Ground Truth

A Nevada ranching family that battled federal land managers for decades must remove its cattle from public lands and pay $587,294 in fines for “repeated willful unauthorized grazing.” Wayne N. Hage must file a statement of compliance by mid April or face a contempt of...

Federal wildlife officials have launched a series of public forums to discuss a proposal to reintroduce grizzly bears to the North Cascade Mountains of Washington state and British Columbia. Plans call for reestablishing a population of about 200 grizzlies in the...

In a move widely viewed as a nod toward proponents of local control of public lands, the House of Representatives yesterday voted to scrap a new rule governing planning conducted by the Bureau of Land Management. Supporters of the “Planning 2.0” rule say it would...

Utah Representative Jason Chaffetz announced last night that he will withdraw a bill that called for transferring more than 3 million acres of federal land to state ownership. The Republican’s abrupt move came after a fierce public backlash, including from hunters and...

A federal judge has delivered a stinging rebuke to the Forest Service, ruling the agency violated the Wilderness Act by sanctioning the use of helicopters in Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness last year. U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill...

Today marks the beginning of a new era for our public lands. There are many questions yet to be answered: Who will become the chief of the Forest Service? What strategies will the new administration pursue for our public lands? How far will Congress go to weaken our...

Sonny Perdue, a former Georgia governor who famously led a prayer vigil for rain outside the state Capitol during a drought, is president-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Agriculture, which oversees the Forest Service. Trump announced his choice...

On September 17, 2016, six fires sparked along a remote road on the Modoc National Forest in California—the presumed work of an arsonist. As is the case with 98 percent of wildfires, four of the fires were contained within just a few hours, each burning less than half...

January 6, 2017 — A project to remove lead from an abandoned shooting range on Arizona’s Prescott National Forest should be completed by the end of the month, Forest Service officials say. But the cost of the cleanup, covered by taxpayers, has generated criticism from...

December 29, 2016 — In a rebuke to the Bundy family and its supporters, President Obama yesterday designated 300,000 acres in southern Nevada as a national monument. Obama also protected 1.35 million acres of federal land in southeastern Utah by creating the Bears...

December 21, 2016 — The long, slow process of revising the landmark Northwest Forest Plan took a step forward this month with the release of a draft “science synthesis” that examines current conditions on 24 million acres of public land. A team of 45 scientists...

Despite wide public opposition, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management this week opened sections of Ohio’s Wayne National Forest to potential oil and gas drilling. The agency offered 17 parcels on the national forest for private companies to lease for the purpose of...

December 9, 2016 — The main contractor for the largest forest restoration project ever attempted on national forests will pay a former partner more than $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit alleging fraud and breach of contract. Good Earth Power holds a contract with the...

November 22, 2016 — Forest Service officials this week gave a thumbs up to a controversial proposal to expand Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin ski area, including adding amenities designed to attract more summertime visitors. The expansion will add about 338 acres to the...