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Public Opposition Halts Forest Service Plan to Remove Historic Inscribed Tree from Washakie Wilderness

Public Opposition Halts Forest Service Plan to Remove Historic Inscribed Tree from Washakie Wilderness

The U.S. Forest Service has paused its plans to cut down and remove a historic tree from the Washakie Wilderness in Wyoming, following significant public opposition. The tree, an Engelmann spruce, bears carvings from surveyors who were caught in a snowstorm 133 years ago while mapping the Yellowstone Forest Reserve. The original plan involved building a trail to the tree, felling it, and transporting it by helicopter to a museum for display. Wilderness Watch, an advocacy group, alerted the public to the project, which had been authorized without public knowledge. Hundreds of comments from concerned citizens prompted Shoshone National Forest Supervisor Ken Coffin to halt the project on August 24. The decision to pause the project came after the Forest Service had already conducted 3D imaging of the tree, but before any trees were cut. The project would have involved cutting down a dozen trees to access the historic spruce and multiple helicopter landings within the wilderness area.
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U.S. Forest Service and Nature Conservancy Collaborate to Combat Dutch Elm Disease with Resistant Elm Breeding Program

U.S. Forest Service and Nature Conservancy Collaborate to Combat Dutch Elm Disease with Resistant Elm Breeding Program

Researchers from the U.S. Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy are actively engaged in a breeding program aimed at developing new generations of elm trees resistant to Dutch elm disease (DED). This initiative involves cultivating elms from survivors of the disease, with the goal of repopulating areas in North America where elm populations have been decimated for decades. The project, currently underway in Vermont, involves injecting thousands of young elm trees with fungus spores to identify and propagate those with natural resistance. This effort seeks to expedite the co-evolutionary process, allowing elms to coexist with DED, similar to how European elms have adapted over centuries. The loss of elms has had a devastating impact on urban landscapes and riverbanks, where these towering trees were once ubiquitous.
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Montana Legislators Urged to Pass 'A River Runs Through It Act' for Wilderness Protection

Montana Legislators Urged to Pass 'A River Runs Through It Act' for Wilderness Protection

A new legislative proposal, dubbed the 'A River Runs Through It Act,' is being advocated for in Montana to expand and protect wilderness areas around the Upper Blackfoot River. This initiative, which has been decades in the making, aims to safeguard an iconic stretch of river made famous by Norman Maclean's book. The plan seeks to expand the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat Wilderness Areas, establish a new wilderness area, and designate other federal lands for recreation, forest restoration, and conservation. It also includes provisions for protecting wildlife migration corridors. The proposal is a merger of the Blackfoot-Clearwater Stewardship Proposal, which former Montana Senator John Tester previously attempted to pass, and the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal. These efforts were coalition-led, bringing together diverse groups such as ranchers, hunters, outdoor advocates, and timber companies over 25 years to create a comprehensive plan. Supporters are urging Montana's congressional delegation, specifically Sena...
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Connecticut DEEP Faces Opposition Over Logging Plan for The Preserve Forest

Connecticut DEEP Faces Opposition Over Logging Plan for The Preserve Forest

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is encountering significant opposition to its proposed 10-year management plan for The Preserve, a 963-acre forest spanning Old Saybrook, Essex, and Westbrook. The plan includes logging nearly 200 acres of the forest. The Preserve was initially protected in 2015 through a conservation easement, preventing private development after years of advocacy. While DEEP officials state the logging is part of a silviculture strategy aimed at addressing invasive species, increasing wildlife diversification, protecting water quality, and ensuring a healthy forest ecosystem, opponents argue it will cause environmental damage. The state-owned portion of The Preserve is managed as a state forest and is open to the public for passive recreation. DEEP maintains that the primary goal is ecological management, not profit, with any funds generated from timber sales being reinvested into The Preserve for maintenance and invasive species removal.
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Netflix Orders New 'Lonesome Dove' Series from 'East of Eden' Showrunners

Netflix Orders New 'Lonesome Dove' Series from 'East of Eden' Showrunners

Netflix Orders New 'Lonesome Dove' Series from 'East of Eden' Showrunners
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Liberty Gold Unveils $3.3 Billion Black Pine Oxide Gold Project in Idaho

Liberty Gold Unveils $3.3 Billion Black Pine Oxide Gold Project in Idaho

Liberty Gold Unveils $3.3 Billion Black Pine Oxide Gold Project in Idaho
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Bill Murray to Star in Ursula Meier's 'The Quiet Land' Alongside Léa Seydoux

Bill Murray to Star in Ursula Meier's 'The Quiet Land' Alongside Léa Seydoux

Bill Murray to Star in Ursula Meier's 'The Quiet Land' Alongside Léa Seydoux
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Voluntary Evacuations Issued for Burnett Gulch Wildfire North of Lyons, Colorado

Voluntary Evacuations Issued for Burnett Gulch Wildfire North of Lyons, Colorado

A wildfire, named the Burnett Gulch fire, is burning a few miles north of Lyons in Larimer County, Colorado, prompting voluntary evacuations for residents in the area. As of Monday afternoon, the fire was estimated to be 2.8 acres, a reduction from an earlier estimate of 3.4 acres. Firefighting crews have achieved 20% containment on the blaze. Voluntary evacuation orders are specifically in place for residents living along Lonestar Road and Stagecoach Trail in Larimer County. Officials are advising these residents to gather essential items and be prepared for a potential mandatory evacuation if conditions worsen. Firefighters are actively on the scene, and air resources have been deployed to combat the fire. The U.S. Forest Service reported that crews are making progress on establishing a handline around the fire. A map of the fire's footprint indicates it is burning in the foothills between Carter Lake Reservoir and Lyons.
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With no time to spare, Michigan hatches a Great Lakes whitefish rescue plan

With no time to spare, Michigan hatches a Great Lakes whitefish rescue plan

Michigan officials have a plan that aims to save the Great Lakes' whitefish from invasive mussels
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Netflix Orders New Series Take On ‘Lonesome Dove’ From Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart

Netflix Orders New Series Take On ‘Lonesome Dove’ From Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart

“Lonesome Dove,” which was originally adapted into an Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning CBS miniseries starring Robert Duvall in 1989, is getting a new take at Netflix. The streamer announced Tuesday that it had ordered “Lonesome Dove” to series, from co-showrunners Zoe Kazan and Jeb Stuart. Kazan and Stuart were also the co-showrunners on Netflix’s upcoming […]
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Federal Judge Allows American Prairie Bison to Remain on Federal Grazing Land Despite State Opposition

Federal Judge Allows American Prairie Bison to Remain on Federal Grazing Land Despite State Opposition

A federal judge has ruled that American Prairie can continue grazing bison on three federal grazing allotments, temporarily blocking a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule that would have removed approximately 900 bison. This decision by Judge Brian Morris allows the bison to remain while a federal lawsuit, filed by American Prairie against the BLM and the Department of the Interior, proceeds. The BLM had previously canceled six of American Prairie's permits, covering over 60,000 acres, based on a new interpretation of the federal Taylor Grazing Act, which required livestock to be 'production-oriented.' Montana's all-Republican federal delegation and statewide Republican officials, including Governor Greg Gianforte, have opposed bison grazing on federal land, arguing that American Prairie's mission conflicts with the state's economy and removes land from agricultural use.
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Pueblo of Sandia Seeks Legislation from Representative Stansbury to Transfer 10,000 Acres of Sandia Mountains to Trust

Pueblo of Sandia Seeks Legislation from Representative Stansbury to Transfer 10,000 Acres of Sandia Mountains to Trust

The Pueblo of Sandia has approached U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) to introduce legislation that would transfer 10,000 acres on the west face of the Sandia Mountains from the U.S. Forest Service into trust for the Pueblo. This request aims to address the Pueblo's concerns regarding sacred sites, cultural resources, and land management. The proposal reopens a long-standing debate over land ownership and management in the area, which was previously addressed by the T’uf Shur Bien Preservation Trust Area Act in 2003. That act established co-stewardship and protected cultural interests while keeping the land as national forest. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson has expressed reservations about altering the 2003 compromise, emphasizing the importance of maintaining public access and the land's status as national forest and wilderness.