Public Lands Conservancy

Public Lands Conservancy The Public Lands Conservancy is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and appropriately managing public lands.

We believe public lands belong to all Americans, forever. Public lands are the heart and soul of America; a fundamental part of our nation’s legacy. They are places where we find inspiration, recreation, happiness, joy, challenge, reflection, pride, and renewal. Places that tell and educate us about the stories of America. This is accomplished by educating the American public about the value of pu

blic-owned lands administered by local, state and federal governments. The Public Lands Conservancy (PLC) is a non-profit corporation.

These redirected funds cut out park projects that were deemed higher priorities by the National Park Service. "The Natio...
05/29/2026

These redirected funds cut out park projects that were deemed higher priorities by the National Park Service.

"The National Park Service is using at least $67 million worth of park entrance fees to help fund President Trump’s beautification projects in Washington, according to a New York Times analysis of federal records.

Nearly $60 million in fees paid by visitors to national parks across the country is funding repairs to nine of the capital’s ornamental fountains, the analysis found. The government is putting another $7 million worth of entrance fees toward the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which costs $13.1 million overall, according to an internal Park Service document reviewed by The Times.

The analysis was based on a federal contracting database. The $7 million for the Reflecting Pool has not previously been reported.

Mr. Trump has proposed a host of initiatives to remake Washington in his own style and wants these projects completed by July 4, the 250th anniversary of American independence."

The administration is spending at least $67 million worth of fees paid by visitors to national parks on fixing D.C. fountains and the Reflecting Pool.

Yosemite is a mess."Yosemite National Park is seeing heavy congestion at the start of its first summer without a timed r...
05/26/2026

Yosemite is a mess.

"Yosemite National Park is seeing heavy congestion at the start of its first summer without a timed reservation system, with visitors reporting long lines, limited parking and crowded conditions throughout the park.

So far this year, Yosemite has recorded nearly 100,000 more visitors than at the same point last year, contributing to what many describe as chaotic conditions.

"I would say by 7:30, the entire park, it was impossible to park there. There's nowhere to park for anybody," said visitor John Leerskov.

Visitors waiting to find parking, board shuttles and access popular viewpoints.

"It was a lot of shoulder to shoulder, a lot of chaos, a lot of angry people, a lot of oblivious people," Leerskov said.

It looks like some grew impatient, with videos showing dozens of cars illegally parked.

"People pulling onto meadows, pulling off pavement, going off-road. The lines to get even shuttles around the park, I mean, from the videos were just horrendous," said conservationist and author Beth Pratt. "

Have you been to Yosemite recently after it ended its reservation system? Well, the transition is proving to be chaotic. Over the holiday weekend, visitors were met with long lines, limited parking, and crowded conditions throughout the park.

A tool for guiding your vote in this election."A new accountability tool shows exactly how every member of Congress vote...
05/23/2026

A tool for guiding your vote in this election.

"A new accountability tool shows exactly how every member of Congress voted on national parks, forests, and wilderness areas—stripping away the political noise. Here’s how to see whether your representatives are in support of public lands."

A new accountability tool shows exactly how every member of Congress voted on national parks, forests, and wilderness areas—stripping away the political noise. Here’s how to see whether your representatives are in support of public lands.

"More than 150 researchers and scientific institutions have called on lawmakers to reject legislation that would strip G...
05/17/2026

"More than 150 researchers and scientific institutions have called on lawmakers to reject legislation that would strip Grand Staircase-Escalante of federal protections granted in 2025. Such a move, they warn, could set a dangerous precedent for rolling back protections on public lands nationwide.

“This isn’t about one monument—it’s a precedent. If Congress can undo Grand Staircase, legal experts warn any monument could be next,” Chris Hill, CEO of the nonprofit advocacy group Conservation Lands Foundation, told Outside.

Established as a national monument in 1996, Grand Staircase-Escalante is renowned for its slot canyons, red rock monoliths, sandstone arches, and painted desert. It’s the largest national monument in the contiguous United States, encompassing nearly 4,000 square miles.

The coalition of scientists also says the Grand Staircase is one of the most important living laboratories in North America."

Conservationists warn that Utah politicians are weaponizing an obscure legislative tool to dismantle the management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante. If they succeed, it could throw outdoor recreation and conservation into “chaos” nationwide.

More bad news for public land management. "The interior department is canceling a rule that put conservation on equal fo...
05/12/2026

More bad news for public land management.

"The interior department is canceling a rule that put conservation on equal footing with development, as Donald Trump’s administration eases restrictions on industries and seeks to boost drilling, logging, mining and grazing on taxpayer-owned land.

The 2024 rule adopted under Joe Biden was meant to refocus the interior department’s Bureau of Land Management, which oversees about 10% of land in the US. It allowed public property to be leased for restoration in the same way that oil companies lease land for drilling."

Move comes as administration seeks to boost drilling, logging, mining and grazing on taxpayer-owned land

"Proper communication was, in some ways, doomed from the very first announcement. The fee changes to U.S. national parks...
05/05/2026

"Proper communication was, in some ways, doomed from the very first announcement. The fee changes to U.S. national parks were announced just five weeks before they were set to be implemented.

Given the international audience that needed to be reached, there was no campaign that could have possibly spread the message wide enough and thoroughly enough to reach everyone who could be affected.

Even if the information could have been shared that quickly, the announcement didn't come soon enough for people to factor it into their international plans.

According to the International Inbound Travel Association, international trips for the 2026 peak season have been booked anywhere from six months to two years in advance, meaning that most trips were booked with the previous pricing factored in."

National park rangers are dealing with the fallout as many tourists don't know about the new $100-per-person surcharges due to communication failures.

Some good news for public lands. In contrast to Washington's efforts to slash the National Park Service, US Forest Serv...
05/02/2026

Some good news for public lands. In contrast to Washington's efforts to slash the National Park Service, US Forest Service, and other land management agencies' budgets and staffing.

"Across the country, nonprofits, state and local governments, and willing landowners are adding acreage to national parks, forests, and community green spaces, proving that while Washington can make public lands harder to protect, it has not stopped people from expanding them.

Outside spoke with David Patton, vice president and managing director of the Center for Community Impact at Trust for Public Land, about recent acquisitions of public lands.

“We are not seeing a lack of interest in public lands,” Patton told Outside. “People still love having high-quality outdoor spaces, and it’s up to us as a community to continue to advocate for them.”

He cited a 2025 report showing that outdoor recreation contributes $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy and sustains five million jobs. National parks, often seen as a measure of the public’s appetite for public lands, welcomed 331.9 million visitors."

From a magical stretch of the California coast to 50,000 acres in Montana, conservationists are still finding ways to set aside land for protection.

Big Bend National Park, an amazing natural and biological treasure, is under threat. "A lawsuit has been filed to block ...
04/25/2026

Big Bend National Park, an amazing natural and biological treasure, is under threat.

"A lawsuit has been filed to block the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from building a border wall through the Big Bend region of Texas, arguing that the government unconstitutionally waived environmental regulations and laws to fast-track the construction.

“The Department of Homeland Security has unconstitutionally gutted our nation’s bedrock environmental laws to build a wildlife-killing wall that would permanently lock away the Rio Grande,” said Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This is straight out of the playbook they used in Arizona, where federal contractors blew up sacred Indigenous sites, bulldozed canyon walls and drained precious aquifers to build border walls. They’re trying to slam an iron curtain through the Big Bend region, gouging a wound that will never heal into one of America’s most beautiful wild places.”

The lawsuit was filed Thursday by the Center, Friends of the Ruidosa Church, and a Big Bend-area river guide and landowner."

A lawsuit has been filed to block the Department of Homeland Security from building a border wall through the Big Bend region of Texas, arguing that the government unconstitutionally waived environmental regulations and laws to fast-track the construction.

"A lawsuit was filed Wednesday to block mining operations by an Australian company in Mojave National Preserve in Califo...
04/16/2026

"A lawsuit was filed Wednesday to block mining operations by an Australian company in Mojave National Preserve in California.

The challenge, brought by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), claims the Bureau of Land Management was in error when it agreed last year to let Dateline Resources, Ltd., resume operations at the Colosseum Mine, which until recently had sat idle.

The mine had operated intermittently as a gold and silver shaft mine from the 1860s until 1942, according to NPCA, and "during the 1970s, there was renewed interest from investors and the mine changed ownership several times between 1972 and 1989. It was closed and went into reclamation in 1993."

NPCA staff alleged a year ago that Dateline Resources was illegally working on the site for some time despite the National Park Service issuing cease-and-desist orders, and had caused $200,000 in damages to the preserve."

A lawsuit was filed Wednesday to block mining operations by an Australian company in Mojave National Preserve in California.

"After a Trump administration–appointed panel rolled back endangered species protections near ten Gulf Coast national pa...
04/16/2026

"After a Trump administration–appointed panel rolled back endangered species protections near ten Gulf Coast national park sites, critics have sued the federal government, accusing it of playing God with threatened wildlife.

On March 31, the Endangered Species Committee (ESC), a seven-member panel comprised of political appointees, voted to allow oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico to bypass regulatory requirements. Dubbed the “God Squad” for its power to decide whether a species survives or goes extinct, the ESC can override the Endangered Species Act (ESA) when it deems economic or national security interests take priority over conservation.

The environmental groups behind the suit say the oil and gas operations will jeopardize several species, including the Rice whale, one of the rarest whale species in the world.

“It’s a false choice to have to choose between drilling and endangered species,” Catherine Wannamaker, an attorney involved in the case, told Outside. “There is no need for this exemption, period.”"

A federal panel just gave the oil industry a free pass to bypass wildlife protections near ten National Park Service sites. Now, environmentalists are suing to stop them.

Address

Point Reyes Station, CA

Telephone

+14152330303

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Public Lands Conservancy posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Public Lands Conservancy:

Shortcuts

Share

Category