This week’s Wild Line reports on major conservation developments, including the rollback of protections in Alaska’s North Slope, the revival of a mining project near the Boundary Waters, and threats to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Other stories cover proposed Wild and Scenic River designations in Montana, Louisiana’s cancellation of a landmark coastal restoration project, and public comments opening on a controversial Forest Service reorganization plan.

Interior Department Rescinds Protective Efforts in North Slope – Alaska

The Interior Department has rescinded two initiatives from the Biden Administration that sought to gather more data and public input on protecting sensitive landscapes in Alaska’s North Slope. These efforts could have influenced potential adjustments to the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska boundaries to improve subsistence access for Alaska Natives. Press Release Here

Secretary Doug Burgum stated, “Alaska’s resource potential has been held hostage for years,” and that the Trump Administration is “delivering certainty for industry.”

Boundary Waters Mining Project Revived – Minnesota

The Department of the Interior announced plans to allow the Bureau of Land Management to revive the Twin Metals copper-nickel mining project near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Deputy Secretary Katharine MacGregor rescinded a Biden-era legal opinion, effectively renewing the leases for Twin Metals Minnesota, a subsidiary of Chilean company Antofagasta.

The Biden Administration canceled the leases in 2022 and withdrew over 225,000 acres from mineral leasing for 20 years in 2023.

Proposed Funding Shifts and Cuts for Land and Water Conservation Fund

A Washington Post report revealed a draft Interior Department order to redirect Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) dollars traditionally used for land purchases and easements, toward maintenance of existing national parks and federal lands. This mirrors a prior DOI budget proposal that cut billions from land management agency budgets.

Separately, the White House Office of Management and Budget directed the Bureau of Land Management to halt certain LWCF-funded spending, including land acquisitions, cultural resource management, and wilderness management, through September 30. The restrictions exempt federal payroll, essential safety operations, and legally mandated payments.

Montana – Greater Yellowstone River Protections Proposed

Congressman Ryan Zinke introduced the Greater Yellowstone Recreation Enhancement and Tourism Act, which would add nearly 100 miles of the Madison River, Gallatin River, and select tributaries to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Louisiana – Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Canceled

Governor Jeff Landry canceled the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, called by the Audubon Society “the single-largest ecosystem restoration project in U.S. history, and the cornerstone of the state’s own Coastal Master Plan.”  

The project aimed to restore sediment flow from the Mississippi River to the Barataria Basin, reversing decades of wetland loss and protecting habitat and coastal communities. Without it, the basin could lose 550 square miles over the next 50 years.

“The only project that meets the scale of the need here is a project like the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion that reconnects the Mississippi River to the wetlands. We have a very big problem down here, and small projects will not address that; they need to be large, bold, and science-driven. If we want any hope of continuing to live here, to work here, to produce everything we do for the rest of the nation, it will take large-scale projects, and that’s what the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is. The real issue here is not money, it’s not science, it’s not community—it’s purely politics. For over two decades, Louisiana’s coastal program has maintained that the only fair way to make project decisions is to maximize the role of science… and all of that is at stake if we stray away from those principles.”
– Lauren Bourg, Director of the Mississippi River Delta Program for the National Audubon Society

USDA – Forest Service Reorganization Comment Period Opens

Following July 25 reporting on USDA’s proposed reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service, Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins opened a 30-day public comment period ending August 26.
The plan would:

• Phase out nine Regional USFS Offices
• Consolidate research stations into Fort Collins, CO
• Maintain a reduced state office in Juneau, AK, and an eastern service center in Athens, GA
• Relocate 2,600 DC-based positions to five regional hubs

Critics warn the plan would further reduce already understaffed operations, resulting in closed campgrounds, unmaintained trails, and less public land access. The closure of the Southern Research Station in Asheville, NC—currently studying post-Hurricane Helene fire risk—would be a major loss.

To comment: Email reorganization@usda.gov by August 26.

Next week on The Wild Line

More news and stories from the intersection of land, water, and people.
And on Tuesday’s episode of The Wild Idea Podcast, we talk with Joseph Whitson about his new book Marketing The Wilderness.

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