public lands

In Cortez, residents are expressing concern about the potential environmental impacts of rezoning land next to the Carpenter Natural Area. The parcel of land is owned by Independent Log Company, which recently submitted an application to the city of Cortez to change the zoning of the land from commercial to heavy industrial use. If the land is rezoned, it will mean large industrial equipment and chemicals can be stored on the premises. M. Waldron, a resident of Cortez and a representative for a community group advocating on behalf of the Carpenter area, says concerned Cortez residents can attend the city’s planning and zoning commission meeting on July 18 to make public comments, in addition to the next city council meeting on July 25. And new privacy protections for consumers in Colorado took effect over the weekend.

Indigenous land acknowledgments are becoming more popular. The statements recognize the Indigenous people who lived on this land long before the rest of us — and their knowledge systems and connection to it.

Sagebrush Empire is a new book from western writer Jonathan Thompson. It details the fight over public lands in Southeastern Utah. KZMU’s Justin Higginbottom speaks with the author about the roots of this conflict over land, and what to expect after a restoration of Bears Ears National Monument.

The U.S. Interior Department announced this month that oil and gas leasing will resume on federal lands. It’s the latest update in a legal tug-of-war between the Biden administration and the fossil fuel industry over the president’s pause on the federal leasing program, which he enacted almost immediately after taking office. Regardless of who the courts end up siding with, though, many advocates across the west say the entire system of federal energy development is in desperate need of reform. Will Walkey from KHOL in Jackson, Wyoming has more.

Colorado’s public lands, which account for 43 percent of the entire state, are seeing record use after officials relaxed COVID health restrictions. As a…

The Colorado Outdoor Recreation Economy Act would protect 400,000 acres of public lands across the state, including the Thompson Divide near Carbondale.…

The Biden Administration is putting the brakes on new oil and gas leases on public lands. The move is being met with cheers from conservation groups and…

Area school districts are preparing to reopen for the upcoming academic year. Congress has passed a major conservation bill that includes billions of…

The Bears Ears National Monument Advisory Committee will meet for the second time over two days, Feb. 25 and 26, at the Hideout Community Center in…

Insecticides and other chemicals found at the sites threaten long-term damage to ecosystems. California law enforcement, ecologists and others are cracking down.