Public Lands

Sen. Jim Risch voted to advance Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management, igniting debate in Idaho over the future of the state's public lands.

Note: this is an encore edition of Reader’s Corner. The episode originally aired in March 2018.An interview with David Philipps about his book, Wild Horse Country.

Last year, lawmakers turned to the Congressional Review Act to overturn Biden-era resources plans. Now, the tool is being looked at to unwind other public lands management actions.

President Trump’s selection of Pearce has provoked a backlash from many environmental groups and local Western officials, who point to his record of supporting public land sales and the oil and gas industry.

A new investigation in taking a look at how ranching on public lands is outpacing federal oversight, leaving fragile landscapes and waterways at risk.

Congress' budget proposal for the National Park Service rejects the major slashes requested by the Trump Administration last year.

Idaho Matters is looking back at the big stories from 2023 in Idaho politics, culture, education and more.

With dwindling oversight, cattle are grazing where they’re not supposed to and in greater numbers or for longer periods than permitted. This can spread invasive plants, pushing out native species and worsening wildfire risk.

The Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands Rule put conservation on equal footing with grazing and energy production. The Trump administration is trying to roll it back.

Public lands are at the heart of the Gem State, but like many other wild spaces across the U.S., they are under threat.