This week on The Wild Line, we’re tracking a lackluster oil and gas lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a draft Forest Service memo that could open recommended wilderness to off-road vehicles, Senator Mike Lee’s move to nullify the Roadless Rule, and a bipartisan bill to keep public land sales out of budget reconciliation. From Alaska to Appalachia, these stories come down to who decides the future of America’s public lands.

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

Arctic Refuge Oil and Gas Lease Sale Draws $3.7 Million and No Major Bidders

A June 5 sale of oil and gas drilling rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge drew no bids from the North Slope’s major producers and just over $3.7 million in winning bids, a result industry observers called underwhelming and conservation groups labeled a flop. The sale offered 58 tracts across 688,829 acres at a $25-per-acre minimum, using largely the same terms as a 2021 sale that drew limited interest; a 2025 sale drew zero bids. It was the first of four mandated through 2032 under the One Big Beautiful Bill, each covering at least 400,000 acres. By contrast, an earlier National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska sale brought in nearly $164 million from producers like ConocoPhillips and Repsol.

Draft Forest Service Memo Could Open Recommended Wilderness to Off-Road Vehicles

A week after President Trump repealed two executive orders governing off-road vehicle use on public lands, the New York Times reported on a draft Secretarial memo from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins directing the U.S. Forest Service to review every road, trail, area, airstrip, and waterway now closed to motorized recreation to determine which might open to year-round ORV use. Conservation groups warn the review could reach the 5.18 million acres the agency itself has recommended for wilderness designation, which The Wilderness Society reports contain 3,325 miles of trails, habitat for 30 threatened or endangered species, 2.3 million acres of top-tier biodiversity value, and 1.5 million acres of important clean drinking water sources for Western communities. Paul Sanford of The Wilderness Society shared:

“The time to begin speaking up about these issues is now. We can’t wait until a proposed rule is published. Oftentimes, once a proposed rule is published, most of the fighting is done and the cake is baked. … They’re making these decisions now, so we need to be in there hustling and letting them know what we think they ought to do.”

Public Lands Integrity Act Would Block Land Sales in Budget Reconciliation

New Mexico Democratic Representative Gabe Vasquez last week introduced the Public Lands Integrity Act, which would require that any permanent sale or transfer of public land receive full congressional consideration, including a 60-vote Senate threshold rather than a simple majority. The bill effectively blocks land disposals from being bundled into budget reconciliation, the 51-vote tactic Republicans used last year in an attempt to sell off federal acreage in Utah and Nevada. It is bipartisan, with co-sponsors Arizona Republican Juan Ciscomani, Montana Republican Ryan Zinke, Colorado Democrat Joe Neguse, and Nevada Democrat Dina Titus. A Senate companion is carried by Colorado Democrat Michael Bennet.

Senate Committee Advances Mike Lee Amendment to Nullify the Roadless Rule

On Tuesday, Utah Senator Mike Lee proposed adding to the previously negotiated, bipartisan Wildfire Prevention Act an amendment that would nullify the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The amendment was approved along with the bill, but on a party-line committee vote, undercutting the negotiated, common-sense approach to wildfire risk that the original measure represented. As the bill moves toward the Senate floor, we’ll keep you updated on how you can take action.

BLM and Utah Sign Co-Management Agreement for the San Rafael Swell

The Bureau of Land Management and Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson have signed a first-of-its-kind co-management agreement giving the state a role in decisions about 216,995 acres of public land in the San Rafael Swell. The state will contribute 480 hours a year toward trail maintenance and law enforcement, though both parties stress that no new trails will be added unless updated in the BLM’s travel management plan. Some critics worry the deal is a first step toward handing federal land to the state, while officials counter that more local involvement will better protect recreation trails and cultural resources like rock art.

Montana Adds Lolo National Forest to Shared Stewardship Program

In Montana, the U.S. Forest Service and Governor Greg Gianforte announced a third Shared Stewardship location in the Lolo National Forest, adding 345,000 acres where the Forest Service will delegate management responsibility to the state. With two previously announced landscapes across the Flathead, Kootenai, and Bitterroot National Forests, the program now jointly manages 750,000 acres statewide. Formalized under a 20-year agreement, it lets Montana’s Department of Natural Resources and Conservation design and manage timber sales that can offset the cost of forest work. The first project, the Blacktail Powerline Project near Lakeside, is slated to begin this year, though the announcement comes amid significant Forest Service staffing cuts.

Reporting Scrutinizes Senator Tim Sheehy and Bridger Aerospace Firefighting Contracts

RE:PUBLIC, in partnership with ProPublica, published a deep dive this week into the connection between Montana Senator Tim Sheehy’s wildland firefighting outfit, Bridger Aerospace, and proposed changes to the safety and airworthiness inspections the Forest Service conducts on its contracted aviation companies. Sheehy’s company has received more than $235 million in aerial firefighting contract payments over the last five years, and the senator is now leading a push to stand up a new firefighting apparatus within the Department of the Interior. For more on RE:PUBLIC, listen to Episode 29 of The Wild Idea.

VDOT Study Finds No Need to Extend West Virginia’s Corridor H into Virginia

A new Virginia Department of Transportation study finds no operational need for a four- to five-lane highway from the West Virginia state line to I-81 near Strasburg, confirming a decision Virginia made more than 30 years ago not to extend Corridor H. The study lands as West Virginia plans to issue contracts for a $542 million, 7.5-mile easternmost segment from Wardensville across Great North Mountain to the state line, where traffic would funnel onto the two-lane Route 55/48, the John Marshall Highway. VDOT found conditions on that route would remain acceptable for the next 100 years. Two citizen groups, the Virginia Wilderness Committee and Stewards of the Potomac Highlands, filed a federal lawsuit last month to block the project.

Trump Opens Pacific Marine Sanctuaries to Commercial Fishing

On June 11, President Trump signed a proclamation opening parts of four Pacific marine sanctuaries to commercial fishing, framed as a way to reduce the consumer cost of seafood. While the move has support from some international and island fishery industry insiders, it is broadly opposed by residents of the American territories across the region. The sanctuaries were originally established under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Interior Designates Six New National Trails on National Trails Day

On National Trails Day, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum designated five new National Recreation Trails and one National Water Trail, adding 162.5 miles of hiking, paddling, and recreation across five states to a network of more than 1,350 National Recreation Trails. The additions include Colorado’s East Inlet Trail and Glacier Gorge Loop Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, Indiana’s Monon South Trail rail-trail corridor, Utah’s Bluff River Trail along the San Juan River, Virginia’s Leopold’s Preserve Trail system near Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania’s 120-mile Schuylkill River Water Trail ending at its confluence with the Delaware.

San Diego Desalination Surplus Offers Colorado River Relief for Arizona and Nevada

As Colorado River Basin states struggle toward a new agreement on dividing the river’s water, one county in California is providing a measure of relief. San Diego holds a water surplus thanks to a desalination plant online for roughly a decade, allowing it to sell Colorado River rights to Arizona and Nevada as the river heads toward historic lows amid drought, record-low snowpack, and rising demand. It is a glimmer of hope in a deepening crisis that, if Lake Mead falls to forecasted levels, could move beyond water access to serious impacts on power generation.

Interior Opens 60-Day Comment Period on Climbing and Wilderness Study Area Policies

The Department of the Interior announced a 60-day public comment period on proposed recreational climbing guidance and potential updates to wilderness study area management policies for lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service. Climbing advocates have long warned about losing the right to place fixed anchors on routes in designated wilderness, concerns the bipartisan EXPLORE Act seemed to settle last Congress. Advocates for wild lands are also alarmed by the review of wilderness study area policy. A dedicated Wild Idea episode on the issue is coming soon.

Kara Matsumoto, Senior Policy Director, Conservation Lands Foundation, shared a comment:

“This announcement came out late yesterday, so we’re still getting our ducks in a row, but already I’m starting to hear messages of alarm from many of our friends groups across the country. Many of these groups work very closely on wilderness areas and wilderness study areas, so they’re very concerned about what these policy changes might mean for the landscapes they care so much about, that they recreate on, that they really call their backyards.”

Next Week

That’s our report for June 12, 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.