Latest news with #BureauofLandManagement
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
BLM to remove over 3,000 wild horses from Wyoming land
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyoming (ABC4) — The Bureau of Land Management will remove over 3,000 wild horses from southwest Wyoming land beginning in July. The BLM said this is the first effort to address the permanent removal of all wild horses from herd areas previously designated as herd management areas. These areas include the Great Divide Basin, Salt Wells Creek, and a portion of the Adobe Town area. The decision is a part of a BLM determination to revert the entirety of the Great Divide Basin and Salt Wells Creek Herd Management Areas to Herd Areas, managed for zero wild horses. That means all wild horses located within these Herd Management Areas that reverted to Herd Areas are now considered 'excess' and must be removed from the range in accordance with the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. A Herd Area is an area where wild horses and burros were found in 1971, while a Herd Management Area is a section of a Herd Area where the BLM actively manages wild horse and burro populations. The removal decision comes after a May 8, 2023, land use planning decision to help 'protect land health and resolve management conflicts' in the area, a BLM press release reads. Gather operations to remove the wild horses are scheduled to begin July 15, 2025, though the process may take place over multiple years due to the size and complexity of the areas, officials said. 'It is likely that multiple removal operations would occur in each Herd Area over multiple years to fully remove all excess wild horses from the designated area,' the project's description states. All of the removed horses will be taken to BLM holding facilities, where they will be prepared for the agency's wild horse adoption and sales programs. Wild horses that do not meet adoption age or temperament criteria may be shipped to public off-range pastures, officials said. 'BLM staff and contractors will use the best available science and handling practices for wild horses while meeting overall gather goals and objectives in accordance with the Comprehensive Animal Welfare Program,' the BLM said. The BLM has placed nearly 290,000 wild horses and burros into private care since 1971. The organization manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska. M.J. Jewkes contributed to this report. Senate Republicans divided over 'big, beautiful bill' Do you recognize this truck? SLCPD asks for help identifying hit-and-run suspect BLM to remove over 3,000 wild horses from Wyoming land Utah father and son duo charged for allegedly supporting Mexican drug cartel Stage 1 fire restrictions issued for multiple southwest Utah counties Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Why the demise of Trump's NASA pick is different from his other personnel failures
Donald Trump's personnel failures tend to fall into three distinct categories. Some of his nominees have failed, for example, because of intractable bipartisan opposition (see Matt Gaetz and Ed Martin). Others failed because some on the far-right decided that the president's choices weren't quite radical enough (see Dr. Janette Nesheiwat). The third category, however, is the most unusual: Some of Trump's personnel failures have come after the White House admitted that it dropped the ball on vetting and neglected to do its due diligence. It's what happened with Chad Chronister's failed nomination to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration; it's what happened with Kathleen Sgamma, who was the president's choice to run the Bureau of Land Management; and at least at first blush, it's what appears to have happened to Jared Isaacman, who was Trump's pick to serve as the new administrator of NASA. NBC News reported: President Donald Trump said Saturday he is pulling the nomination of billionaire Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator, citing 'a thorough review of prior associations.' Trump, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, did not elaborate on what associations he was referring to. The president's statement was uncharacteristically brief. 'After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,' he wrote. 'I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" The news was, among other things, sudden: Isaacman's nomination had already cleared a committee vote — he was approved with bipartisan support, which was relatively unusual for a Trump nominee — and his confirmation was practically a foregone conclusion. Nevertheless, just a few days before the Senate was poised to approve the nominee, the president pulled his choice to lead NASA from consideration. As for the 'prior associations' that the Republican referred to, The New York Times reported, 'Mr. Trump in recent days told associates he intended to yank Mr. Isaacman's nomination after being told that he had donated to prominent Democrats, according to three people with knowledge of the deliberations who were not authorized to discuss them publicly.' This was an odd explanation. After all, it stood to reason that Isaacman's background as a political donor was well known before he was even nominated. Indeed, the Times reported a day later that the former nominee did, in fact, freely disclose his record in this area and the details of his donations 'were old news.' While Mr. Trump privately told advisers in recent days that he was surprised to learn of Mr. Isaacman's contributions and that he had not been told of them previously, he and his team were briefed about them during the presidential transition in late 2024, before Mr. Isaacman's nomination, according to two people with knowledge of the events. One of those people said Mr. Isaacman, who had already been approved by a Senate committee and was headed to a confirmation vote this week, directly told Mr. Trump about those donations when they met in person weeks after the 2024 election. So what happened? The Times' report, which has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News, added that in recent days, the president's associates 'began pressing him on Mr. Isaacman's Democratic donations,' and the behind-the-scenes lobbying appears to have had an impact. What's more, Isaacman was closely aligned with Elon Musk, and Trump's biggest campaign donor has exited his White House office. As for who Trump's next NASA nominee might be, watch this space. This post updates our related earlier coverage. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The fight to save California public land from a Canadian mining company
I live in a ghost town — once the most lucrative silver mine in California. For the past five years, I've spent nearly every day rebuilding Cerro Gordo, a long-abandoned boomtown perched high in the Inyo Mountains above Owens Valley. The buildings are collapsing. The roads wash out with every storm. Owens Lake, once full of water, is now a dry, desolate dust bowl. If anyone understands what's left behind after a gold rush ends, it's me. But the ghosts here aren't just long-gone miners, they're the consequences of short-term thinking. And now, we're about to summon more of them. This time, it will be on public land that should belong to all of us. The Bureau of Land Management recently released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement endorsing what amounts to the most permissive plan legally possible for a controversial mining project — just eight miles from Death Valley National Park and three miles from my front door. The plan would allow K2 Gold, a Canadian mining company, to cut new roads and drill up to 30 sites across one of the last intact stretches of California's high desert — public land. Yours, mine and ours. And under an outdated federal law, it can be torn open, stripped bare and left behind, without a dime paid to the people who actually own it, all in preparation for what they hope will become an open-pit cyanide leach mine. The BLM claims that this project supports Department of the Interior Secretarial Order 3418 – Unleashing American Energy, and helps 'meet the needs of American citizens.' But that order is about unlocking domestic energy and critical minerals. Gold isn't one. The U.S. Geological Survey was tasked with identifying critical minerals, and of the 50 they listed in 2022, gold didn't make the cut. It's not needed for national security. It's not about American energy. And with profits flowing to foreign investors, it's hard to see how it meets any real need of American citizens. The land in question — Conglomerate Mesa — isn't some empty tract of remote desert. Overlanders see it from Death Valley National Park. Millions of travelers driving Highway 395 through Lone Pine toward Mammoth Lakes or Yosemite see it from the road. Each year, 20,000 hikers on Mt. Whitney look out over this landscape which is currently filled with Joshua trees, ancient bristlecone pines and sacred Indigenous sites. But if this project succeeds, they'll look out on a growing open pit mine, slowly dismantling an entire mountain. In 2021, an earlier version of this project was halted after overwhelming public opposition. More than 20,000 people submitted comments, and the BLM issued its most restrictive ruling. What changed? Not the land. Now, the project is being fast-tracked under a new federal directive — Secretarial Order 3418 — to promote domestic resource development. But there's nothing 'domestic' about this. Thanks to the General Mining Act of 1872, written in the days of pickaxes and prospectors, long before national parks, environmental laws or even statehood in much of the West, mining companies can stake claims and extract hardrock minerals from public lands royalty-free. The law originally applied to 'citizens,' but under modern interpretation, that includes any company incorporated in the U.S. — even if its ownership and profits lie abroad. That's how foreign firms like K2 Gold, operating through U.S. subsidiaries, can mine our public lands without paying a cent in royalties. According to the Center for American Progress, nine of the 14 gold-producing companies operating in the U.S. are foreign-owned. The Government Accountability Office estimates that closing this royalty loophole could generate up to $800 million annually for the U.S. Treasury. Every other extractive industry — oil, gas and coal — pays for the resources it takes from public land. Mining doesn't. It's the only nonrenewable industry in the country that still gets a completely free ride. Meanwhile, communities like mine bear the cost. The gold K2 is chasing won't benefit Inyo County. It won't fund schools, pave roads or create long-term jobs. It will flow to investors in Vancouver. And what's left behind — scarred land, abandoned roads and a hurting economy — will stay right here. Tourism — not mining — is the economic backbone of this region. Inyo County is home to Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48, and serves as a gateway to Death Valley National Park. Conglomerate Mesa sits between them, visible to hikers, travelers and overlanders who sustain local businesses. If this mine moves forward, that future disappears. Hikers and photographers won't return to roads lined with fences and machinery, and the businesses they once supported will vanish, too. Proponents say it's 'just exploration,' but that's like calling the first swings of an axe 'just pruning.' Once roads are carved and drills begin, the damage is real and permanent. I've seen what mining leaves behind because I live among its ruins. Mining may be part of California's past, but it doesn't have to define its future, and the good news is that we can do something about it. Right now, the BLM is accepting public comments on its draft environmental review. In 2021, more than 20,000 people spoke out — and it worked. The BLM issued the most restrictive ruling possible. That can happen once again, but it takes action. Brent Underwood is the owner and caretaker of Cerro Gordo, a historic 19th-century mining town in the Inyo Mountains. He has lived there full-time since 2020, working to preserve its history and shared his story in his book Ghost Town Living .
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Wild horses for sale in South Sioux City
SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (KCAU) — Across the United States, there are more than 73,000 wild horses that roam free, and herds can grow too large for the region to sustain. That's where the Bureau of Land Management comes in. 'These horses were gathered on the ranges between Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, various states that they roam on, on the Bureau, on the Bureau of Land Management, wild horse areas, herd management areas. And we gather them to bring down the numbers and bring them to [the] appropriate management level,' said Wendlandt. These American mustangs are part of the country's history, as the wild horses aren't truly wild; they're descendants of Spanish horses that became feral over time. Potential adopters have to ensure they are able to care for a horse for its lifetime. If they can, they can bring home some American heritage. 'I've seen them being gathered on the range, and being able to follow that all the way through to a happy home is the best part of my job. And being able to work with somebody that they, maybe they saw it on the range, maybe this is the first time they've even heard about this program, and being able to adopt an animal to them. And then see the happy adopter and the happy horse,' said Wendlandt. Those who weren't able to make it out on Friday, you still have time, as the horse sale continues on Saturday from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. at the Dakota Thurston Fairgrounds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Wildfire threatens Joshua trees in area considered a 'last refuge' for the species
A fire ignited in the Covington Flats area of Joshua Tree National Park on Friday afternoon and burned 165 acres in a region that experts say is critical to the species' future in a warming climate. Meg Rockwell, a spokesperson for the national park, said it wasn't immediately clear if any Joshua trees in the area had burned, but she said there are major concerns about the possibility of damage to the trees. "This area is important for the long-term survival of the Joshua trees," Rockwell said. "It's that last refuge." San Bernardino County Fire officials said no structures are threatened. Read more: World's oldest trees threatened by Silver fire in Inyo County. Crews halt spread of blaze The Covington Flats region—located in a northwestern section of the park—is known as a "climate refugia" sitting at a slightly higher elevation, which brings cooler temperatures and more rainfall. These slight differences could be enough, experts say, to to allow Joshua trees to continue to survive and reproduce even under a hotter, drier climate that is expected in the coming decades. The iconic trees are not adapted to wildfire, meaning any fire damage can be devastating to the population. The Eureka fire was reported around noon Friday and had no containment as of 2:30 p.m. The park reported temperatures Friday around 85 degrees with wind gusts up to about 20 mph in the area. Rockwell said additional fire crews from the Bureau of Land Management and San Bernardino County had been called in to assist with the firefight. Read more: How large fires are altering the face of California's Mojave Desert The Joshua tree is cherished for its distinctive silhouette and singular role as a linchpin of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. Yet the iconic succulent is losing suitable habitat at a brisk clip due to climate change, worsening wildfires and development, scientists and environmental advocates say. While the Joshua tree is currently ubiquitous, climate models show there won't be much suitable habitat left by the end of the century. That's why protecting areas like Covington Flats is so important, Rockwell said. But, experts have also found that many of these cooler, higher-elevation areas — that are more hospitable for Joshua trees — are also susceptible to wildfires because they tend to have denser vegetation. Two large wildfires have killed an estimated 1.8 million Joshua trees in and around the Mojave National Preserve since 2020. Staff writer Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
