Bears Ears Draft Plan E bans recreation, grazing on BLM + USFS lands

“Alternative E: it restricts hunting. It restricts what it calls trophy hunting in some areas, which anybody who’s listening, who knows anything about hunting knows that trophy hunting is not anything hunters ever identify as or talk about…It’s kind of a made up kill word in some ways. So I’m still trying to figure out what they mean by that, is it that you have to be subsistence hunting? Do you have to be feeding yourself with it? I don’t know how they’re going to determine that. But there’s a large area that will be called remote that they won’t be allowing any kind of any kind of motorized traffic and and then like wilderness areas. Wilderness areas will be restricted to parties of, I think, it’s usually 20. They’re going to have restrictions like that where you’re going to have a limited party size, you’re not going to be able to be on any kind of vehicle with wheels. There’s going to be areas that are essentially going to be, you know, managed, like wilderness more, so an alternative II. And then you mentioned the alternatively on like the others would restrict in most areas having except in designated areas there would be no sport shooting, which is sort of interesting, and to me is kind of seems unnecessary. I’ve been down there and have not seen a lot of destruction to the land from sport shooting. The most destruction I’ve seen is from increased tourism, and tourists don’t usually bring their guns. They usually go and see the indigenous sights…The problems come from tourists touching the sights or being disrespectful; they don’t come from locals going out shooting.” — Andrew Sandstrom, conservation activist

In Episode 423 of District of Conservation, Gabriella welcomes back Andrew Sandstrom, a conservative conservationist activists hailing from Utah, to discuss the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service’s Bear Ears National Monument Draft Plan. This is the third plan of its kind.

The Biden administration’s preferred alternative – Plan E – would rely on indigenous knowledge and prohibit grazing, so-called trophy hunting, recreational shooting, and OHV access throughout most of the national monument.

Learn more in today’s episode.

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EP 552: The Potomac is No. 1 Endangered River in America – District of Conservation

In Episode 552 of District of Conservation, Gabriella discusses the new American Rivers report on the 10 most endangered rivers list and the Potomac River earning the top spot. Why? The organization claims both the Potomac Interceptor spill and data center buildout are factors justifying the top post. Gabriella also discusses how data centers use water and why these projects aren't as scary as believed. Plus, a preview of this weekend's IOTR Summit in Florida. Tune in to learn more!SHOW NOTESAmerican Rivers: America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2026 is a Call to Action for Healthy Rivers and a Cleaner Water Supply Maryland rejects ‘most endangered’ label for Potomac River, as D.C. remains unaware about ranking