From Overwhelm to Action

There’s a concerted attack on public lands. Here’s what you need to know to protect California’s native plants and habitats now. 

The federal administration’s attacks on our public lands are coming so quickly it can be difficult to keep up.  

In the last few weeks alone, the federal government has finalized the rescission of the Public Lands Rule, advanced efforts to rescind the Roadless Rule, announced a major restructuring of the Forest Service, and moved forward with installing anti-conservation leadership at the Bureau of Land Management. All of this is unfolding alongside a broader push to weaken environmental protections, slash agency capacity, and fast-track extraction and development on public lands through executive orders, proposed legislation, and unprecedented legislative maneuvering. 

Individually, these actions can appear bureaucratic and technical, unlikely to generate widespread public attention on their own. But together, they represent a systematic effort to weaken the conservation safeguards, scientific expertise, and public accountability that protect our public lands. 

The pace of these attacks is intentional. The administration is moving quickly and on many fronts at once, betting that people will stop paying attention or just get confused by the chaos. In this post, we break down some of the most significant recent attacks on public lands and share ways you can help hold lawmakers accountable. 

What’s happening now 

The Public Lands Rule is officially rescinded 

On Monday, May 11, the Bureau of Land Management officially walked back the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule – typically referred to as the Public Lands Rule – wiping out an important reform that finally put conservation on equal footing with extractive uses of public lands like mining and drilling. That matters enormously in California, where intact habitat is already under pressure from climate change, development, invasive species, and wildfire. Now, it will be even harder to push for conservation and restoration on BLM lands, threatening thousands of special status wildlife and plant species. 

Senate advances bloc vote to confirm Steve Pearce as BLM Director 

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee recently advanced the nomination of former Congressman Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management, paving the way for his confirmation as part of an unusual bloc vote procedure being used to fast-track dozens of controversial nominations. Pearce has a long record of supporting fossil fuel extraction and opposing conservation measures, including national monument protections. The BLM oversees 245 million acres of public land nationwide, including 15 million acres in California that are home to 40% of California’s rare plants. Pearce’s record—including his past support for public lands sell-offs—raises serious concerns about whether the agency will prioritize short-term industrial interests over sustainable stewardship and public access. 

The U.S. Forest Service is expected to undergo a major overhaul

A recent proposal to restructure the Forest Service would move the agency’s national headquarters from D.C. to Salt Lake City and replace regional offices with a system of state-level leadership and centralized “hubs.” At the same time, the agency plans to consolidate all research into a single national program based in Fort Collins, Colorado. More than 50 research stations across the country would be shuttered, including six in California. 

We’ve seen this kind of restructuring before, and we know that relocating jobs could leave behind those who can’t uproot their lives and families to follow, while research station closures could decimate years of hyper-local research and institutional knowledge. Read more about impacts to California’s forests and communities in our new blog post here.

The administration makes progress in efforts to rescind the Roadless Rule

The USDA, which oversees the U.S. Forest Service, is moving rapidly toward rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule, which protects nearly 58 million acres of national forest lands from roadbuilding and logging. After a brief public comment period on the proposed rollback last fall, federal officials are expected to release a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the rescission in early summer—despite offering nowhere near the level of public engagement that accompanied the rule’s original adoption, which included more than 600 public meetings nationwide.  

Roadless areas include some of the most ecologically intact landscapes remaining in the United States, provide critical habitat connectivity, watershed protection, and refuge for biodiversity. Building new roads fragments habitat, spreads invasive species, increases erosion, and can increase human-caused wildfire ignitions. The logging and extractive activities that often follow can permanently damage some of our most important remaining natural landscapes. 

Reasons for Hope 

We are not powerless. There are still meaningful opportunities to push back—and signs that public pressure is working. 

Momentum is growing to keep public lands in public hands

Last year’s proposal to sell off federal public lands through the budget reconciliation process sparked a widespread public backlash, reminding lawmakers just how unpopular public lands privatization is across the political spectrum. After public pressure helped defeat the provision, Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) introduced the Public Lands in Public Hands Act, which would limit the sale and transfer of federal public lands without congressional approval and opportunities for public input. 

 The legislation has continued gaining momentum, with Representative Kevin Kiley (R-CA) recently signing on as a co-sponsor. At a moment when public lands face mounting political attacks, the bipartisan support for keeping public lands in public hands is an important reminder that these landscapes are deeply valued by the American public. 

Lawmakers are pushing back on workforce cuts

Members of Congress have also introduced legislation aimed at slowing or preventing large-scale federal workforce reductions that threaten agencies like the Forest Service and BLM. Legislation that targets “reductions in force” would protect important federal workers and ensure that agencies retain the scientific expertise and institutional capacity needed to responsibly steward our public lands. 

People are showing up

As evidenced by the town halls emerging across California and the nation in defense of the Roadless Rule, people are continuing to show up to defend public lands. Public hearings, comment periods, rallies, town halls, and grassroots organizing efforts continue to draw strong participation, even as the pace of attacks accelerates. That public engagement makes a difference. Public lands protections are far harder to dismantle quietly when people are vocal and engaged. 

Online storytellers are helping break through the noise

A growing number of digital content creators, scientists, hikers, hunters, botanists, Tribal advocates, and outdoor enthusiasts are using social media to explain what’s happening to public lands in accessible and compelling ways. Effective online storytelling helps elevate these issues beyond traditional advocacy spaces while building a broader, more connected, and more resilient community of public lands supporters from all walks of life. When the purpose and impact of these collective policy changes is intentionally obscured, clear, values-driven storytelling is playing an important role in helping people understand what is at stake. 

What you can do – You have more power than you know 

Call or write your representatives (Really)

Your voice as a constituent still matters enormously—especially on public lands issues, which consistently draw bipartisan support. 

You can find your representatives here. When you call, talk about your personal connection to public lands, and use this sample message to emphasize some of specific concerns highlighted above:  

“I’m deeply concerned about the ongoing attacks towards our federal public lands and environmental protections. In California, public lands support extraordinary biodiversity, including native plant species found nowhere else in the world. Efforts to weaken environmental review, rescind the Roadless Rule, reduce land management agency staffing, and prioritize extraction over conservation threaten these landscapes and the communities that depend on them.  

I urge you to oppose efforts that weaken public lands protections and support proactive measures to protect public lands stewardship, including signing on to the Public Lands Integrity Act and supporting legislation that prevents further staffing cuts at land management agencies. Public lands belong to all of us, and decisions affecting them should be guided by science, public input, and long-term stewardship.” 

Engage online

Talk about public lands in your local online communities, whether that’s Reddit, Facebook groups, or neighborhood forums. People are far more likely to care about these issues when they hear about them from their own community and understand how they affect places they personally know and love. 

Talk with your friends, families, and neighbors about public lands

Conversations about public lands matter more than many people realize. Don’t assume that friends, neighbors, or family members already know what’s happening. Many of these policy changes receive little public attention despite carrying enormous consequences for the future of public lands management. 

Public lands are where people hike, camp, fish, birdwatch, botanize, and spend time with family. They are places where people build traditions, connect with their communities, and experience the landscapes and biodiversity that make California unique. Don’t let folks in your community take their public lands for granted: tell them what’s happening and encourage them to get involved. 

Go on record

Public comment processes remain one of the few formal mechanisms the public has to push back against harmful policy changes. Even if agencies are determined to push through unpopular policies, they’re legally required to solicit and consider public input—and that means that every comment matters. Public comments demonstrate public opposition, creating a record that can influence decisions, shape future litigation, and slow efforts to quietly dismantle protections. 

When a public comment period arises, CNPS can help you craft your comments and direct you to the portals where comments can be submitted. Look out for upcoming comment periods for the Roadless Rule rescission and other environmental protection rollbacks.  

The administration is betting that the public won’t pay attention to their attacks on our public lands. Together, we can prove them wrong.