The resolution, which essentially erases years of local and Tribal input and puts Congress in charge of the national monument in southern Utah, is now subject to a 60-vote threshold for passage should it be considered in the Senate.

Today’s approval by the U.S. Senate of Steve Pearce as Director of the Bureau of Land Management brings alarming indications for the future stability and durability of public land protections.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - May 11, 2026 Contact: Kris Deutschman kris@conservationlands.org 916-425-7174 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Trump administration repealed the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (Public Lands Rule), the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) rule confirming that conservation is on equal footing with extractive uses, like oil and gas drilling and mining. Below is a statement from Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation, which represents a national network of community advocates who are solely focused on the National Conservation Lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. “Public lands are the people’s lands and this move is another strategy to gaslight the public and ultimately give these lands away. They’ve stripped away the tools that ensure conservation is a core mandate on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. “The Bureau of Land Management is required by law to balance multiple uses for the benefit of the public. Instead, this move gives the administration greater leeway to ignore the health of our country’s lands, water sources, wildlife habitats, and ways of life and it locks the public out of their favorite places to hike, fish, and camp with their families. “The Public Lands Rule brought balance to the management of the country’s public lands and waters in the U.S., and is overwhelmingly popular: 92% of public comments submitted during the robust public comment process supported it. And the vast majority of Westerners across the political spectrum want their elected officials to protect more clean water sources and wildlife habitat, and provide more opportunities to visit and recreate. “Simply put, this is just another move towards privatizing the public’s lands. The Conservation Lands Foundation will continue working tirelessly with local communities and lawmakers to ensure existing laws are followed to safeguard the health of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the public’s access to them.” About the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) The BLM manages nearly 250 million acres of public land–one in every 10 acres of land in the United States and approximately 30 percent of the nation’s minerals. These lands are managed for a variety of uses, including energy development, livestock grazing, recreation, and timber harvesting, while also ensuring the conservation of the country’s remaining natural, historical, and cultural resources. ####

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 8, 2026  Santa Fe, NEW MEXICO - In a move supported by local Tribes, nature protection organizations, local elected officials and outdoor recreation enthusiasts, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez today introduced legislation to protect one of the most ecologically rich and culturally significant landscapes in the Southwest. The Caja del Rio Protection Act: S 4458 and HR 8616 covers about 107,000 acres of a wildlife corridor that runs along the Upper Rio Grande from New Mexico to Colorado and plays a critical role in maintaining wildlife mobility and vital habitats for many endangered and sensitive species of mammals, reptiles and birds. Statement by Charlotte Overby, Santa-Fe based Vice President of Field Programs for the Conservation Lands Foundation who is part of the coalition that has been advocating for the protection of the Caja del Rio Plateau: "The Caja del Rio is important to all people for its natural beauty, culture, economic benefits and contributions to New Mexicans' way of life. To lose it to potential sell-off to private developers would be a travesty, and the New Mexico Congressional delegation recognizes we all have a responsibility to protect it for current uses and for future generations to love and steward. We thank the Pueblo Governors, Senator Heinrich and Representative Leger Fernandez for their leadership in seeing through the development of the Caja del Rio Protect Act and getting it introduced in both houses of Congress." “We invite everyone to take a virtual field trip through the Caja and then add their name in support of protecting it at https://cajadelrio.org/” said Overby. #### About Conservation Lands Foundation Conservation Lands Foundation leads the only national movement of grassroots advocates to protect, restore and expand National Conservation Lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. CLF is headquartered in Durango, Colorado with field offices throughout the West and in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit conservationlands.org .

Leaders from the affordable housing and public lands communities today unveiled a joint principles framework rejecting the fallacy that selling off America’s public lands is a solution to the housing affordability crisis, while highlighting the need for real, equitable housing solutions.

President Donald Trump released his Fiscal Year 2027 federal budget request on Friday, April 3, 2026 that included a 12.3% cut to the Department of Interior. In anticipation of the administration’s proposed gutting of the DOI, the Conservation Lands Foundation sent a letter yesterday to the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee signed by 131 organizations - including 69 Friends Grassroots Network organizations - urging Congress to fund the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Management of Lands and Resources account to at least a funding level of $1.395 billion, as well as at least $78 million for the National Conservation Lands, in the FY2027 appropriations bill. “Robust investment in the Bureau of Land Management is not just a conservation priority; it is an economic necessity for rural America and a cornerstone of U.S. energy dominance.”

The Department of the Interior’s Proposal Provides Only 7 Days to Weigh-In

Conservation, education, veteran, and recreation groups fight to protect critical Southern California public lands in Chuckwalla National Monument

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2026 Contact: Kris Deutschman, kris(@)conservationlands.org Kanab, UT / Washington, D.C. — In a dangerous first for America’s national monuments, Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02) today introduced joint resolutions to undo the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan using the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The resolutions would effectively put Congress in charge of how the national monument in southern Utah will be managed, opening the door for other national monuments and public lands to have their management similarly undermined. The resolution seeks to use an obscure law, the Congressional Review Act, in a novel way to overturn a national monument management plan. If both chambers of Congress pass the legislation, called a “resolution of disapproval,” by simple majority votes, the monument management plan will be eliminated and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be barred from issuing another plan that is “substantially the same” in the future. This action also threatens the integrity of national monuments and public land protections across the country. Reaction from national monument and local business advocates below: Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation, which represents a nonpartisan, national network of community advocates solely focused on the public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management: “Grandstanding on the back of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to appease a select few who want to kick the public out of public lands willingly ignores local communities, business owners, and Tribes who support and rely on the balanced management of national monuments. It also ignores the overwhelming majority of voters in Utah and across western states who want Congress members to protect these places. It’s a Congressional power grab of the country’s national monuments and public lands, plain and simple, and Americans of all political identities will fight like hell to stop it.” Jackie Grant, Executive Director of the Grand Staircase Escalante Partners, which is the local nonprofit that helps steward the national monument through science, conservation, and education: “Using the Congressional Review Act as a tool to amend land management plans eliminates the public’s voice and is a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars. It sets off a domino effect of chaos across all of our public lands. There was plenty of opportunity for many hundreds and thousands of voices to be heard—from the local level all the way up to the national level. As a local organization, we will continue to stand with our neighbors, Tribes, educators, and conservation partners to protect this landscape and ensure it is managed for future generations.” Nate Waggoner, Escalante, Utah resident and Board Chair at the Grand Staircase Regional Guides Association, which represents a regional network of outdoor guides who rely on the national monument for their local businesses: “We’ve been operating our business here for 22 years, we’ve made long-term investments in our community. Having our land use plans destroyed or taken away by the Congressional Review Act throws all of those investments into chaos. We need those long-term permits so we can continue to make long-term financial investments in our communities. This sets a horrible precedent for the future for all of the public lands we live, love, and operate on.” Todd Tucci, Senior Attorney, Advocates for the West: “Congress is effectively playing legislative Russian roulette with a gun pointed to the head of America’s public lands. They’re breaking the system of public lands management wholeheartedly. This isn’t just about the southeast corner of Utah, it potentially impacts every inch of public lands. It impacts your favorite watering hole, your favorite fishing hole… where you walk your dog, where you take your kids hiking. There’s not an inch of public lands that is safe.” ### Background: The Resource Management Plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was developed over years of public engagement, Tribal consultation, and scientific review to guide multiple-use and responsible management of one of the nation’s most significant cultural and natural landscapes . While the monument remains protected under Presidential Proclamation 10286 , which carries the full force of law, the Congressional maneuver injects uncertainty into monument stewardship and local economies that depend on outdoor recreation, and undermines the public process that has long governed how these treasured public lands are managed.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2026 Contact: Kris Deutschman, kris(@)conservationlands.org HAINES, AK / WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today’s approval by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee of Steve Pearce to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management brings his nomination to the next and final vote in the full Senate, and with that, strong reaction from the Conservation Lands Foundation. “The country deserves a BLM leader who not only understands the full scope of the agency’s charter to manage public lands for multiple uses but also believes in his heart, and in practice, that conservation must be on equal footing with all the other uses of the lands,” said Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation, which represents a nonpartisan, national network of community advocates solely focused on the public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management. “Simply put, he’s not the right person for this job. The Director of the BLM is tasked to be a neutral arbiter of our shared resources and Mr. Pearce’s recent testimony as well as his record in Congress supporting the sell off of America's public lands, his conflicts of interest with the oil and gas industry, and his efforts to reduce national monuments, demonstrate that he is the wrong candidate to lead this complex multiple-use agency. “Selling off, limiting the public’s access to, and eliminating protections of our public lands is wildly unpopular with the public, and we’ll be harnessing this passion to hold Mr. Pearce and senators who support his nomination accountable to the majority of people who live, work, and recreate on these lands and want them to remain healthy and accessible,” said Hill. About the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) The BLM manages one in every 10 acres of land in the United States and approximately 30 percent of the nation’s minerals. These lands are managed for a variety of uses, including energy development, livestock grazing, recreation, and timber harvesting, while also ensuring the conservation of the country’s remaining natural, historical, and cultural resources. ####

A U.S. District Court granted a motion by conservation organizations to block ground-disturbing activities associated with construction of the Northern Corridor Highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area near St. George, Utah.

Conservation Lands Foundation and Partners Respond to Proposal to Gut the Management Plan for Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument

Threatens to bring chaos to a crown jewel of the nation’s public lands system and upend public lands protection as we know it

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 26, 2026 Contact: Kris Deutschman, kris@conservationlands.org, Bertha Gutiérrez, bertha@conservationlands.org Las Vegas, NV - The Conservation Lands Foundation celebrates the passing of the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act (H.R. 972) led by Representative Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada), which expands Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area in Southern Nevada by almost 9,300 acres as mitigation for important water infrastructure needed in Southern Nevada. The bill, which passed unanimously in both the House and Senate, is now headed to the President’s desk for his signature. The bill ensures that a water pipeline project by the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) may be constructed underground through the Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area. The authority to grant right-of-way access to SNWA in a permanently protected area had to be granted by Congress. “The Horizon Lateral project is an example of how infrastructure projects on National Conservation Lands can have minimal ground disturbance, mitigate anticipated impacts, and address community needs while ensuring the objects and values for which the area was protected remain protected. This legislation is a positive example of a bill that strikes a balance between conservation and development with input from local advocates. We applaud the leadership and commitment of Senator Cortez Masto and Representative Dina Titus to advance balanced public lands legislation” said Jocelyn Torres, Chief Conservation Officer at the Conservation Lands Foundation.

Conservation Lands Foundation Urges Attention on the Multiple Efforts Underway to Undermine Public Lands Management, Protection, and Preservation 

The Conservation Lands Foundation joined five Alaska-based and national organizations as plaintiffs in a lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from oil and gas leasing in the Western Arctic.

Conservation Lands Foundation joined a coalition of local, Utah-based, and national conservation organizations in suing the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for illegally reapproving a highway through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area, Utah.

Congress is attempting to use the Congressional Review Act to remove a national monument management plan, a targeted attack on protected public lands in Utah and across the country.

The proposed Northern Corridor Highway would carve a four-lane, high-speed road through designated critical habitat for the threatened Mojave desert tortoise within Red Cliffs National Conservation Area.