and sustained investment in transforming public lands management.
Warmly,
Jamie
P.S., Stay tuned for a celebratory virtual gathering in May, where we’ll hear from key staff who have worked on these efforts and raise a glass together to toast these amazing milestones for climate and public lands!
CO’s Thompson Divide Withdrawn from Mining, Drilling
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Dear President’s Circle,
Great news to share from Colorado! Today, the Biden administration announced a final, 20-year Thompson Divide Administrative Mineral Withdrawal, which will protect approximately 225,000-acres of public lands nestled in western Colorado from future oil and gas leasing and mining! This superb victory kicks off what will be an entire month of robust progress toward the administration’s commitment to protect 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030: what better way to celebrate around April 22, Earth Day?
We thank Colorado champions, including Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper, Representative Joe Neguse and Governor Polis, for their leadership. And we extend our gratitude to the Biden administration, including President Biden himself, DOI Secretary Deb Haaland and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, for taking action to finalize an administrative mineral withdrawal.
The Divide comprises stunning public land between the Roaring Fork and North Fork Valleys, including the Thompson and Divide Creek Watersheds, across McClure and Kebler Passes, including Mt. Emmons near Crested Butte. The wild forests of the Divide contain high-value habitat and migration corridors for the threatened lynx as well as moose, elk, deer, bear and mountain lions. The area is also home to one of the largest aspen stands in Colorado, a massive complex of Roadless Areas, grazing allotments critical to local ranching operations, and some of the most sought-after hunting units in the West. Haven’t been? Take a scenic virtual drive through the Divide here!
“This is one of the most scenic and awe-inspiring stretches of road in Colorado. It’s personally very impactful for me that these lands are protected for 20 years.” -Jim Ramey, Colorado State Director, The Wilderness Society
Under Colorado state director Jim Ramey’s leadership, The Wilderness Society staff has been working closely with local partners, county commissioners and the Colorado delegation to permanently protect the Thomspon Divide since the effort began some 15 years ago. Hunters, ranchers, conservation groups, local governments and outdoor enthusiasts have long advocated for protecting this unique landscape from the impacts of mining and energy exploration, and with legal guidance and campaign strategy, we’ve also supported the grassroots coalition locally and in Washington, D.C., to amplify their voices. More than 60,000 supportive comments flooded the Bureau of Land Management when it sought public feedback on the withdrawal.
Today’s announcement is vital in this era of rapid and potentially devastating climate impacts: the Thompson Divide encompasses more than 15 watersheds that provide clean water for residents and agriculture in western Colorado. Agriculture, ranching and outdoor recreational activities thrive at the heart of the Divide, boosting the local economy and workforce with sustainable industries to ensure communities flourish into the future.
As always, there’s more work to do: a bill to permanently withdraw the Divide from mining and drilling is currently languishing in Congress. We must stay focused to pass the legislation that will ensure the 20-year withdrawal becomes permanent.
Thank you for your unflagging support as we work to safeguard public lands as a solution to the climate and biodiversity crises. It’s going to be a rollicking April, with plenty of reasons to be proud of our commitment to this work! We cannot achieve these enduring victories without you. Read more about this effort in our blog here.
With gratitude,
Jamie
Biden administration advances forest protections!
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Dear President’s Circle,
Today the Biden Administration and the USDA-Forest Service announced its intention to adopt a nationwide forest plan amendment to conserve old-growth forests across our national forests. This announcement is an important step toward allowing old and mature forests to do what they do best – storing carbon and stabilizing ecosystems. We have always believed in the power of public lands and this potential for enacting a durable, nationwide policy to protect forests at scale is why public lands are central to addressing the climate and biodiversity crises.
I hope you’ll join me in celebrating this announcement as we kick off the next phase of the campaign: a push to further build and demonstrate the public and political support for conserving old-growth as well as advocacy to strengthen the proposed plan amendment. When the notice is formally published (expected tomorrow) it will initiate a 45-day comment period and a multi-month public process that will amend all 126 forest management plans across the country and proposes reforms such as protecting our remaining old-growth forests from industrial logging and promoting management that aims to combat climate change impacts.
For more background please see our press release.
Thank you for your partnership in achieving this campaign milestone. Enacting a strong old growth policy is one of our top priorities under the Biden administration and we look forward to the work ahead to make this innovative idea a reality.
All best,
Jamie
Big win for Urban to Wild
Monday, December 4, 2023
Dear President’s Circle,
I am writing to lift up a big win from our Urban to Wild team: the Albuquerque City Council recently passed legislation that will make public transit free for all forever in Albuquerque. This historic moment was powered by The Wilderness Society’s Urban to Wild program in deep partnership with local leaders, advocates, and community members.
Limited public transportation options disproportionately impact transit-dependent communities and their ability to access nature. Programs like Albuquerque’s Zero Fares connect people to outdoor experiences, education, employment and more. Research shows that accessible public transportation also boosts local economies, improves individual and community health, and mitigates climate impacts from carbon emissions.
The Urban to Wild program was built on the belief that everyone, regardless of identity or background, should have access to parks and public lands. With current campaigns underway in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Albuquerque, the program works alongside local communities to improve mass transit options so more people can access close-to-home nature and the many benefits it provides.
Thank you for your partnership in this work.
Jamie
TWS support of the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act (S. 1889)
Friday, November 17, 2023
Dear President’s Circle,
The Wilderness Society this week publicly announced our support for the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act (S. 1889). This legislation addresses a longstanding omission of five Southeast Alaska Indigenous communities from inclusion in the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), which extinguished Native land claims in Alaska by granting federal land and compensation to hundreds of newly formed Native corporations.
The legislation would transfer roughly 115,000 acres of Tongass National Forest lands to these five landless Indigenous communities. While The Wilderness Society remains steadfast in its support for protecting and conserving the Tongass, we also support our longtime Indigenous partners who have fought ardently by our side for those protections, and yet, were wrongly omitted from ownership of these lands more than 50 years ago.
Our decision to support this legislation came after careful consideration by our staff on the ground, organization Leadership and our Governing Council. To be clear, this legislation would transfer lands out of the federal estate, a position that TWS opposed for many years. Yet this is an opportunity to right a wrongdoing, prioritize tribal sovereignty and center justice and equity in our conservation work while remaining supportive of our broader conservation goals by strengthening trusting relationships necessary to continue to defend the Tongass.
This is a big step for TWS in supporting our Indigenous partners in Southeast Alaska who have worked so hard for the protection of the Tongass and the vitality of their communities. The Wilderness Society will continue to take meaningful steps towards acknowledging and reconciling past injustices now and in the future. We will continue to build trust with our Indigenous partners in Alaska and elsewhere across the country. We will continue to lead with our values, while also tirelessly conserving and protecting the country’s invaluable natural places.
Here is a link to our public statement.
With great appreciation for all you do,
Jamie
New Grand Canyon National Monument protects ancestral lands
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Dear President’s Circle,
Today, President Biden will respond to the longstanding efforts of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition (Tribal Coalition) and designate Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. Baaj Nwaavjo translates to “where tribes roam” in Havasupai and I’tah Kukveni translates to “our ancestral footprints” in Hopi.
The new monument will conserve more than 900,000 acres of federal public lands around the Grand Canyon and protect the cultural heritage, incredible biodiversity, precious waters, and the vital economic engine of the Grand Canyon region for generations to come. In addition, this designation will prevent new mining claims from being issued.
Your support has enabled The Wilderness Society to play a key role in the long effort to see these lands protected. For more than a decade, Mike Quigley, our State Director in Arizona, has been working closely with tribal leaders, local partners and Congressman Raúl Grijalva to develop legislation to protect these vital lands.
In 2021, with the legislation stalled in Congress, our National Monuments Team stepped up to assist the Tribal Coalition in its outreach to Biden administration officials and Arizona’s Congressional delegation, while continuing to provide communications expertise to build public support as well.
President Biden's decision to designate Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument underscores his administration's commitment to cultural preservation and safeguarding the greater Grand Canyon region’s clean air and water sources. It also enlarges the protected landscape that provides critical habitat for wildlife like California condors, black bears, elk, and mule deer, as they navigate the increasing challenges of climate change and habitat loss.
Thank you for your support of our long-term investment in Indigenous-led conservation to permanently protect the extraordinary beauty and ecological importance of the lands surrounding the Grand Canyon.
With gratitude,
Jamie
New oil and gas leasing banned on public lands surrounding Chaco Canyon
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Dear President’s Circle,
We are so elated to share the great news from last Friday when Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced a 20-year mineral withdrawal that bans new oil and gas leasing and development on approximately 336,404 acres of public lands within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park! You can view our 45-second celebratory video here.
The Park, and the Greater Chaco Region, include thousands of ancient villages, roads and structures that were built by the ancestors of the Pueblo nations, which emerged and flourished in Chaco Canyon between 850 and 1250 A.D. Chaco Canyon has been designated as a “UNESCO World Heritage Site,” and the culture and heritage of the Indigenous peoples throughout the Southwest are inextricably linked to lasting protections for the Greater Chaco Region.
The Wilderness Society has supported this Tribal-led effort for nearly a decade, offering our deep knowledge of the inner workings of the Interior Department, support flying Tribal leaders to DC to meet with key agency decision-makers to press the Biden administration to act and strategic leadership in engaging key stakeholders and the public in the campaign.
Reckless drilling has caused significant harm to the health of Indigenous and other local communities, lifeways, air quality and cultural values in the Greater Chaco region. Oil and gas wells, roads, pipelines and other infrastructure have destroyed significant cultural sites and transformed others into industrial parks. Until now, the culturally important lands immediately surrounding the Park had been at risk of this fate too.
The Interior Department began the withdrawal process in January 2022, initiating formal Tribal consultation and a comment period allowing the public to voice their support for the protection of this living cultural landscape. Throughout 2022, Pueblo, Diné and other local residents – as well as advocates around the country – sent the administration more than 160,000 public comments calling for the withdrawal, including 24,000 from Wilderness Society members and supporters.
To learn more, you can go to our blog and this article from The Arizona Republic.
As always, thank you for your leadership and support. You make it possible for The Wilderness Society to be a trusted and effective contributor to Tribal-led efforts to protect these sacred lands.
Jamie
Biden steps up efforts to protect forests
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Dear President’s Circle,
As we approach Earth Day 2023, I’m excited to report that our work together to press the Biden administration for transformative policies to conserve and connect public lands continue to bear fruit.
Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture previewed an upcoming “Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” intended to boost climate resilience across the nation’s forest lands. As you know, old growth and mature forests are especially adept at storing carbon and are more resilient to climate-driven stressors like extreme drought and wildfire—so protecting them will be central to new policy.
The USDA also presented new tools to guide policymakers, including its first inventory of mature and old growth forests. The agency’s technical team sought the input and guidance of Wilderness Society scientists who published a groundbreaking inventory of these forests in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Change in January.
Also premiered was the USDA’s “Climate Risk Viewer,” a multilayered digital map displaying 70 data sets relevant to forest management for climate resiliency, including the landscape connectivity model and index of climate vulnerability developed by our Science Team.
Next Steps:
The upcoming “Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” is an early step in the policy development process. In the coming weeks, we will be asking you and all of our members and supporters to participate in the formal “public comment period” and register your support for managing national forests for climate resiliency. Our science, policy and legal teams will contribute technical comments to support and strengthen the proposed rulemaking. And we’ll be offering assistance to our networks of community-based partner organizations to support their engagement in the public comment period.
We are the leaders in developing transformative public lands policies in coalitions with other key partners and seeing them enacted. You will recall how instrumental The Wilderness Society’s policy experts were in crafting the “Roadless Rule,” enacted by President Bill Clinton in 2001. This Rule has provided durable protection to 59 million acres of U.S. national forests from roadbuilding and development for over 20 years. Similarly, we aim to ensure that Forest Service’s nascent plans to focus on climate resiliency result in durable protection for the nation’s old growth and mature forests.
With this encouraging news, I wish you a beautiful Earth Day on Saturday, April 22. Please pause for a moment—like you would on a mountain outcrop to take in the view—and reflect on and be glad for the difference you are making through your partnership with The Wilderness Society. This path we’re on together, to protect and connect America’s wildlands, will be long and challenging. But together, we can and we will transform the role of public lands in our society.
With gratitude for your commitment and partnership, as always,
Jamie
Transformative policy shift advances at the BLM!
Thursday, March 30, 2023
Dear President’s Circle,
I’m excited to report that our intensive push to secure transformative national conservation policy from the Biden administration took a great step forward today!
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced its new Public Lands Rule, which refocuses the agency’s priorities on conservation, restoration, protection of water supplies and stewardship of tribal cultural lands.
In rebalancing its priorities, the Rule places land health and resilience of whole ecosystems on equal footing with other uses of the land, such as resource extraction. The Rule establishes a policy framework that will allow for the conservation of tens of millions of acres of public lands by 2030; making its intended impact comparable to that of the Wilderness Act.
Your terrific commitment has helped us seize this moment, when the senior leadership of the BLM is the most conservation-minded in history. We have been working closely with agency leaders at the highest levels, as well as key partners and community representatives, to develop this new policy framework.
The proposed rule will provide local land managers across the West with clear tools to protect critical wildlife habitat, new direction to prioritize and protect cultural resources, and a new mandate to prioritize climate resiliency across all lands managed by the agency. Importantly, Rule highlights the need for the BLM to work with local communities to strengthen conservation of land, water, and wildlife.
Today’s announcement kicks off a 75-day public comment period. We and our partners are hard at work to make sure that the many communities that will benefit from this rule are aware of it and speak up to support it.
The Public Lands Rule, when fully deployed, will provide powerful tools to help local communities lead the national effort to protect and connect a network of resilient landscapes.
Thank you again for your deep and sustained investment in transforming public lands management.
Warmly,
Jamie
We’re fighting on to stop a massive oil and gas development in the Western Arctic
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Dear President’s Circle,
As anticipated, to our great disappointment, the Alaska office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) formally indicated today that it is planning to approve the Willow Project, a huge oil and gas project in the Western Arctic. We, and an active coalition, have vigorously opposed this project and will continue to do so.
If you’re interested in how this can be happening, this story in The New York Times summarizes the political dynamics at play.
While BLM has reduced the surface disturbance marginally, the project impact remains massive. The Willow Project aims to extract 600 million barrels of oil and gas from the Western Arctic over a 30-year period. It would produce massive greenhouse gas emissions and cause immensely harmful impacts to subsistence, community health and the environment.
Importantly, key leaders in the Biden administration have made clear to me that this is not the final decision. BLM explicitly states that it may further limit the project, including by denying it altogether. The final decision is due in 30 days.
Our team and our partners, including the Western Arctic coalition and many others fighting climate change, see this 30-day window as an invitation to erupt with such resounding disapproval that the Biden administration has no choice but to deny the project.
Today is Day One of a 30-day countdown to force the Biden administration to rethink its course and appreciate the devastating legacy this decision would leave on its own climate goals, commitment to Indigenous communities and plans to transition our nation to a clean energy future.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment to protecting public lands—and all the benefits they bring us. I’ll keep you posted on this fight and how you can help.
Onward!
Jamie
More Great News for Forests!
Thursday, January 26, 2023
Dear President’s Circle,
Today 9.3 million acres of the Tongass National Forest are once again protected. The Biden Administration officially restored protections under the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (Roadless Rule) that were eliminated by the Trump Administration and challenged multiple times since protections were put in place in 2001.
The Tongass is the ancestral homelands and contains lands of significant cultural importance to the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian Peoples. The forest holds more carbon than any other national forest, has the most remaining old-growth of any of our national forests and is one of the largest intact temperate rainforests on earth. It is a critical asset in our nation’s fight against the climate crisis.
It’s been a long, hard-fought campaign to get to this moment. A broad, inspiring set of stakeholders worked together, including many Tribes, local communities and businesses, as well as local and national conservation, recreation and sporting groups. In particular, the role that our Tribal partners played in restoring these protections cannot be overstated.
It’s also an example of the kind of big, bold steps we need to take in conserving U.S. forests in the future. The Tongass has withstood nearly twenty years of legal and regulatory challenges because the Roadless Rule is strong. We are working to gain the same level of protections for mature and old-growth forests, which are so vital for addressing climate change and uniquely suited to supporting abundant plant and animal life.
Thank you for your wonderful support, which makes victories like this one possible.
Best,
Jamie
Breakthrough by TWS Scientists Published
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Dear President’s Circle,
As you know, we’re fighting to protect old-growth forests as an essential lever to address the climate crisis. What may surprise you is that there has been no scientifically sound inventory of these forests—until now.
This month, members of our Science Team published a paper in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Frontiers in Forests and Global Changethat classifies, measures and maps mature and old-growth forests across the contiguous United States.
Their novel approach and findings establish—for the first time—how much of the nation’s forests are currently old-growth, how much could be added in the future by protecting mature forests, how long that is likely to take, and where it is likely to occur. The research shows that approximately:
· 46% of old-growth forest is found on federal public lands;
· 9.7 million acres of old-growth forests are found on our national forests, of which
only 13% is in areas where logging is prohibited;
· 34.7 million acres of mature forests are found on our national forests, of which
only 15% is in areas where logging is prohibited.
This new knowledge is essential to forming effective policies to conserve our nation’s forests.
It took a rare combination of innovation, persistence, experience, trusted relationships with forest ecologists in government and academia, and the skills of our scientists, Kevin Barnett, Greg Aplet and Travis Belote. I asked Travis, who directs our science team, to tell me how they did it. Here’s what he said:
My forest ecology friends around the country (professors at different universities) all warned us that the question, “How much old-growth forest is there in the U.S.?” was almost too complex to even try to answer. The definition of old-growth forests, they warned, depended on too many different factors. What forest type with which tree species? What kind of soil and growing conditions did the different forest types occur on?
But Kevin had an idea for a new approach, combining his love of big data challenges with current theories on forest development with a little calculus to overcome the challenge so many warned us about.
We know there’s more to do to understand, inventory, and map old-growth forests, but the paper we published this month is a great start.
By exposing their method and findings to rigorous peer-review by fellow experts, Kevin and his colleagues highlighted once again The Wilderness Society’s well-earned reputation for pursuing science-based policy solutions. The trust and relationships they have built with colleagues in the U.S. Forest Service positions us to help key decision makers in the Biden Administration better understand the state of science around old and mature forests and to inform the development of national policy to conserve these forests.
You too have a place in this achievement, for it is your support that enables our Science Team to make the critical breakthroughs that shape our policy agenda. So, enjoy the difference you are making in the world, and, as always, thank you.
Warmly,
Jamie
Election Reflections
Tuesday, November 15, 2022
Dear President’s Circle,
Hope you are all well. As the mid-term election results are becoming more clear (with some races still pending), I wanted to share a few reflections relevant to our work.
First of all, after Congress passed the largest climate bill in history this summer, it was gratifying to see that not only was there no concerted attack on climate policies but that climate champions won their elections across the country in both federal and state elections. The Senate retains a conservation majority and the most stalwart public lands champions regained their seats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO), Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Representative Raul Grijalva (D-NM) and Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO) among many others. We also have some exciting newcomers to Congress, including a former Wilderness Society staff member Gabe Vasquez (D-NM). Likewise, at the governor level, many green leaders were re-elected to a second term, including Jared Polis in Colorado, Janet Mills in Maine and Michelle Lujan Grisham in New Mexico. Maryland and Massachusetts meanwhile also elected new pro-environment candidates in Wes Moore and Maura Healey respectively.
As you know, it is looking like there will be a slim Republican majority in the House, which would put control of the legislative agenda and all the House committees in the hands of opponents to action on climate, species loss and equitable access to nature. By controlling which bills are able to reach a vote, the new majority will be positioned to block much of our agenda in the House. The new House leadership will also ramp up oversight of the Biden administration’s actions and divert precious time and energy from the administration’s climate, conservation and equity agenda. That said, limited opportunities for advancing conservation funding and/or more modest policy progress in Congress remain as challenging as it will be. Because the likely Republican majority will be very slim, Republicans from swing districts will have additional leverage, namely those in New York, New Jersey, Florida and other states where conservation issues have bipartisan support. Republican representatives from swing districts can shore up their support at home by championing conservation bills in “must pass” legislation like the annual appropriations efforts and Farm Bill.
So, as we adjust to the likely new political landscape of a split Congress and a more challenging environment for passing legislation, we will be shifting our advocacy strategy in 2023 even more strongly to executive action from the Biden Administration. Beyond the climate bill, President Biden campaigned on many of our conservation priorities and has already made commitments or initiated action on key issues like conserving 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030 (e.g. America the Beautiful), protecting old growth and mature forests, and reducing fossil fuel emissions on public lands. We are working to build public support for success on those commitments through our sustained campaigns that lift local voices and demand that the administration lead on climate and conservation through its public lands policy decisions.
We have made many big strides this past year from the historic climate bill to the protection of the Tongass National Forest to the protection of other special places like the recent Camp Hale Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado. As the Biden Administration has laid a strong foundation for historic progress on climate, conservation, and environmental justice, I am excited for all that we can accomplish in the year ahead.
As always, I will keep you informed and am thankful for your tremendous support of public lands and conservation.
Warmly,
Jamie
Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument designated
October 12, 2022
Dear President’s Circle,
This afternoon, President Biden will use his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate the Camp Hale - Continental Divide National Monument in Colorado, thereby protecting more than 53,000 acres of a remarkable landscape, its more than 10,000 years of Native American history and use, and its high-mountain ecology, geology and scenery.
It is thanks to your generous support that The Wilderness Society was able to play a key role in this effort, so I wanted to share the great news!
The new national monument will honor veterans of military service by permanently protecting the place where the U.S. Army’s storied 10th Mountain Division prepared for alpine and winter warfare during World War II. The rugged Tenmile Range, where some of the Division’s high-altitude training took place, was also included in the designation. The region is also known as the birthplace of the outdoor recreation economy, because veterans of the 10th Mountain Division were among the founders of Colorado’s ski industry and national outdoor gear companies.
In addition, the president will announce that his administration will prohibit new oil and gas development for two years in the Thompson Divide and initiate a process for a 20-year mineral withdrawal for the area, encompassing roughly 225,000 acres. With this step, the president will provide interim protection from future oil and gas leasing until a permanent withdrawal can be passed into law.
The newly protected areas include important wildlife habitat and migration corridors, support the administration’s America the Beautiful Initiative and our vision for a continental network of resilient landscapes.
These actions by President Biden underscore the importance of The Wilderness Society’s deep and sustained investment in locally led conservation efforts. The protections to be announced today mirror those included in the Colorado Outdoor Recreation & Economy (CORE) Act, which was crafted after a decade of discussions and feedback that we helped facilitate as the leader of the CORE Act Coalition. The coalition brings together veterans, ranchers, small business owners, hunters and anglers, elected officials and other community members seeking protections for over 400,000 acres throughout Colorado.
Despite overwhelming support in Colorado and passage in the U.S. House of Representatives several times, the CORE Act remains under review in the Senate. Colorado’s elected leaders and the many members of the CORE Act Coalition urged the president to use his executive authority to protect these treasured places until permanent legislative protection is achieved.
And, just as a reminder, you are invited to register here to join our call on Thursday afternoon with Matt Lee-Ashley, the Chief of Staff for The White House Council on Environmental Quality. You can be sure we’ll be asking Matt about the administration’s plans for further national monument designations.
As always, thank you for your commitment to conservation and public lands.
Jamie
Senate Passes Historic Climate Legislation
August 7, 2022
Dear President’s Circle,
Today is nothing short of an historic day. After more than a year of negotiation, the Senate finally passed a climate reconciliation bill that invests an unprecedented $369 billion in policies to address climate change. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is by far the largest spending bill in history dedicated to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, bolstering green energy, and advancing environmental justice.
Thanks to your support, The Wilderness Society was a part of this fight every step of the way. Our team worked tirelessly to ensure that solutions on public lands were and remain central to President Biden’s climate agenda. Our policy experts helped House and Senate staff prepare key public lands provisions that are included in this legislation, which stands as the most significant domestic policy passed by this Congress. Indeed, our team was in the mix until all hours over the weekend defending against bad amendments designed to undermine the climate wins in the bill.
The package will cut our nation’s carbon output by nearly 40% by 2030 and appropriates funding for a wide variety of initiatives, including:
- $5 billion in grants to support healthy forests, forest conservation and urban tree planting;
- $2.6 billion in grants to conserve and restore coastal habitats;
- $797 million for improved and more efficient environmental impact studies of proposed projects; and,
- $500 million for conserving and protecting lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service, as well as enhancing their climate resilience and restoring ecosystems and habitat.
While truly extraordinary in its emissions reduction targets, the legislation is disappointing in other respects. Despite our best efforts and those of our partners and Senate allies, it does not repeal the oil and gas leasing program in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. That said, we have made enormous progress in building political momentum to permanently protect the Refuge and feel confident that we will prevail in the long run.
This bill is a major step towards a cleaner and greener future. Thanks to your support, we are poised to spring from this legislative victory to gain more action from Congress and the Biden administration to harness the power of public lands to address the climate crisis.
Best,
Jamie
Happy Earth Day! / Biden Announcement to Protect Old and Mature Forests
April 22, 2022
Dear President’s Circle,
As we celebrate the 52nd anniversary of Earth Day, I could not be more grateful for your support, and the power you have given to our collective efforts to safeguard our nation’s wild, public lands.
Today, we are seeing our efforts to take public lands conservation to scale achieve an important milestone. President Biden announced plans to conserve old and mature forests on federal public lands for their climate, species conservation and community benefits. Biden’s executive order directs both the Departments of Agriculture and the Interior to inventory existing mature and old growth forests nationwide, analyze the threats, and develop a policy that conserves old and mature forests. I am delighted to see that the Biden administration is prioritizing the conservation of the nation’s forests and intact landscapes as a core part of broader climate strategy.
This announcement marks a major victory for conservation and for The Wilderness Society’s forest campaign, which has been advocating for this precise approach as well as conducting the research necessary for its success. In fact, Megan Birzell, our North Cascades Landscape Director and one of our forest campaign leaders, will represent The Wilderness Society community at the signing ceremony and the President’s Earth Day remarks in Seattle, WA today. We look forward to working with our congressional and White House allies to turn today’s commitment into a durable policy, making sure it is one part of a comprehensive climate plan for public lands from this administration.
It is an incredible privilege to be a part of this movement with you, and I know that we are on the path to a brighter tomorrow.
Best,
Jamie
Great News! Illegal Boundary Waters Leases Cancelled!
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Dear President’s Circle,
Some great news to share! Just minutes ago, the Department of the Interior announced it has cancelled the illegally renewed leases for toxic mining in the headwaters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Full cancellation of the Twin Metal leases is the moment we’ve long been fighting for. When coupled with the watershed-wide mineral withdrawal the Biden Administration announced in October, we are in as good a position as ever to fully protect the Boundary Waters from mining over the long run. For more details, please look at our blog, which is also a great piece to share with your friends and contacts.
Thank you for your sustained leadership and support in helping us keep this issue front and center on the national conservation agenda throughout the long Trump years. Once again, you’ve made all the difference.
Best,
Jamie
Appreciation for what we achieved together in 2021
December 29, 2021
Dear President’s Circle,
As 2021 comes to a close, I want to share a fun, short 80-second video, 2021 Accomplishments that celebrates some of the significant achievements for public lands we all made possible together!
While progress on the Build Back Better bill stalled out in Congress just before the holidays, we remain hopeful that in the new year the President and key Congressional leaders will find a way to deliver on climate progress and the protection of places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for which we’ve worked so hard to achieve.
I hope you are enjoying a safe and happy holiday season. I cannot thank you enough for your commitment to protecting America’s wild, public lands. We look forward to our important work together in the big year ahead.
All best for the New Year!
Jamie
President Biden Takes Action to Protect the Boundary Waters
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Dear President’s Circle,
Today, the Biden administration took the first step to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota from destructive sulfide-ore copper mining authorized by the Trump administration. You’ll recall that protecting the Boundary Waters was one of the early priorities we pushed for with the Biden administration. There is more background in our press statement and more context on our website.
Your support has enabled The Wilderness Society to play a key role in the Coalition to Save the Boundary Waters, which is led by Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness. We have raised the profile of the Boundary Waters fight in Minnesota and nationally with our communications and advocacy campaigns. In partnership with EarthJustice, we have led a sophisticated strategy leveraging litigation and negotiations with the administration to secure this important initial step toward protecting the Boundary Waters, but the fight is not yet over.
It is your commitment that allows The Wilderness Society and our partners—local and national—to bring our combined skills and power together for the sustained effort necessary to defend and protect America’s public lands. And we will continue to bring that strength to the fight for the Boundary Waters, working together to urge the administration to cancel the remaining leases that threaten this cherished landscape. Thank you for your continued investment in this critical work!
All the best,
Jamie
National Monuments Restored Today!
Friday, October 8, 2021
President’s Circle,
It is a monumental day! This afternoon, President Biden will be restoring protections to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts national monuments. These actions will help to safeguard sacred and ancestral Tribal lands, paleontological sites, and ocean waters that are vital habitat to countless species, including many that are threatened and endangered.
Thank you for making this victory possible! Your generous and sustained commitment has allowed The Wilderness Society to lead the national coalition pushing for restoration of these national monuments since 2017—and to defend the Antiquities Act, which empowers the president to designate national monuments.
Your support powered our work with many allies – especially in support of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition -- to keep the pressure on the Biden administration to follow through on their commitments to restore these protections. This action has been one of our top priorities this year, and although it took longer than we expected, we’re glad to see it done!
Your commitment and the unflagging efforts of our staff and partners across the country has righted a great wrong. Today, I hope you will pause, take 20 seconds to enjoy this video and celebrate the positive change we are all making together.
With deep appreciation,
Jamie
A historic day in conservation as inspiration for bold action ahead
Friday, September 3, 2021
Dear President’s Circle,
On this morning, it’s worth reflecting on what a pivotal day September 3, 1964, was for conservation, for on this day, President Johnson signed into law The Wilderness Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund; two of the nation’s most consequential conservation programs.
The Wilderness Act codified the revolutionary idea of our founders that our nation must preserve its remaining, diverse wildlands for the health of wildlife and people. Indeed, for the last 57 years we have helped communities gain Congressional action to designate more than 110 million acres of Wilderness across 44 states. At the same time, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) promised a massive, new source of annual funding for conservation and recreation projects, which has benefited virtually every community in America. After a decade-long concerted campaign to fulfill the original promise of the Fund, we should all be proud of the leadership role we played in securing its permanent reauthorization and, last summer, its full, sustained funding at $900 million a year.
As we honor the achievements of the past, it is now incumbent upon us to once again step up and lead a community-based effort for the next great leap forward in national conservation policy. Together, we will demonstrate once again the vision and powerful mobilization to secure transformative policy for conservation.
The time for action is now. Our system of public lands can and must be part of the solution to the most pressing conservation challenges of our time: climate change, unprecedented species extinction and inequitable access to nature’s benefits.
Establishing new wilderness areas, national monuments, and other protected areas remains vital to our strategy of working side by side with partners to catalyze formation of a continental network of connected landscapes that can sustain healthy communities and wildlife for us all. At the same time, we must also push for new, sweeping national policies that can conserve public lands in new ways, from protecting wildlife corridors across all public lands to creating a new framework for protecting and co-managing sacred places and cultural areas so vital to tribes.
We now have the opportunity to work with a president who has embraced our vision and many of our best ideas. In the Presidential Proclamation on National Wilderness Month 2021, issued this week by The White House, I was thrilled to see the values and priorities we have long been fighting for expressed:
“… we are privileged to be able to enjoy the irreplaceable national treasures that amaze us, inspire us, fill us with pride, support our lives and livelihoods, and belong to all of us in equal measure.”
“Let us strengthen our connection to the American wilderness areas, support their designation and protection, and work to preserve the stories they tell, the memories they create, and the heritage they reflect for all Americans for generations to come.”
The imperative we now have is to help this administration deliver on that promise in short order, while building the foundation and polices for long term success.
Thank you, as always, for your tremendous support as we embark upon the next great chapter in the history of conservation.
Jamie
WILLOW VICTORY in the NPR-A!
August 20, 2021
Dear President’s Circle,
Your support has stopped one of the worst, large scale oil and gas projects ever undertaken in north Alaska, within the Arctic Circle.
Last night, in a truly outstanding victory and a testament to the power of our litigation, a decision by the Alaska District Court voided the approvals and permits for a massive oil development project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). The fragile lands and waters of the NPR-A are vital to local communities and provide globally significant habitat.
In November 2020, The Wilderness Society and our partners filed suit to block the ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil and gas project. The project had been approved by the Bureau of Land Management, under the previous administration, despite its harms to Arctic communities, public health and wildlife. Find out more in this article from Yahoo News.
It is a huge victory and comes at a critical moment when we are also working furiously to ensure that Congress, through the Budget Reconciliation process, rescinds the provision of the 2017 Tax Act that opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration and drilling.
Thank you for your unwavering support of our efforts to protect the Arctic.
You can read all recent updates here.
Best,
Jamie
Your role in today’s victory for the Tongass
July 15, 2021
Dear President’s Circle,
I am delighted to share the great news that today that the Biden administration announced its plans to restore—and expand—protections for the Tongass National Forest in southeastern Alaska! In addition to reinstating protections for 9.3 million acres of undeveloped forest that had been stripped away by the Trump administration, the plan announced today bans large scale logging of old-growth trees throughout the forest. The administration also committed to consulting with Tribal governments and local stakeholders to invest $25 million in Southeast Alaska’s economy as well as identify longer-term investment opportunities in the region.
Your leadership and commitment have been critical to gaining this victory for the climate and the people and wildlife that depend on a healthy forest.
You can learn more from these stories in The New York Times and The Washington Post as well as our press release.
The fight to restore protections to the Tongass is a great example of our efforts to partner with local communities to secure national policy change. The high-profile leaders of this effort have been Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples, who have lived in the Tongass from time immemorial. We have been more behind the scenes, sharing our access to decision-makers in Washington to ensure that the people most affected by policies governing the Tongass are heard and amplifying their voices through our communications efforts.
Rest assured, we will be working closely with the Biden administration to see that these very promising plans are fully realized.
Thank you so much for your support!
Best,
Melyssa
Melyssa Watson (she/her/hers)
Executive Director
Biden Takes First Step to Restore Protection to Tongass National Forest
June 11, 2021
Dear President’s Circle,
If you have not seen it already, I wanted to share the news that the Biden administration announced today that it is starting a formal process in August to “repeal or replace” the Trump administration’s decision to exempt the Tongass National Forest from protection under the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (aka, the 2001 Roadless Rule.) We are glad to see this first step toward reinstating protection for the Tongass; however, we note that the announcement does not explicitly commit to restoring protections under the 2001 Roadless Rule.
This move comes after a big push by The Wilderness Society and our partners in the Tongass coalition during the administration’s first 100 days and, before that, a high-profile battle with the Trump administration.
This is a hopeful moment, but the work ahead of us is clear. We and our partners continue discussions with officials in the administration to ensure restoration of Tongass protections through this process. Meanwhile, we are also working with allies in Congress to continue to build support for the Roadless Areas Conservation Act, a legislative solution to make protections of all roadless areas in national forests permanent.
If you’re interested in more details, you might want to look at The Washington Post or New York Times stories, or the blog on our website.
Your generosity sustains this positive development and all the progress we are making.
Thank you!
Jamie
P.S. I’m hoping you can join our virtual tour of the San Juan Mountains on June 23 at 1 pm ET. The wildlands in this area are among my favorite places in the world and I’m excited to share them with you. Please send an email to event@tws.org for details.
Pres. Biden’s national conservation plan mirrors TWS goals and priorities
May 6, 2021
The Biden administration is taking a big step today on conservation as they roll out their “Conserving and Restoring American the Beautiful” report, which lays out a bold framework for implementing their commitment to conserving 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. This is the first substantive announcement by the administration on their conservation vision and, thanks to your deep commitment, we are well positioned to help them bring this conservation agenda to life.
The report is significant not only in the scale of its ambitions, but also in laying out an historic new approach to conservation. It is an early, clear commitment by the White House to frame and pursue their conservation agenda in an inclusive and equitable manner from the ground-up. The goal of the effort is to help solve three big challenges: loss of nature and biodiversity, climate change, and inequitable access to the outdoors.
The report reflects the strong input The Wilderness Society and our partners gave to the White House to avoid a top-down, prescriptive program but instead lay out a set of principles, areas of focus for collaboration and early action, as well as an inclusive approach to measuring progress on conservation and stewardship (e.g., conservation designations on public lands as well as voluntary conservation of farms, ranches, and forests by private landowners). For more details, you can view the report here or read our blog.
The imperative for us now is to help communities deliver tangible, collaborative projects that showcase these principles and priorities to build the momentum we need for long-term success.
This is a big moment for The Wilderness Society that affirms our new strategic priorities. The Biden administration has clearly outlined a vision for protecting biodiversity, building resilient communities, prioritizing equitable access to nature, and helping solve the climate crisis. Importantly, they have committed to doing so by working with all people.
Your partnership has been vital to reaching this moment—when a U.S. President announces national conservation goals and strategies that mirror those of The Wilderness Society. It is wonderful to see our hard-won knowledge, that the most enduring conservation solutions are designed by and for communities, incorporated into the America the Beautiful report.
As always, thank you for your leadership and commitment.
Best,
Jamie
Administration to suspend leases in Arctic Refuge!
June 1, 2021
This afternoon, The Washington Post reported that the Biden-Harris administration will suspend oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (See the story below.)
We’ve worked hard to secure this essential, but temporary, reprieve for the Arctic Refuge. Our priority remains gaining permanent protection by passing legislation to reverse the provision in the 2017 tax bill that authorized the oil and gas leasing program. Our best chance to secure this legislation will be in the next budget reconciliation bill expected later this summer. I’ll keep you apprised.
Thank you for your great support. The fight goes on!
Jamie
Biden administration to suspend oil and gas leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Juliet Eilperin, Josh Partlow
The Interior Department will suspend several oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Tuesday, according to three individuals briefed on the decision, overturning one of Donald Trump’s most significant environmental acts during his last days in office.
The move, which could spark a major legal battle, aims to unwind nearly a dozen leases in the heart of a pristine expanse in Alaska that Republicans and Democrats have fought over for four decades. The Trump administration auctioned off the right to drill in the refuge’s coastal plain — home to hundreds of thousands of migrating caribou and waterfowl as well as the Southern Beaufort Sea’s remaining polar bears —just two weeks before President Biden was inaugurated.
Several individuals briefed on the Biden administration’s decision, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it had not been formally announced yet, said Interior would halt the leases on the grounds that Trump officials rushed the Jan. 6 auction and did not follow proper procedures.
The step, coming just days after the Justice Department defended another drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope, underscores the balancing act the new administration aims to strike as it slows fossil fuel development on public lands. While President Biden has paused new federal oil and gas leasing and pledged to drastically cut the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, he has taken a much more cautious approach toward most oil and gas operations approved under his predecessor.
On Wednesday, DOJ attorneys filed a brief defending ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project, an oil reservoir on the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska that could hold up to 300 million barrels of oil. The administration has also defended the Trump administration’s decision to issue oil and gas leases in Wyoming and declined to press for the shutdown of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a project Interior Secretary Deb Haaland protested while serving in Congress.
But Tuesday’s move signaled that the new administration was willing to take aggressive action in an area that has been a rallying cry for environmentalist for decades.
The January sale of 11 tracts in the refuge on just over 550,000 acres netted roughly $14 million, a tiny fraction of what Republicans initially predicted it would yield. Only two of the bids were competitive, so nearly all of the land sold for the minimum price of $25 an acre.
Many major banks in the U.S. and Canada, under pressure from indigenous and environmental activists, announced that they would not finance any projects on the refuge. Low oil prices, coupled with the prospect of a public backlash, meant that no major oil companies bid on the leases.
As a result, a state agency, Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, emerged as the main bidder. The agency put up all but two of the winning bids, which went to a couple of small energy firms.
Interior department officials declined to comment on Biden’s latest move.
Biden Administration Climate Summit + Great Virtual Bears Ears Tour
April 22, 2021
Today, at its Climate Summit of world leaders, the Biden-Harris administration announced a new U.S. emissions target under the Paris Agreement – a 50% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030. This historic pledge moves the United States from a climate laggard to a leader, and along with the Summit itself, sends a message to the world that the U.S. is serious about being a leader on climate change solutions.
We are encouraged that the administration elevated the need to invest in forest protection as an important step to achieving this ambitious goal. There is an opportunity to invest in our national forests today, and that is by protecting the Tongass National Forest. The U.S. simply cannot achieve the new, ambitious emissions target or seriously address climate change without a key piece to the puzzle: strong, science-based, natural climate solutions on public lands.
Protecting old-growth and mature forests – Tongass National Forest
Our national forests offset a significant amount of the country’s annual carbon emissions, making them one of our best, most cost-effective tools for fighting climate change. The Tongass in southeast Alaska is one of the world’s largest temperate rainforests and regulates carbon on a global scale. It also is the ancestral homeland and current home of numerous Indigenous Alaskans whose very livelihood depends on a healthy forest.
If left standing, old-growth forests like the Tongass are one of the best climate solutions. Yet, if cut down, old-growth forests can add to the climate crisis. That is why we have called on the Biden administration to not only halt old-growth timber sales across the country, but also immediately protect the Tongass from logging and other industrial development. Once again, you can add your voice here: Protect the Tongass
A reminder that you can visit (virtually) the Tongass on April 27 by joining our screening of Understory, a powerful short film documenting a 350-mile journey by fishing boat undertaken by three women who are determined to protect this unique landscape and share the story of the people and land. April 27, 5pm PT/8pm ET, 1 hour, including panel discussion with activists and film subjects. Register here.
Virtual Bears Ears Tour
The virtual tour of Bears Ears National Monument we offered on April 20 was really terrific. Our experienced Navajo guide, Louis Williams, showed us the landscape from the perspective of someone for whom it is sacred. His stories of the deep meaning of this place and explanations of its unique history and rare attributes were fascinating and accompanied by beautiful film and photography. David Churchill from our Governing Council, who has a home in red rock country, and some of our staff added perspective. But really, Louis was the star of the show! If you missed it, I encourage you watch it. If you caught it, please share it! You can see the Tour here: https://youtu.be/Q_h7-jr62l4
As always, thank you for your deep commitment to public lands, leadership and support!
Jamie
Deb Haaland confirmed as Secretary of the Interior!
March 15, 2021
It is the first time in history that a Native American has been confirmed to lead the Department, where she will oversee U.S. relations with federally recognized tribes, as well as management of roughly 500 million acres of public lands and coastal waters. Secretary Haaland is an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo and traces her roots back 35 generations to land that is now in the state of New Mexico.
Secretary Haaland’s record makes clear she will champion managing public lands as part of the climate solution, improve protections for our shared lands and waters, and ensure everyone benefits from public lands. We’ve had the opportunity to work with Secretary Haaland during her time in Congress and know that she will be an extraordinary leader at a critical moment in the stewardship of our public lands and the people and communities that rely on them.
I am thrilled to see such a visionary leader and effective champion of our highest priorities directing the Department of the Interior, which has authority over so much of the nation’s public lands and waters.
You might want to have a look at a good story from the March 2 edition of The New York Times, Reversing Trump, Interior Department Moves Swiftly on Climate Change, that describes the many avenues to address climate change through the Department of the Interior.
It is a momentous time, when conservation challenges that have long been top priorities for us are now top priorities for a new administration as well. I am excited to work with you in the coming months and years to transform the role of public lands in our nation to address the climate, nature and inequity challenges we face.
Lands Package passes the House!
February 26, 2021
I wanted to share the great news that just moments ago, in one of the very first votes on substantive legislation in the 117th Congress, the House passed a significant package of public lands conservation bills: H.R. 803, the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act.
Among the priorities TWS helped secure in the package were protections for the Grand Canyon watershed, San Gabriel Mountains and other areas in California, wilderness and recreation opportunities in Colorado, and a park funding program for communities underserved by green space. Many of these bills represent years of on-the-ground work by TWS, including more than a decade in parts of California, Colorado, and Arizona. The bill passed with bipartisan support: the final vote was 227-200, with 8 Republicans joining all but one Democrat to pass the bill.
These bills passed the House last Congress and were fast-tracked by Democratic leadership to demonstrate quick progress by the returning majority. Within minutes of passage Speaker Pelosi released this video, celebrating the package’s wins on climate, access, biodiversity, conservation and recreation. In advance of the vote, the White House also announced its strong support for the package, citing its consistency with the Administration’s 30x30 goal and marking a sharp reversal from the previous Administration’s opposition.
Included in the Protecting America’s Wilderness and Public Lands Act:
- Central Coast Heritage Protection Act (Rep. Carbajal (CA)) - Protects some of central California’s most scenic and spectacular lands and watersheds, designating nearly 245,000 acres of wilderness and adding 159 miles of creeks and rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
- Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act (Rep. Neguse (CO)) – Protects roughly 400,000 acres of public lands, including important recreation opportunities, viewsheds, and historic lands from the San Juan Mountains to Thompson Divide and the historic Camp Hale, the base of the 10th Mountain Division
- Colorado Wilderness Act (Rep. Degette (CO)) -- Protects more than 600,000 acres of public lands as wilderness, including the include Redcloud and Handies Peaks - the tallest mountains in the lower 48 under the management of the BLM - as well as spectacular scenery of Browns Canyon National Monument
- Grand Canyon Protection Act (Rep. Grijalva (AZ)) -- Makes permanent the 20-year mineral withdrawal issued by the Obama Administration in 2012, prohibiting new mining claims on approximately one million acres of public lands around Grand Canyon National Park
- Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act (Rep. Huffman (CA)) – Protects 260,000 acres of wilderness and 379 miles of wild and scenic rivers, as well as a 730,000-acre restoration area to protect and restore forests, including ancient redwood forests, and improve water quality while reducing fire risks
- Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act (Rep. Schiff (CA)) - Expands the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area by approximately 191,000 acres to include the area known as the Rim of the Valley Corridor
- San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act (Rep. Chu (CA)) – Expands protections for the Angeles National Forest, which accounts for 70% of Los Angeles County’s open space, and establish a new San Gabriel National Recreation Area to enhance recreational opportunities for park poor communities
- Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (Rep. Kilmer (WA)) – Protects over 125,000 acres of the Olympic National Forest as wilderness and adds 464 miles of rivers to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System
- Environmental Justice in Recreational Permitting Act (Rep. Tlaib (MI),added by amendment) -- Requires DOI to complete a report on the use of special recreation permits by recreation service providers serving environmental justice communities, including identification of barriers and recommendations
- Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area Act (Rep. McEachin (VA),added by amendment) -- Requires a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating areas within the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina as a National Heritage Area
- Outdoors for All Act (Rep. Barragan (CA), added by amendment) – Codifies the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program, which funds parks in urban areas underserved by green space through the Land and Water Conservation Fund
While the path for these bills in the Senate is uncertain and Senate dynamics prevent them from moving quickly, the early House passage of these bills sends a strong signal about the political support for conservation at the start of this Congress. Their passage also enables TWS and our partners to pivot and build pressure on the Senate to act where there are opportunities. In fact, the impending vote helped accelerate introduction by Senator Sinema (D-AZ) and newly-elected Senator Kelly (D-AZ) of the Senate counterpart to the Grand Canyon Protection Act.
We’re also using today’s vote as an opportunity to thank and encourage ourHouse champions for these bills, House leadership, and freshmen members voting to protect public lands for the first time. Please feel free to join us in thanking these champions (listed next to the bill/section names above), as well as House leadership, if you have an opportunity.
Also this week, Congresswoman Deb Haaland cleared the gauntlet of a two-day confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. While no Republicans have so far committed to support her confirmation and many have used her nomination to raise concerns about President Biden’s early moves on fossil fuels, she was introduced at the hearing by Representative Don Young (R-AK) who praised her bipartisan work. Most critically, she earned the endorsement of Senator Manchin (D-WV)who remained publicly undecided before the hearing after essentially sinking the nomination of President Biden’s pick to run the Office of Management and Budget days earlier. As you know, TWS has been leading the charge among the conservation community to secure this key nomination, and we’re optimistic that she will clear a committee vote promptly and be confirmed by the full Senate soon after.
8 Days into the First 100
January 28, 2021
We are excited to see President Biden delivering on his bold commitments to climate, conservation and environmental justice with such outstanding Executive Orders in his first eight days in office.
As you may have seen, yesterday, President Biden signed a major climate Executive Order (EO) to, as he put it, “supercharge our efforts on climate change.” This EO establishes a whole government approach to the climate crisis, placing climate change at the center of national security, international relations and domestic policy. The EO also set a national goal of protecting 30% of our nation's lands and oceans by 2030, prioritizes environmental justice, and includes a moratorium on oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters.
Yesterday’s climate EO builds upon President Biden’s actions on Inauguration Day, where he called for reviewing (and reversing) more than 100 of the Trump administration's environmental rollbacks to retore important protections. We were especially thrilled that he immediately halted all leasing activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and that he directed the Departments of the Interior to “review” (e.g. restore) Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments as well as the Trump administration's rulemaking process that would open the wildest parts of Tongass National Forest in Alaska to logging and development.
For a concise overview of the major directives contained in the recent executive orders that advance our top priorities, please visit our blog on Biden's leadership on climate, nature loss and racial equity, which is being updated regularly.
This story in The Washington Post quotes The Wilderness Society in an analysis of the January 20 EO.
The highlights of yesterday's Executive Order on tackling the climate crisis at home and abroad is attached to this email, with the sections most relevant to our agenda highlighted in yellow.
With these recent executive orders, the president is following through on his campaign promises and setting high markers for progress on climate change, equity and conservation. That said, how these goals get implemented will be critical to ultimate success. Now is our moment to roll up our sleeves to support and help build community-driven solutions and policies to realize these critical national goals.
I can't thank you enough for your steadfast and generous support. You have seen us through trial by fire, and now we have the opportunity to put our best ideas and best efforts behind communities and an administration that share our goals.
