This week on The Wild Line, we’re tracking the White House’s repeal of decades-old off-road vehicle protections on public lands, House appropriations cuts to national parks and the EPA, the collapse of federal conservation program funding for farmers, and the withdrawal of NSF’s deep-sea ocean monitoring network. From rolling back environmental safeguards to shrinking the public institutions that protect land and water, these stories trace a consistent direction in 2026.

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

Trump Repeals Executive Orders Governing Off-Road Vehicle Use on Public Lands

Late last Friday, President Trump repealed Executive Orders 11644 (1972) and 11989 (1977), which required federal land managers to site off-road vehicle routes in ways that minimize damage to soil, watershed, vegetation, and wildlife habitat and limit conflicts with non-motorized recreation. The Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service were directed to rescind or revise their implementing regulations. The White House cited technological advances and reduced need; the practical effect is the removal of a framework that has guided how federal agencies balance motorized and non-motorized uses on public lands for more than 50 years.

House Appropriations Committee Approves FY2027 Interior and Environment Bill

The full House Appropriations Committee approved the FY2027 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill this week, investing $39 billion in natural resources and environmental protection — $7.4 billion above the White House budget request but $675 million below last year’s enacted level. National park operations and maintenance funds would be cut by $163 million under the bill. The legislation also includes policy riders limiting EPA enforcement of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and hazardous waste law, and removes incentives for state and local governments to prioritize renewable energy.

House Passes Battlefield Protection Reauthorization 404–13

In a 404–13 vote, the House approved HR 7618, the American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act, reauthorizing three federal battlefield preservation grant programs through 2036 at $20 million annually. The legislation, introduced by Representatives Jen Kiggans (R-VA) and Seth Magaziner (D-RI), also directs the National Park Service to develop strategic studies of French and Indian War and Mexican-American War sites, expanding program eligibility. The Senate companion bill, S.3524, was introduced by Senators Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA).

Senate Vote Could Undo Grand Staircase-Escalante’s Management Plan

A Congressional Review Act resolution introduced by Senator Mike Lee would overturn the current management plan for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, a plan developed by the BLM through a robust local collaborative process. Under the CRA’s expedited rules, Lee has until approximately Thursday, June 11 to force a floor vote by simple majority. If the bill does not come up for a vote before that deadline, or if it fails to win a simple majority, the effort is defeated. Steve Bloch, Legal Director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, joined the show to explain the stakes and the path forward. To take action, call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask your senators to vote no on Senate Joint Resolution 109. For more on the monument and the management plan, listen to our recent conversation with Steve Bloch and Autumn Gillard.

This is a moment where if listeners value wild landscapes, wild public places, if you’ve been to the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, or if you want to go there, or if you have a national monument or national park in your state, this is the time for you to get engaged. This is the time to make your voice heard. And what that looks like is calling the Senate switchboard and telling them where you’re from, and they will patch you through to your United States senators and tell those senators to vote no on Senate Joint Resolution 109, which is Mike Lee’s bill to undo the Grand Staircase Management Plan. – Steve Bloch

NSF Begins Pulling Deep-Sea Ocean Monitoring Stations

The National Science Foundation has begun withdrawing a network of deep-sea monitoring stations that have tracked ocean temperature, salinity, currents, and biological and hydrological data for more than a decade. The stations provide scientists with data on ocean circulation patterns, including currents that distribute heat globally and are shifting as the planet warms. NSF has said the withdrawal will allow its ocean science work to be more nimble; the decision comes as the Trump administration proposed cutting 80 percent of the foundation’s funding, though Congress has maintained full funding in recent appropriations cycles.

Farmer Participation in Federal Conservation Programs Collapses

A new report from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy found that in FY2025, just 24 percent of applicants to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and 37 percent of applicants to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) were awarded contracts — down sharply from 43 percent and 54 percent in FY2024. EQIP contracts fell by approximately 17,650 (a 37 percent drop) and CSP contracts by around 2,877 (a 21 percent drop). Not a single state saw an increase in EQIP awards, and the decline came as more farmers applied to both programs than the year before.

American Farmland Trust Launches LANDED Podcast

American Farmland Trust has launched LANDED, a new podcast exploring how farms and ranches transfer between generations — a process that shapes the future of rural communities and the broader food system. Bill and Anders will interview co-host Brooks Lamb live at the Old Salt Festival on the Mannix Family Ranch in Helmville, Montana later this month. Episode one is out now: Find it right here.

NPR Dissolves Its Climate Desk

NPR has laid off its chief climate editor, Neela Banerjee, and folded the dedicated climate desk into the general newsroom. Banerjee’s team organized NPR’s annual Climate Solutions Week and built a reporting collaborative of more than 50 member stations covering climate at the local level. The restructuring follows similar cuts at the Washington Post and CBS News, which Bill and Anders covered earlier this year. The pattern represents a sustained reduction in the institutional infrastructure dedicated to covering climate as a distinct beat.

Public Lands Events This Weekend and Next Week

Events for public lands advocates in the coming days: a Rally for the Roadless Rule at Briery Branch Reservoir in Virginia on Saturday, June 6 (10:00–11:30 AM ET), defending nearly 400,000 acres of Virginia national forest from road construction, logging, and mining, followed by a hike to Reddish Knob, where President Clinton announced the roadless protections in 1999; a virtual town hall on the proposed Cumberland Island National Seashore land exchange hosted by Wild Cumberland and Defenders of Wildlife on Tuesday, June 9 (7:00 PM ET); and a Los Padres Forest Watch community meeting on the Roadless Rule rollback in Santa Barbara, California on Wednesday, June 10 (6:30–7:30 PM PT). 

Next Week

That’s our report for June 5, 2026.

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

Until then — Act Up and Run Wild.

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