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Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, which protects more than 48,000 acres of Southern Nevada’s Mojave Desert, was expanded by nearly 9,300 acres with the signing by President Trump of the Sloan Canyon Conservation and Lateral Pipeline Act (H.R. 972).

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Contact: Kris Deutschman kris@conservationlands.org 916-425-7174 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Trump administration repealed the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule (Public Lands Rule), the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) rule confirming that conservation is on equal footing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. ####

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.

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

Public land protectors went to Washington DC Capitol Hill to advocate for saving the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The group was comprised of local business owners from gateway towns near Grand Staircase and represented the bipartisan effort to keep the current 2025 Monument Management Plan in place.

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.