Our Public Lands are at Risk!

Our National Forests, BLM lands, National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges are a risk because of the dramatic staff cuts and funding freezes ordered by President Trump’s administration. 

Wild Connections stands in solidarity with the staff of our Pike-San Isabel National Forest, Royal Gorge BLM, Florissant Fossil Beds and Browns Canyon National Monuments, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. We're doing what we can, and we urge you to fight back!

Rep Hurd's "Productive Public Lands Act" threatens
BLM's Eastern Colorado and other Resource Management Plans

This bill asks congress to eliminate or slash nearly all of the 300,000 acres and 60 BLM river miles of conservation and recreation designations in the Eastern Colorado RMP, a 10-year process formed by local community input that was just finalized last year.  
Rep Hurd claims that the plan locks up public lands from oil and gas leasing, however over 76% of the ECRMP planning area is already open to O&G leasing, a plan supported by Colorado's energy industry.
Click on the adjacent image to read our full report of these threats.  

Days of Action March 2025
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Florissant Fossil Beds protests, top March1, bottom March 22. Photo Jim Lockhart

People gathered at Florissant Fossil Beds on March 1st and 22nd to show their support for National Parks. 

The Fossil Beds, usually open all week, is closed now Monday and Tuesday due to staff shortages.  These staff protect the globally important paleo artifacts, wildlife, and wetlands of the Monument. They greet you and your kids, guide hikes, and care for the exhibits. 

Photos courtesy of Florissant Fossil Beds NM

Browns Canyon National Monument

Friends of Browns Canyon National Monument members and Wild Connections have explored locations that may be resilient as the climate changes. Data loggers that record hourly temperature and humidity were retrieved  for our climate records. The USFS and BLM jointly manage the 21,586 acre Monument along the Arkansas  River that was designated in 2015 under the Antiquities Act.

Hekla Tower. Photo Wendall Day, FOBC

Hikers getting orientation  from John Sztukowski, Wild Connections Conservation Co-ED. Photo David Beaulieu, FOBC 