By Amanda Parrish, The Lands Council Executive Director
Cover photo courtesy of The Lands Council
Our public lands are one of our nation’s greatest assets: providing clean drinking water, storing carbon and offering large tracts of intact habitat. When managed well and with community involvement, they are also the cornerstone for sustainable rural economies. Yet there is a persistent push to sell off public lands despite broad bipartisan opposition.
Staffing reductions within our federal land agencies have already limited access to our national forests. The current administration is asking federal land managers to do more with less staff, often prioritizing rapid resource extraction without any balance toward ecosystem health, water quality or long-term economic sustainability. This administration is also working to limit or remove public comment for many projects, inhibiting scientific and community voices.
These reductions extend to our federal research branches: USGS, NOAA, NIH, CDC, and the EPA. This has rolled back regulations for pollution that will have impacts on the health of rivers, clean air and public health. Cuts to USGS and NOAA are directly impacting our ability to support the Tribal-led salmon reintroduction in our region.
Meanwhile, critical federal funding sources are being pulled back or locked up in court cases. With fewer dollars, more organizations are applying for the same funding sources to get their work done. In the West Plains, PFAS, a harmful “forever chemical,” is contaminating drinking water. The West Plains Water Coalition is poised to tackle this issue, but their potential funding is stalled at the state level.
Despite all this, your local conservation organizations, including The Lands Council, remain hard at work: keeping our trails open and accessible, advocating for forest restoration projects that help protect our communities and habitat, planting trees in your neighborhood, safeguarding the Spokane River to keep it clean and swimmable and protecting our drinking water sources. Our public lands and the resources they hold are for all of us to rely on and enjoy. It’s up to all of us to defend and sustain them. Learn more at Landscouncil.org.
