This week on The Wild Line, we’re tracking the Senate’s imminent floor vote on Steve Pearce’s nomination as BLM Director, Montana’s escalating campaign against American Prairie’s bison grazing permits, a federal land transfer tied to the Ambler Road corridor in Alaska, an Alaska court ruling allowing unlimited bear killing in southwest Alaska, a pending Forest Service decision on chainsaw use in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, and the death of conservationist Ted Turner. From nomination fights to wilderness policy to bison restoration, the pressure on public lands is building on every front.

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

Senate Prepares to Vote on Steve Pearce as BLM Director — Opponents Have Until May 11

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced Steve Pearce’s nomination as Bureau of Land Management Director on March 4, 2026, and a full Senate floor vote is scheduled for May 11. Pearce, a former New Mexico congressman with deep financial ties to the oil and gas industry, has been a long-standing opponent of public lands protections — a record that critics argue disqualifies him from leading an agency that manages 245 million acres on behalf of all Americans. Conservation Lands Foundation has a tool linked below to contact your senators by email or phone before the vote.

Contact your Senators via Conservation Lands Foundation

Montana Moves to Strip American Prairie’s Bison Grazing Permits on State Trust Lands

Following the federal government’s earlier revocation of American Prairie’s BLM grazing permits, Montana’s state land board is now taking parallel steps to revoke the organization’s bison grazing permits on state trust lands — a push driven by the Montana Stockgrowers Association at the direction of Governor Greg Gianforte. American Prairie’s herd of just under 900 bison has other lands available, though the organization runs roughly ten times that number of animals in its cattle program. Tribal communities are watching closely, given that many tribal bison herds have originated from American Prairie’s population, raising concerns that state and federal intervention could eventually reach tribal restoration efforts.

Listen to our conversations with American Prairie on The Wild Idea podcast

Federal Government Transfers 1.4 Million Acres of Public Land to Alaska for Ambler Road Corridor

The Department of Interior this week transferred 1.4 million acres of public land to the state of Alaska along the Dalton Corridor north of the Yukon River — lands the state has openly indicated will support the controversial Ambler Road project. The road is designed to open access for oil, gas, and other extractive industries, with much of the anticipated natural gas production destined for export to Asian markets. The transfer marks a significant escalation in a project that has drawn sustained opposition from conservation groups and Alaska Native communities.

Alaska Court Allows Unlimited Bear Killing Program to Continue Through Caribou Calving Season

An Anchorage Superior Court judge has allowed Alaska’s program permitting the killing of an unlimited number of bears across a large region of southwest Alaska to continue, ruling against a bid by the Alaska Wildlife Alliance and the Center for Biological Diversity to pause it. The two groups filed suit in late 2025 arguing the program violated the Alaska Constitution, but Judge Adolf Zeman found that blocking it would irreparably harm the state’s efforts to recover the Mulchatna Caribou Herd and preserve limited hunting access for local communities. The judge also ruled the conservation groups had not demonstrated a sufficient likelihood of success on the merits.

Forest Service Poised to Authorize Chainsaw Use in Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness

A decision from the U.S. Forest Service appears imminent that would authorize outfitters in Idaho’s Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness to use chainsaws for trail clearing — and outfitters are apparently already packing the equipment in ahead of any official ruling. The Wilderness Act prohibits motorized equipment and commercial services in designated wilderness, though the agency has long authorized outfitting as necessary for public recreation access, and chainsaws have occasionally been permitted in extraordinary circumstances following major storm events. The question now is whether the agency is extending outfitter convenience beyond the minimum-tool standard the law intends.

Ted Turner, Conservationist and Owner of the World’s Largest Private Bison Herd, Dies at 87

Ted Turner, founder of CNN and a defining force in American conservation for four decades, died this week at 87. Through private ranching operations in Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, and New Mexico — and the Turner Foundation’s work on public land conservation — Turner protected roughly 2 million acres across 15 or more ranches in the American West. He was also the owner of the world’s largest private bison herd, estimated at between 45,000 and 51,000 animals.

Next Week

That’s our report for May 8, 2026.

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

Until then — Act Up and Run Wild.

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