Western Watersheds Project
@westernwatersheds.bsky.social
Protecting Western watersheds and wildlife since 1993. Committed to addressing public lands livestock issues.
Under the banner of “innovation” and “freedom,” a coalition of right-wing billionaires, libertarian think tanks, and Trump-era policymakers are pushing a plan to seize public lands and carve private city-states out of them. They’re calling them “Freedom Cities.”
“Freedom Cities”: A tech-bro fantasy with real-world consequences for public lands
A fringe idea born in tech circles and right-wing politics is now being positioned as the next great excuse to carve up public lands.
westernwatersheds.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Under the banner of “innovation” and “freedom,” a coalition of right-wing billionaires, libertarian think tanks, and Trump-era policymakers are pushing a plan to seize public lands and carve private city-states out of them. They’re calling them “Freedom Cities.”
THIS JUST IN. Taylor is headed back home. “Taylor knows where he wants to be, and humans need to stop trying to impose their will on wild animals.”
westernwatersheds.org/2025/11/15992/
westernwatersheds.org/2025/11/15992/
Mexican Wolf ‘Taylor’ Back Home Near New Mexico’s Mount Taylor - Western Watersheds Project
For Immediate Release, November 24, 2025 Contact: Michael Robinson, Center for Biological Diversity, (575) 313-7017, [email protected] Greta Anderson, Western Watersheds Project, (520) ...
westernwatersheds.org
November 24, 2025 at 8:06 PM
THIS JUST IN. Taylor is headed back home. “Taylor knows where he wants to be, and humans need to stop trying to impose their will on wild animals.”
westernwatersheds.org/2025/11/15992/
westernwatersheds.org/2025/11/15992/
Western Watersheds Project's Erik Molvar writes, "Cheney had one major conservation achievement: the Wyoming Wilderness Act of 1984. Otherwise, his record was dominated by environmental destruction."
cowboystatedaily.com/2025/11/21/g...
cowboystatedaily.com/2025/11/21/g...
Guest Column: Dick Cheney's Checkered Conservation Legacy
Western Watersheds Project's Erik Molvar writes, "Cheney had one major conservation achievement: the Wyoming Wilderness Act of 1984. Otherwise, his record…
cowboystatedaily.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Western Watersheds Project's Erik Molvar writes, "Cheney had one major conservation achievement: the Wyoming Wilderness Act of 1984. Otherwise, his record was dominated by environmental destruction."
cowboystatedaily.com/2025/11/21/g...
cowboystatedaily.com/2025/11/21/g...
The Kendall Warm Springs dace clings to survival in a small spring in Wyoming. The agency charged with protecting it is proposing trampling as a recovery strategy.
Hooves in the Water: The Forest Service’s Risky Experiment with an Endangered Fish
The Kendall Warm Springs dace clings to survival in a small spring in Wyoming. The agency charged with protecting it is proposing trampling as a recovery strategy.
westernwatersheds.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:55 PM
The Kendall Warm Springs dace clings to survival in a small spring in Wyoming. The agency charged with protecting it is proposing trampling as a recovery strategy.
The only thing the 2024 Rule did was spell out that conservation is a real, coequal use under FLPMA, and that’s something the livestock lobby has fought for generations: actual accountability.
The Public Lands Livestock Lobby is Showing You Who They Are. Believe Them.
They claim they “value the land the most” and praise conservation in speeches, then fight it in practice. Their reaction to the Public Lands Rule makes that crystal clear.
westernwatersheds.substack.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:36 PM
The only thing the 2024 Rule did was spell out that conservation is a real, coequal use under FLPMA, and that’s something the livestock lobby has fought for generations: actual accountability.
A new CounterPunch piece by WWPs executive director, Erik Molvar and Southern Utah director, Laura Welp argues that with the Biden Conservation Rule on the chopping block, we have a rare chance to build something stronger — a Conservation Rule worthy of the West.
A Conservation Rule to Match Our Mountains
The comment period has just closed on the Trump administration’s process to rescind the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, which has been framed as
www.counterpunch.org
November 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
A new CounterPunch piece by WWPs executive director, Erik Molvar and Southern Utah director, Laura Welp argues that with the Biden Conservation Rule on the chopping block, we have a rare chance to build something stronger — a Conservation Rule worthy of the West.
Join WWP for a live demo of Cow Pie Pal, our new smartphone app that empowers public lands users to document livestock damage and hold agencies accountable.
NOV 19 @ 6PM MT. REGISTER: tinyurl.com/cowpiepal
NOV 19 @ 6PM MT. REGISTER: tinyurl.com/cowpiepal
November 13, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Join WWP for a live demo of Cow Pie Pal, our new smartphone app that empowers public lands users to document livestock damage and hold agencies accountable.
NOV 19 @ 6PM MT. REGISTER: tinyurl.com/cowpiepal
NOV 19 @ 6PM MT. REGISTER: tinyurl.com/cowpiepal
Strip away the rhetoric and you’ll find a well-funded effort to weaken the ESA, vilify wolves, and tighten industry power over the West.
Western Injustice - The Livestock Industry’s Power Grab to Block Wildlife Recovery
Strip away the rhetoric and you’ll find a well-funded effort to weaken the ESA, vilify wolves, and tighten industry power over the West.
westernwatersheds.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Strip away the rhetoric and you’ll find a well-funded effort to weaken the ESA, vilify wolves, and tighten industry power over the West.
“Taylor knows where he belongs,” Claire Musser of GC Wolf Recovery Project. “Wolves like him are showing us what real recovery looks like, not confined by arbitrary lines, but led by instinct, resilience and the search for connection.If we truly care about their survival, we must let lobos lead.”
Roaming Mexican gray wolf moved south of I-40 a second time
New Mexico’s Department of Game and Fish relocated an endangered Mexican gray wolf on Friday after it strayed from is boundary a second time, drawing criticism from advocacy groups.
www.abqjournal.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:43 PM
“Taylor knows where he belongs,” Claire Musser of GC Wolf Recovery Project. “Wolves like him are showing us what real recovery looks like, not confined by arbitrary lines, but led by instinct, resilience and the search for connection.If we truly care about their survival, we must let lobos lead.”
"At the core of the plan — a joint venture between USDA and the Department of the Interior — is a pledge to “streamline and expand grazing on federal lands.”
Translation: fewer environmental safeguards, more cows. "
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/11/12/u...
Translation: fewer environmental safeguards, more cows. "
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/11/12/u...
USDA’s beef industry plan sells out public lands • Oregon Capital Chronicle
The Beef Industry Plan doesn’t strengthen the West — it destroys our fragile ecosystems and puts wildlife at risk while degrading recreational experiences like hunting and fishing.
oregoncapitalchronicle.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:38 PM
"At the core of the plan — a joint venture between USDA and the Department of the Interior — is a pledge to “streamline and expand grazing on federal lands.”
Translation: fewer environmental safeguards, more cows. "
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/11/12/u...
Translation: fewer environmental safeguards, more cows. "
oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2025/11/12/u...
They are calling the Public Lands Rule "government overreach" when in fact, FLPMA already established conservation as a legitimate and coequal part of the Bureau of Land Management’s multiple-use and sustained-yield mandate.
www.eenews.net/articles/wes...
www.eenews.net/articles/wes...
Western Republicans push Burgum to kill public lands rule
Members of both parties are looking to influence the administration on the Biden-era rulemaking.
www.eenews.net
November 11, 2025 at 5:15 PM
They are calling the Public Lands Rule "government overreach" when in fact, FLPMA already established conservation as a legitimate and coequal part of the Bureau of Land Management’s multiple-use and sustained-yield mandate.
www.eenews.net/articles/wes...
www.eenews.net/articles/wes...
We dive into the record of Steve Pearce, the nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management.
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/steve-pear...
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/steve-pear...
Steve Pearce’s Record on Public Lands
The former New Mexico congressman nominated to lead the Bureau of Land Management has a long history of opposing conservation measures.
westernwatersheds.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:07 PM
We dive into the record of Steve Pearce, the nominee to lead the Bureau of Land Management.
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/steve-pear...
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/steve-pear...
“It’s ridiculous to keep moving wolves back south of Interstate 40 when wolves have clearly decided there’s great habitat to the north of the highway,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project.
New Mexico Fish and Game stops wandering wolf “Taylor” in his tracks, sends him south for the second time - Western Watersheds Project
For immediate release: November 10, 2025 Media contacts: Greta Anderson, Western Watersheds Project (520) 623-1878, [email protected] Chris Smith, WildEarth Guardians (505) 395-6177, csmi...
westernwatersheds.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:55 PM
“It’s ridiculous to keep moving wolves back south of Interstate 40 when wolves have clearly decided there’s great habitat to the north of the highway,” said Greta Anderson, deputy director of Western Watersheds Project.
The BLM is defying a court order halting the massive Converse County Oil & Gas Project in WY—quietly approving new wells without public input or sound science. We’re back in court to stop this illegal drilling spree.
westernwatersheds.org/2025/11/comm...
westernwatersheds.org/2025/11/comm...
Community groups file court action to protect resources, public involvement in massive Wyoming drilling project - Western Watersheds Project
For Immediate Release November 5, 2025 Contact: Donna Birkholz, Executive Director, Powder River Basin Resource Council, (307) 672-5809 Erik Molvar, Executive Director, Western Watersheds Project, (30...
westernwatersheds.org
November 6, 2025 at 2:17 PM
The BLM is defying a court order halting the massive Converse County Oil & Gas Project in WY—quietly approving new wells without public input or sound science. We’re back in court to stop this illegal drilling spree.
westernwatersheds.org/2025/11/comm...
westernwatersheds.org/2025/11/comm...
In Catron County, New Mexico, emails from the president of the state’s cattle growers’ association to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reveal just how far the livestock lobby will go to assert dominance over public policy and the wild.
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/public-rec...
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/public-rec...
Public records reveal a wolf maimed and the system that allowed it
Newly released documents show how power and loopholes in state laws still trump protection for endangered wolves.
westernwatersheds.substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:36 PM
In Catron County, New Mexico, emails from the president of the state’s cattle growers’ association to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reveal just how far the livestock lobby will go to assert dominance over public policy and the wild.
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/public-rec...
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/public-rec...
The Senate could take up FOFA any day now. If it passes, it will roll back decades of environmental safeguards under NEPA and the Endangered Species Act, gut judicial review, and entrench corporate management of public lands for a generation.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The Fire Fix That Never Was
Senators are about to vote on a bill that would gut bedrock environmental protections, privatize forest management, and greenwash destruction as “restoration.”
substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:18 PM
The Senate could take up FOFA any day now. If it passes, it will roll back decades of environmental safeguards under NEPA and the Endangered Species Act, gut judicial review, and entrench corporate management of public lands for a generation.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
CALLING ALL FED'L WORKERS! Join EPN, PEER, and GAP for a crucial 90-min webinar. They’ll cover the rights of whistleblowers and practical tools for confidential and responsible communication. The session will conclude with a live Q&A to address questions. 11/6 @ 6 EST. RSVP: tinyurl.com/fedlworkers
November 3, 2025 at 5:04 PM
CALLING ALL FED'L WORKERS! Join EPN, PEER, and GAP for a crucial 90-min webinar. They’ll cover the rights of whistleblowers and practical tools for confidential and responsible communication. The session will conclude with a live Q&A to address questions. 11/6 @ 6 EST. RSVP: tinyurl.com/fedlworkers
More than 450 former NPS employees, including two past directors of the agency and more than 90 former park superintendents, last week urged Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to close all the national parks until the government reopens.
Shutdown, staffing cuts taking a toll at National Park Service - Roll Call
The government shutdown has advocates for national parks fearful for the future of America’s “crown jewels” as more layoffs are threatened.
rollcall.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:58 PM
More than 450 former NPS employees, including two past directors of the agency and more than 90 former park superintendents, last week urged Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to close all the national parks until the government reopens.
Adam Bronstein with the Western Watersheds Project said the government is supposed to balance protections for species like elk and deer and threatened or endangered animals. Opening up vacant lands could damage habitat and ecosystems for wildlife, he said.
www.opb.org/article/2025...
www.opb.org/article/2025...
Feds propose opening up more public lands for cattle grazing in Oregon, Western states
The Trump administration recently put out a plan to support domestic cattle ranchers. Some Oregon cattlemen are skeptical, and conservation groups say it will weaken environmental oversight on public ...
www.opb.org
October 31, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Adam Bronstein with the Western Watersheds Project said the government is supposed to balance protections for species like elk and deer and threatened or endangered animals. Opening up vacant lands could damage habitat and ecosystems for wildlife, he said.
www.opb.org/article/2025...
www.opb.org/article/2025...
In a historic act of justice and renewal, the Tule River Indian Tribe of California has reclaimed over 17,000 acres of their ancestral homelands in the Sierra Nevada foothills -- the largest land return in the region’s history.
Tule River Indian Tribe of California reclaims over 17,000 acres and reintroduces tule elk on ancestral land | Governor of California
www.gov.ca.gov
October 30, 2025 at 7:27 PM
In a historic act of justice and renewal, the Tule River Indian Tribe of California has reclaimed over 17,000 acres of their ancestral homelands in the Sierra Nevada foothills -- the largest land return in the region’s history.
A new federal “Beef Industry Plan” reveals how the administration intends to expand grazing, weaken oversight, and lock in subsidies that keep cattle on failing western public lands.
Inside the New USDA Plans to Entrench Livestock on Public Lands
A new federal “Beef Industry Plan” reveals how the administration intends to expand grazing, weaken oversight, and lock in subsidies that keep cattle on failing western public lands.
westernwatersheds.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:21 PM
A new federal “Beef Industry Plan” reveals how the administration intends to expand grazing, weaken oversight, and lock in subsidies that keep cattle on failing western public lands.
"If we’re lucky, a family of beavers will come along and make this analogue their home, even tearing out our handiwork to construct something they like better that’s more permanent and sturdier. Beavers are, after all, professional furry engineers, who perfected their craft over millennia."
Fake beaver dams help restore Wyoming wetlands - WyoFile
Biologists, volunteers and others gather to install beaver dam analogues in hopes the real critters will eventually move in.
wyofile.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:19 PM
"If we’re lucky, a family of beavers will come along and make this analogue their home, even tearing out our handiwork to construct something they like better that’s more permanent and sturdier. Beavers are, after all, professional furry engineers, who perfected their craft over millennia."
The worldview that carved presidents into the Black Hills still defines how we treat public lands—who profits from them, who is displaced, and what stories are allowed to endure.
The Myths We Carve Into Stone and Policy
From Mount Rushmore to modern ranching, America’s story of the West is still being told from one side.
open.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:09 PM
The worldview that carved presidents into the Black Hills still defines how we treat public lands—who profits from them, who is displaced, and what stories are allowed to endure.
“This administration is doubling down and making sure that America’s precious western public lands operate as a below-cost feedlot for special interest groups,” Josh Osher, public policy director with Western Watersheds Project.
Trump’s Argentine beef move causes ‘great concern, some panic’ - WyoFile
Wyoming beef producers watch prices plunge with the president’s plan to quadruple imports from Argentina.
wyofile.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:28 PM
“This administration is doubling down and making sure that America’s precious western public lands operate as a below-cost feedlot for special interest groups,” Josh Osher, public policy director with Western Watersheds Project.
Just one ranch in Washington is responsible for more than 70% of the state’s wolf kills. And the majority of the ranch’s cows? According to the USFS, they shouldn’t even be grazing there.
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/a-closer-l...
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/a-closer-l...
A closer look at some of Washington state’s problem public land ranchers and their continuing war against wolves
Powerful ranching interests continue to drive Washington’s war on wolves on public lands the Forest Service itself has deemed largely unsuitable for grazing.
westernwatersheds.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Just one ranch in Washington is responsible for more than 70% of the state’s wolf kills. And the majority of the ranch’s cows? According to the USFS, they shouldn’t even be grazing there.
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/a-closer-l...
westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/a-closer-l...