This week on The Wild Line, we’re tracking a proposed overhaul of the Forest Service’s travel management rule, record glyphosate use on California’s national forests, Nevada’s lawsuit over Colorado River water cuts, and rallies planned to defend Gulf of Mexico wildlife from an Endangered Species Act rollback. From a reshuffled Interior Department to a Texas music compilation raising money for the Big Bend Conservation Alliance, these stories track the fight over how much protection is left for America’s public lands, water, and wildlife.

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

USDA Proposes to Flip Forest Service Travel Management Rules

The USDA is continuing its push on public lands policy, proposing to reverse the U.S. Forest Service’s longstanding travel management approach by allowing motorized vehicles on national forests and grasslands everywhere except areas specifically closed, replacing the current system that limits vehicles to a designated network of roads, trails, and areas. The proposal follows last week’s Roadless Rule rollout and its own draft environmental impact statement. Dan Hartinger, senior director of policy advocacy for The Wilderness Society, shared his thoughts about what the change could mean for public lands:

“We’re concerned that this would open up potentially a dangerous free-for-all of motorized usage on our public lands where there’s confusion and, frankly, chaos about what routes are open or closed to motorized vehicle usage in a way that really could sort of take away the freedom to enjoy recreation on public lands from everyone. More access in more places is not always better access. Right now, under the travel management rule framework, we all can share our public lands in a way that allows people the freedom to enjoy recreation in their own way, whether it’s hiking, camping, biking, or off-road vehicle use. So what the administration is teeing up is a major departure from decades of how travel management planning has happened on public land management agencies for a very long time.”

Record Glyphosate Spraying Reported on California National Forests

PBS has been reporting on the surge in the herbicide glyphosate, sold under the brand name RoundUp, being sprayed on California’s national forests to kill understory vegetation competing with newly replanted trees, with use now at record levels. RoundUp is widely considered a carcinogen; Monsanto, the company that manufactures it, has funded studies aimed at showing the product is safe to use. Some Forest Service applications are occurring immediately adjacent to communities.

Rallies Planned to Defend Gulf of Mexico Wildlife From ESA Rollback

As reported multiple times this year on The Wild Line, the Trump administration convened the so-called God Squad in March to circumvent the Endangered Species Act and allow oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, putting more than 20 threatened and endangered species at risk of extinction. The Endangered Species Coalition has been hosting rallies across the Gulf region to draw attention to the issue, with two Rally for Gulf Wildlife events set for Saturday, one in Islamorada, Florida, and the other in Key West. A toolkit for hosting a rally is also available.

Interior Department Reshuffles Dozens of Senior Career Staff

In what appears to be an attempt to push out staff or demoralize them, the Interior Department recently reassigned at least 25 senior career staffers, shifting key roles at the agency overseeing the nation’s public lands, parks, and other resources. Sources told The Hill, anonymously, the moves seem punitive rather than efficiency-driven, meant to push some into resigning or retiring. Those affected are part of the Senior Executive Service. Meanwhile, Forest Service career staff promised for weeks that they’d learn where they fit in a new org chart, or whether they’ll be forced to relocate, are still waiting.

Nevada Sues Over Federal Colorado River Water Cuts

On Monday, Nevada officials filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s order cutting the state’s Colorado River water use, marking a major escalation among the seven states that share the river. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Nevada, argues the Bureau of Reclamation’s operating plan unlawfully authorizes cuts to Nevada’s allocation of up to 71 percent annually over the next decade. The seven states failed to reach their own agreement on the dwindling supply, prompting the Bureau to impose steep cuts on lower basin states, including Nevada. The lawsuit seeks to halt the plan until the state can analyze the economic impact on the southern Nevada communities that rely on the river.

Texas Musicians Rally Against a Border Wall in Sing Across the Borderline

Music has a way of activating people who might otherwise sit on the sidelines. A reworked version of “Don’t Fence Me In,” retitled “Don’t Fence Big Bend” and featuring artists including Robert Earl Keen and Shinyribs, has been circulating on social media. A related compilation, Sing Across the Borderline, brings together Texas artists and artists with Texas roots in solidarity against a wall in the Big Bend region, insisting the Rio Grande remain wild and free. All proceeds go to the Big Bend Conservation Alliance, which envisions the region thriving, with land, water, and skies in healthy balance and equity and environmental justice for all. Listen in here.

National Park Week Wraps Up With Junior Ranger Day

This weekend caps National Park Week, marking 110 years of the National Park Service and 250 years of the country. Get the kids into a national park and introduce them to public lands: Sunday is Junior Ranger Day.

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Next Week

That’s our report for August 28, 2026.

We’ll be back next week with more land stories that matter. Next Tuesday on The Wild Idea Podcast, we talk wildlife corridors with Christian Hunt and Kelly Cox from Defenders of Wildlife.

Until then — Act Up and Run Wild.

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