Ground Truth Blog
Wildfire Caucus
Congressman John Curtis (R-Utah) and Congressman Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) formed the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus in the second month of the 117th Congress. A press release issued by the offices of both congressmen says the new caucus “seeks to elevate awareness and...
Haaland Makes History at Interior
Interior Secretary Debra Anne Haaland became the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary when she took the oath of office on March 16. She won confirmation in the Senate on a 51-40 vote. She is a member of the Laguna Pueblo and a 35th-generation New...
No Pass from Forest Service ‘Nanny State’
The Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon, recently published an editorial by FSEEE Executive Director Andy Stahl, in which he takes the Forest Service to task for closing large portions of many national forests following forest fires. "According to the Forest Service,...
FSEEE Comments on Grounding of World’s Largest Firefighting Plane
Associated Press journalist Patty Nieberg recently reported on the grounding of the world's largest firefighting plane, the Global SuperTanker, based in Colorado. She contacted FSEEE Executive Director Andy Stahl for an expert opinion: "Some fire experts, like Andy...
FSEEE Voices Support for Mushroom Hunters, Criticizes Post-Fire Forest Closures
The Salem Statesman Journal reports that a unique culinary opportunity is being thwarted by forest managers in Oregon. Morel mushrooms, specifically fire morels, are known for their prolific production following wildfires like last year's Labor Day fires. "It's hard...
Forest Service Partnerships and Volunteers
As funding for public lands agencies has dwindled, the Forest Service has turned to nonprofit partnerships and volunteers (P/Vs) to help keep boots on the ground. The Forest Service Wilderness Advisory Group (WAG) examined this trend in 2008, identifying the top 10...
As if 2020 Wasn’t Bad Enough Already
The U.S. set a record that may have escaped notice at year's end, given the distractions of an accelerating pandemic. 2020 brought a new wildfire record—10.3 million acres burned—breaking the 2015 record by 200,000 acres. “In 2020, we saw some of the hottest months on...
Whitebark Pine
In December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed listing whitebark pine (pinus albicaulisis) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), nearly 30 years after protections were first proposed. Native to the mountains of the western United States...
‘Conservation Value of National Forest Roadless Areas’
In 2001, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule prohibited road construction and timber harvesting on more than 90,000 square miles of inventoried roadless areas (IRAs) in National Forests. Since these areas are not protected by legislation, 40 percent of these lands are...
Trump’s Forest Service Legacy
Donald J. Trump’s environmental legacy will be remembered as one of the most destructive in the nation’s history. While he and his enablers unleashed a preponderance of their environmental attacks through the Bureau of Land Management and the Environmental Protection...
Vilsack Confirmed to Head Ag Department
While President Joe Biden’s picks to head the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency will make history if confirmed, his nomination of Tom Vilsack to lead the Department of Agriculture is considered politically safe, as reflected in the 92-7...
Trump Administration Redefines ‘Habitat’
In December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at the direction of Trump appointees, finalized a rule to limit the government’s ability to protect crucial ecosystems by redefining “habitat” as it relates to the designation of areas critical to the survival of...