This week on The Wild Line, we’re tracking the withdrawal of the Trump administration’s National Park Service nominee, a Forest Service plan to spray glyphosate across 10,000 acres of public land, a federal lawsuit to stop a controversial West Virginia highway, a proposed blast mine threatening the San Joaquin River, new University of Montana survey data on public lands attitudes, a coalition framework rejecting public land sell-offs as a housing fix, and the opening of a new trail at Red Rock Canyon. From farm bill stalemates to the gap between what Montana voters say and how their delegation votes, these stories cut to the heart of who controls — and who protects — America’s public lands.

🎧 Listen to the full episode for context, analysis, and what to watch next.

Trump Administration Withdraws National Park Service Nominee Scott Socha

The Trump administration pulled its nominee to lead the National Park Service this week, with hospitality executive Scott Socha citing personal reasons for his withdrawal. Socha’s company, Delaware North, held NPS concession contracts at major parks including the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone, and previously sued the Park Service in 2015 over a lost Yosemite contract. No replacement nominee has been announced. The NPS went without a permanent director throughout Trump’s first term, raising concerns about another extended leadership vacuum at the agency.

Montanans Say They Vote for Conservation — The Ballot Box Tells a Different Story

The University of Montana’s Crown of the Continent and Greater Yellowstone Initiative released their 2026 statewide survey this week, finding that Montanans overwhelmingly support public lands. The survey also found respondents say they prioritize conservation values when choosing candidates. But as Montana Free Press journalist Rob Chaney documents, that preference has rarely translated at the ballot box: the state’s congressional delegation has consistently voted against public land protections, from the Boundary Waters CRA — where all four members sided with a Chilean mining conglomerate — to Senator Steve Daines’s ongoing legislation to release Wilderness Study Area protections. Find the survey findings report and Montana Free Press article here.

Forest Service Plans to Spray Glyphosate on 10,000 Acres of Public Land

An investigative report from Mother Jones revealed that the Forest Service planned this spring to spray glyphosate across roughly 10,000 acres of public land, beginning in California, targeting leafy plants and shrubs that compete with commercially valuable conifers. The World Health Organization’s cancer agency has classified glyphosate as a probable carcinogen, and manufacturer Bayer has paid more than $12 billion in legal settlements over health claims linked to the chemical. In February, President Trump issued an executive order declaring glyphosate critical to national security and invoked the Defense Production Act to expand its domestic production. Read the full investigative report here.

Red Rock Legacy Trail Phase One Opens Near Las Vegas

Clark County and community partners including Save the Red Rock marked the opening of Phase One of the Red Rock Legacy Trail this week, a paved multi-use path that will eventually run 19 miles from the edge of Summerlin to Blue Diamond Road south of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. The project is designed to improve safety and access for cyclists, pedestrians, and non-motorized users as visitation to Red Rock Canyon has grown significantly in recent years.

CEMEX Blast Mine Proposal Threatens San Joaquin River and Fresno Water Supply

Gravel and cement company CEMEX is seeking a 100-year permit to operate a 600-foot-deep blast mine along the San Joaquin River, adjacent to Lost Lake County Park and just outside Fresno. The river serves as the primary water source for more than 30 million Californians and supports nearly half of the state’s $61 billion agricultural economy. The project would threaten local drinking water quality, downstream ecosystems, and several endangered species, and if approved, would delay completion of the restored San Joaquin River Parkway by a century. Californians can submit comments to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors via this link.

Housing and Public Lands Leaders Reject Land Sell-Off as Affordable Housing Fix

A coalition of national, regional, and local organizations this week unveiled Shared Ground: Aligning Affordable Housing & Public Lands Priorities, a joint policy framework pushing back on the notion that selling federal public lands is a viable solution to the housing affordability crisis. The framework argues that protecting public lands and expanding affordable housing access are complementary goals, not competing ones, and calls for real policy solutions amid growing pressure on both fronts — including continued underinvestment in federal housing programs and escalating proposals to sell or transfer public lands without public benefit. View the full framework at this link.

Citizen Groups Sue to Block Corridor H Highway Through George Washington National Forest

Two citizen organizations — Stewards of the Potomac Highlands and the Virginia Wilderness Committee — filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to halt construction of a seven-mile section of Corridor H highway in Hardy County, West Virginia. The groups argue the $542 million project would damage drinking water supplies, wildlife habitat, and the local rural economy, while cutting through the George Washington National Forest and bypassing Wardensville’s historic Main Street. Virginia has not planned its connecting section of the highway since 1995, meaning the West Virginia segment would dead-end at the state line, funneling traffic onto a two-lane designated scenic byway.

We heard from Andrew Young, staff attorney for the Allegheny-Blueridge Alliance:

The Virginia Wilderness Committee is focused on this for the long haul. It would bisect a really important future proposal that we’re working on for generations to come after us. It’s a complete boondoggle of a proposal where West Virginia, so many people on the ground have pivoted and see a better world on the horizon that doesn’t involve valley fills and four-lane highways through hundred-year-old forests, which is pretty old for the East. There’s a better way. This is a road to nowhere for nobody. 

Read more about the project here.

Next Week

That’s our report for May 1, 2026.

We’ll be back next week with more land stories that matter.

Until then — Act Up and Run Wild.

Learn more about opportunities to sponsor The Wild Idea.

Subscribe to our show on your favorite podcast player, and be sure to follow us on social media, too: we’re on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. You can also support the show through our Buy Me a Coffee page. 

We also send out a weekly newsletter with updates on our show: sign up for that list right here.