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The agony and the ecstasy
Even when they’re beset by freezing rain or other forms of natural calamity, public lands bring peace, quiet, and miserable joy Public lands aren’t always perfect. The fish don’t always cooperate, and the mosquitoes do not care if you are trying to have a moment of peace. Consider it one of those Instagram vs. reality…
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A boom for trout (and taxpayers)
New drilling policies are a win for fish and wildlife. Now we need to modernize oil and gas leasing rules on public lands. Last month, as part of landmark climate legislation, Congress acted for the first time in decades to modernize the outdated oil and gas leasing program on our public lands. The reforms signed…
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National Wildlife Refuges need our help
Here's how we can fix crumbling infrastructure, re-open visitor centers, and hit key conservation targets on these overlooked public lands The National Wildlife Refuge System protects sensitive populations of fish, maintains healthy habitat, and manages land use based on conservation goals. Additionally, over 75 percent of National Wildlife Refuges are open to the public and…
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On protecting prime fishing spots, a balancing act
The Catch 22 of conservation: Can we love sensitive places to death? On a cloudy June day, a buddy and I found ourselves on a remote wildlife refuge in southwest Montana. This year, Montana has seen plenty of spring rain, and it had been raining hard before the trip. (Though, as the saying goes, we…
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4 bills to keep the West wild
With record high temperatures and historically low water levels, Congress needs to act quickly to conserve and protect some of America’s most cherished places With an estimated 47 percent of Western trout habitat at risk of being lost by 2080, Trout Unlimited is working to conserve public lands and fish habitat, and mitigate the impacts…
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Time to modernize a relic of westward expansion
To clean up the West’s abandoned mines, we need funding and liability protections for Good Samaritans who want to do the work This month marks the 150-year anniversary of the 1872 Mining Law, a relic of westward expansion and Manifest Destiny. Under the law, which governs hardrock mining on public lands, the federal government gave…
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Funding the public lands in your backyard
National Wildlife Refuges are overlooked (and underfunded) gems of America's public lands system. We're working to change that. The U.S. National Wildlife Refuge System offers some of our country’s most accessible recreation, including fishing. While this system of federal public lands received a slight increase in funding this year and the President's budget requests an…
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